13 July,2026 07:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Eeshanpriya MS
An area in Mahalaxmi where three trees collapsed on July 6, damaging houses. PICs/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
In the aftermath of the collapse of 827 trees in just a fortnight this monsoon, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to set up a seven or eight-member committee of experts, including arborists, horticulturalists, and landscape and urban designers, to improve footpath designs, favouring survival of trees and maximising use of open spaces to increase urban greening.
The names of experts for the panel have been shortlisted, and the BMC will soon start talks with them to get them on board. The panel will work on an ad-hoc basis to provide expert insights, conduct studies and inspections, and suggest long-term measures.
Almost 830 trees have fallen in the past fortnight
As per the tree census of 2018, Mumbai has 28.7 lakh trees. Approximately two lakh of these are located on footpaths and some are over 50 to 60 years old, and belong to types that grow tall, large, and wide, with complex root structures. Every year before the monsoon season begins, the civic body prunes approximately one lakh trees located on footpaths.
Welcoming the BMC's decision to coordinate with experts, Stalin Dayanand said, "The BMC's tree officers are very capable. They have arborist backgrounds. Many of them were raised in rural areas and inherently love trees. They should be given the power to take actions and decisions, and they should be heard by the administration, otherwise their feedback remains in letters."
According to information from the BMC, factors such as high wind speed and heavy rain that lead to water retention increase the weight of the tree, making urban ones more susceptible to collapses. "Hence they are trimmed," an official said. "We want to examine if we can scientifically train the growth of tree roots, so that we can control their height above ground, over many years. We will examine this with the help of experts," a senior civic official said.
Make footpath trees more stable and healthy over time, and scientifically control their growth so they don't have to be extensively chopped every monsoon
Find ways to improve greening across the city and add to the cooling effect provided by plantation, with the help of planters, creepers, shrubs, and shorter trees
Stalin Dayanand, director of Mumbai-based environmental organisation Vanashakti, said the availability of continuous earth or mud is vital for roots to grow properly. "In 2015, we submitted a report to BMC after extensively studying Mumbai's public trees over 15 months, but the civic body has failed to act on it. Among our suggestions was the creation of a 6x6-foot earth patch at the base of every tree. This is actually not as simple as it sounds in Mumbai. Many of our trees are half on the footpath and half on the road. All utility ducts lie under the footpath, and the edge of the carriageway has stormwater drain chambers, which interrupt continuous access to earth. This exercise is extremely time consuming, and cost intensive. It will require a lot of civil work. Each tree will have to be studied separately," he said.
Avinash Dhakne, Additional municipal commissioner
âWe have shortlisted names of experts to empanel on the committee. We will begin our correspondence with experts to use their expertise'
