Every day that Mumbaikars step out of the house, any number of things could go wrong, especially during the monsoon
Every day that Mumbaikars step out of the house, any number of things could go wrong, especially during the monsoon. But as Malad accountant Parag Pawaskar stepped out on Friday morning, he could not have anticipated that a tree would fall on his car and crush him to death, on his birthday no less.
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The tragic incident was not only extremely unfortunate, but was perhaps preventable. All reports stated that waterlogging near the tree’s roots may have made the soil loose, resulting in the fall. Civic authorities claimed that this particular tree was healthy, but did add that trees become heavier and tend to keel over and fall during the rainy season.
The authorities need to exercise extra vigilance in the monsoon. Mumbai has, even last season, seen a couple of deaths because of tree falls. Many have had a providential escape, but there have been fatalities too. Maybe, it is time to take a slew of experts on board, who will be able to assess which trees are dangerous and advise the authorities to move ahead and cut before any mishap takes place. Here, of course, prevention is imperative, because once the roots have loosened, the tree could fall at any time.
The branches of these trees, too, need attention because of their weight, which makes timely cutting all the more important. But there is a lot of grey area when it comes to trees and Mumbai city. One is not referring to this season in particular. There are numerous reports about trees being mysteriously cut, clashes between environmentalists and authorities over trees, empty promises that damaged trees will be replanted. One fails to see why we do not have more clarity on a tree cutting policy or why there has to be so much to and fro when it comes to trees in the city.
The monsoon brings all these problems to the fore. Let us see transparency and expertise in this matter, especially in this season. Friday’s tragedy should be a defining moment for us as a city, and the lesson we need to take away from it.
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