Replay of woes: Tree fall, flooding

Mumbai: The pre-monsoon showers in several parts of the city have made short shrift of the civic body's claims of preparedness. There have been at least five instances of tree fall in the last few days on top of many complaints of waterlogging on streets. The repeat of old problems, citizens argue, shows that the pre-monsoon work undertaken by the BMC and other agencies was slapdash. 

    Civic officials claim that this year they prepared for the rainy season on a war footing. On June 2, the BMC's gardens department said that it had trimmed and balanced 340 dead and dangerous trees to prevent any mishaps. It also said that paver blocks around the trunks of 500 trees had been removed. Yet, even before the monsoon arrived in Mumbai, five tree falls occurred, injuring at least one person. According to the civic body, two tree falls were reported from the island city, one from an eastern suburb and two from the western suburbs. 
    Last Tuesday, a "weak and dangerous" tree at R A K Kidwai Marg near King's Circle fell, injuring a passing biker, Santosh Chikane. A resident of Vikhroli, Chikane was knocked off his motorcycle and suffered injuries on hands and face. 
    Local residents say they had made several complaints to the civic ward office about dangerous trees in the area, including the one that fell on Chikane. The BMC, however, did nothing. No action, residents say, was taken by the Tree Authority to whom the complaints were forwarded. 
    Indrani Malkani, a trustee of V Citizens Action group, said, "The tree fall at General Bhosle Marg in A-Ward may have been minor, but the authorities should take the issue seriously to prevent any untoward incident." 
    In Andheri, the pre-monsoon showers that lasted less than half an hour were enough to raise a stink. "It rained barely for 20 minutes, but that was enough to wet the silt lying next to our building. If it had rained for even a while longer all the sand and silt would have washed back into the storm water drain," said a resident. 
    Activist Nikhil Desai said, "Despite little rainfall, Sion circle was flooded, which led to a traffic snarl. The civic body made tall claims, but it seems little work has been done on the ground." PROBLEM ROOTED OUT? 
The BMC says it has trimmed and balanced 340 dead and dangerous trees identified last month Paver blocks around the trunks of 500 trees have been removed Emergency 'gangs' have been set up in all wards to review complaints of tree falls The BMC has received 1,049 complaints of tree fall since 2008 Experts want a second survey of 'dangerous' trees during monsoon months