Green cover or un-cover?

A frame of Marine Drive promenade from 2021. File pic

Sir PM was fully drenched by the time he sought refuge inside the cathedral despite his sturdy rain gear from Crawford Market. As soon as he spotted Lady Flora, they laughed heartily because their wish to the rain gods from last week seemed to have been granted, going by the heavy rainfall that hit the city, its suburbs and the catchment areas.

As soon as Sir PM was in a less-drippy state, courtesy the heavy-duty ceiling fans that worked wonders, he and his friend did what they enjoyed the most - discuss the health of the city. "Pheroze, I was re-looking at frames from the forgettable evening where I nearly got run over by over-excited cricket fans en route to cheer for their World Cup cricket heroes along Marine Drive. I noticed how the number of trees along the sea-facing promenade had reduced since the last time I had walked down that stretch. Was I imagining it, or do you think so as well?"

Sir PM looked a bit surprised; it was partly because he wasn't paying attention to such key details the last time he passed by the promenade. He had to pretend that he knew about it, which was tough to pull off with his hawk-eyed friend. "You are right, my Lady. I am pretty sure that in their enthusiasm to get this important project ready, the trees got the axe, literally. Dr Viegas, too, was mentioning about this vital loss of green cover, particularly towards the end near the Princess Street flyover." Phew, that was close. God bless Viegas for keeping me in the know; Sir PM sent a silent ‘thank you' to his old pal.

"This is a serious offence. I mean how could they possibly hack these trees, in the name of infrastructure? This is such an iconic landmark; the trees add much-needed shade, especially in the summer. They also add character and natural beauty, and now, this eyesore... I believe this happened quickly, such that even the local citizens' associations had no time to react or raise an alarm. How very unfortunate," she thundered, adding "Do you know that London has one of the world's largest urban forests? On my recent trip via London, I learnt that the city is home to 8.4 million trees across public and private spaces! I shudder to compare it to
our count."

Sir PM felt he could help ease the disappointment to some degree with a possible solution. "Lady Flora, I have had enough of how the civic gods are taking our environment so lightly despite numerous warning signs right around them. Look at how the city came to a standstill once again during this past week of rain. A lot of it, my environmentalist friends say, is because of the consistent thinning of green cover across the metropolis. We still have the rest of July to negotiate, and August, too. Don't forget that dreaded deluge of 2005…So here's the plan. I will initiate a campaign with some of my trusted comrades to ensure that the removed trees due to the ‘beautification', are replanted to bring back some of the lost charm and much-needed shade along this promenade. You will back me, right?"

"Of course! We are in it together. We have a lot of work to do, so let's get to the drawing board soon. First, we need to identify the species that were originally planted in those spots. Next, we contact the many citizen groups in this stretch who will be keen to join the campaign, to show solidarity for this green cause. We can chart out a series of assemblies where experts will create awareness and garner interest. After all, they should know how they can contribute, and why it matters. Remember, the more the numbers, the better shot we have to create a positive wave. Those who did this must be made accountable, and initiate the replanting of the same trees. Timely follow-ups will ensure this campaign reaches its logical conclusion."

By now his friend's enthusiasm had rubbed off on Sir PM in a big way. The sky was clear and they decided to head towards the stretch concerned on Marine Drive. It saddened them to see the altered promenade near the Coastal Road entry point. "Surely, a solution could have been found by the planners of this project, by consulting with botanists and environment scientists," sighed Sir PM. "What has happened cannot be redrawn. Instead, let's look forward and use the immense strength of people's power to get cracking...and get the civic gods to get cracking too, hopefully. Green should always be our favourite colour; let's do our best to ensure the Bombaywallah never thinks otherwise," exclaimed Lady Flora, buoyed enough to fight fiercely once again for her fave city.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her.
She tweets @bombayana. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com