During last three decades cities/towns all over the country are confronted with the challenge of climate change, especially major cities. In most of the urban centers air quality has deteriorated to a level that even poor and unhealthy air quality has become a putative fact.
Srinagar is fast catching it up, from being one of the greenest city in the country, its toxic air affects health of people. If not managed appropriately, it is going to be very detrimental to its economy and quality of life. The only way to recuperate, is to improve the green cover and make sure that excessive greenhouse gases can be absorbed from environment so that people can breathe fresh air. Hon’ble Prime Minister on the first of March 2023 has very candidly expressed that well planned cities will only determine fate of the country. It is possible when urban planning is better, our cities will become climate resilient and water secure. Therefore, increased plantation cover of the biome is going to hold immense importance in making urban centers resilient and sustainable.
Lent in Kashmir
Springtime is always special, particularly in Kashmir and parts of the Jammu, because this is the season of plantation. In this season landscape comes to life after harsh winters and sunlight starts gaining warmth, enabling to revive and reinvigorate natural verdure. It connotes, freedom and coming out of dormancy to revive, rebirth, rejuvenate and reawaken a new life in the world around us, signifying importance of the spring season in the calendar too. There is a long history associated with this season in Kashmir where people and the government begins to plant trees, flowers and agricultural crops. The landscape of Srinagar is always abuzz with the plantation activities be it selling of variety of trees/plants, flower /vegetable plants/seeds/seedlings. For this purpose, every year extensive plantation drives are launched by government, NGO, and people as well. Generally, plantation is carried out by Mali’s without any comprehensive plan and any consideration to various prerequisites of plantation.
Neglect towards Urban Plantation
Srinagar city through ages has been a central place for learning, administration, trade, tourism activity and was eulogized as beautiful and green city with salubrious climate and bountiful nature. The explanation is well inferred and construed from couplet referred passionately by Emperor Jehangir who visited Kashmir eight times in his reign who after seeing natural beauty has recounted famous Persian couplet for Kashmir “Agar firdaus baroo-e zameen ast, hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast”. The stanza is itself an embellishment of its natural beauty along with biotic and abiotic features of its exquisiteness and splendor bestowed by nature to it. The worth of plantation has been vividly expounded in the proverb of Hazarat Sheikh-Ul-Alam , “an posh tele yeli poshe wan” signifying conservation of environment through verdant and green landscape. ALAS! but the mankind in history has hard-nosed its actions in ruthless and negligent manner in the process, to the extent that his indiscriminate activities have slowly but surely robed it from pristine glory, filching its distinction and status of being a piece of heaven. There has been a complete disregard and lackadaisical approach adopted by the successive dispensations to harness the inherent potential of the Srinagar which has battered its latent potential to endure the burden of increased exploitation, massive urbanization and agglomeration of activities. There is an urgent need to safeguard and improve the natural landscape and beauty of the city as it is essential to local economy, urban planning, mental and physical health, leisure, hospitality sector, heat mitigation and curbing climate change.
Srinagar having bountiful landscape and favorable climate rich tradition of tourism has not been fully benefited from such haphazard plantation drives. Nothing significant has been thru to improve its tourist image especially with respect avenue plantation. Various development works undertaken at different times have progressively diminished the plantation cover of the city significantly e.g. embankments of river Jhelum and Doodhganga river; Bye Pass road, new extension of the Bye Pass, Foreshore road, internal link roads, urbanized area, hill slopes etc. are either without much needed plant cover or it has been removed and sacrificed for implementation of development. In the process, it has adversely disturbed biodiversity, natural habitat of many species, aesthetics of the city besides generating ever expanding heat zone with far-reaching inimical influence on ecology and climate of Valley in particular and J&K in general. It has increased the pollution levels in many parts of Srinagar and deprived the city from much needed green cover adversely affecting its health in many ways. To mention a few, we have lost over the years Shalteng Avenue, Green Tunnel Avenue near Bijbehara, Plant sub ecosystem Doodhganga, River Jhelum at many places and not say of the wiping out of plantation cover consequent in Dal and Nagin lake some years ago. Be it Shalteng or green tunnel plantation avenues, these lend an identity to the place by adding aesthetics for which people are nostalgic and often reminisce.
It has been seen that cities with well-planned and well managed green infrastructure tend to be resilient, sustainable, adaptive, and viable. In the absence of open space at local and neighborhood level, avenue plantation provides a doable option and needs to be taken up on extensive basis in the city which is bound to substantiate in implementation of our commitments towards greening of cities and increase in common green area which otherwise is depressingly low in Srinagar. Government can also explore possibilities of developing green spaces on recently retrieved lands through encroachment drive in the interest of the city. Developing and maintaining green area is also one of the functions spelled out in the Municipal Corporation Act-2000 wherein it is unequivocally indicated that urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of ecological aspects is the duty of Srinagar Municipal Corporation. In addition, planting and care of trees on road side is also one the obligatory function of the concerned ULB. Unfortunately, SMC is neither performing duties of planting trees nor looks after any of these vital aspects of the city development. Efforts made in this direction through different departments/ organizations, who have their own priorities, fiscal limitations are quite often sequestered and not yielding desired results. Srinagar which at present has third generation master plan has been unlucky to shape it roads and other avenues till date. In India, Chandigarh and Bengaluru are the two best example of urban planning where avenue trees and land uses have been meticulously conceived and emit richness by their presence and complementing each other. In Srinagar, whatever avenue plantation has been done, it is purely without the knowledge various aspects of plant material like, crown width, tree height, crown length, crown interference, interspacing of trees or underlying engineering elements of the roads and supply lines passing through these roads. For example, every now and then either the crown of trees is needed to be cut or removal of foliage necessitated to avoid damages to the service/supply lines which is a common scene always morbid the aesthetic of the avenues.
Urban Avenue Plantation-The Way Forward
One way to bring in the change is to adopt urban avenue plantation at local and city level as it requires minimum work but helps in cleansing the air. Plantation /plants in personal spaces like home and offices cabins where the concrete walls and electronic devices emit hazardous gases recycles environment by absorbing impure particles and gases present in the atmosphere. Plantation in general releases clean oxygen thereby reduces the risk of developing respiratory problems. While at community level, people can come together and plant native/exquisite species of the region to serve the purpose of cleansing the air and act as heat sinks to moderate the climate change impact. Creating avenue plantation areas in an around the locality, improves air quality of area, as the trees, plants, herbs and shrubs reduces the amount of harmful toxic gases present in the air due to pollution and in return releases fresh oxygen.
Thus, urban avenue plantation holds unparalleled significance in cities and towns which are fast turning into concrete jungles. It is an effective way of providing true shade and commanding visual contrast between dense landscape and open space when planted in groups. These form part and parcel of urban forestry because of their size but also proffer the advantage of sustaining the growing urban population and stress of pollution. Avenue plantation on road/river bunds, around water bodies, hill slopes or open spaces because of their proximity to generation of vehicle emission are also important for reducing pollution. It has a multitude of other benefits in an urban setting like proper utilization of unutilized and derelict land, creates an aura and aroma, provides cool shade, adds to aesthetic of landscape, generates wealth, addss to the knowledge about fauna and flora, increases the value of urban assets, regulates water flow and prevent floods, acts as safe border from traffic, reduces intensity of winds and erosion. Over and above proximity to green space improves physical and mental health which is a great necessity in urban areas. Basic prerequisites needed for the avenue plantation is strong understanding of engineering of roads, plant material, soils, stipulations and planning. Following some the steps which need to be taken for ensuring appropriate creation of avenue plantation areas in Srinagar:
} A comprehensive plan needs to be framed for avenue plantation of the Srinagar city on all vantage areas including highways, arterial roads, district roads, river bunds, rim of water bodies, foothills, etc. It shall be based on thorough research on availability of spaces, nature of soil, running service and supply lines, engineering details of the roads embankments, and spaces, plant material to be planted shall in the process aim at improvement in aesthetics, sustainability, resilience and bettering tourist image of the city.
} Greater inter-departmental coordination to ensure efficient and judicious implementation of programmers of avenue plantation. It shall create avenues of aesthetic attentiveness which in the process shall bestow identity to place or the area. Long linear avenues need to be segmented to break monotony and create interest in travel, a much needed element for improving tourist image and in turn become an element of significance.
} SMC shall also ensure greater participation of stakeholders and involve the general public and the NGOs in the mission of successful avenue plantation with focus on creating extensive green areas to minimize the generation of heat zones.
} Avenue plantation shall form invariably as vital part of the urban development plans and the master plan as a policy decision and carve out and reserve sufficient green areas by enunciating and earmarking the land uses in each plan. For successful implementation and achieving the target of green movement zonal plans are imperative and shall be framed on priority for all master plans.
} Sufficient fund allocation need to be made available for the greening of the city especially avenue plantation to improve green cover which shall go long way in mitigating ill effects of the climate change. Provide property tax rebates and other incentives to the individuals if they plant trees on the urban vacant land, as a policy to increase vegetal cover of the city and in the process reduce the growing pollution and carbon foot prints to pave way for healthy Srinagar.
Urban plantation avenues as green spaces form an integral components of urban ecosystems, enhancing the environmental quality, and supporting sustainable urban development. Against the backdrop of growing dearth of plant matter and green areas ecological problems are bound to endanger the survival of life in cities. In Srinagar, tangible and intangible benefits associated with plantation, parks and gardens make their provision a priority for ever increasing population. As it is growing at a brisk rate in unplanned manner with depressingly derisory per capita availability of organized urban green space in comparison to many other cities of the country. It makes urban avenue plantation in Srinagar vital and has to be taken up in mission mode for overcoming deficiency in plant cover and green spaces to rejuvenate the biodiversity, improve the quality of life, and in turn make it a sustainable city for forerunner of the future.
Hammid Ahmad Wani , Professional Town Planner
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.