We must save our trees, not destroy them

In Dhaka, concrete is everywhere. It is not only under our feet or above our heads; it seems to have infiltrated every aspect of our lives. While urbanisation, or rather concretisation, has been the overriding theme of Dhaka's history of the last two decades, it has certainly not been without costs, especially in terms of degradation in the quality of life as well as nature. Extreme heat is on the rise around the world, but so is our vulnerability to it in Dhaka, thanks to its disappearing greenery and wetlands, which could have offered some protection against the heat.

Against this backdrop, it is disheartening to see how the authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) decided to handle a routine beautification work. The DSCC is reportedly carrying out a Tk 9.62 crore project to beautify roads in different areas of the city, and as part of it, a road divider on the Saat Masjid road in Dhanmondi is being rebuilt with old trees planted on the divider being cleared. Ever since the clearing began, local activists and environmental experts have been protesting against it. While talking to The Daily Star, an expert said that a city turned into a veritable heat island and routinely ravaged by air pollution must think "100 times" before cutting trees, especially if the purpose is something as transient as beautification. The question is, how can there be beauty without trees? How can it be justified if life-giving nature has to be sacrificed for it? Activists have rightly called the DSCC move "irresponsible", "senseless" and "suicidal".

We cannot agree more. In a way, through such activities, we are digging our own grave. We cannot just concretise or beautify our way through a place and hope to live blissfully detached from its consequences. Those consequences, which far outweigh any perceived benefit of such activities, are very much real. And they are already being felt. The ongoing heatwave in the country, which began after a temporary respite in the wake of the Eid holiday, is once again causing suffering. According to new research, 37.5 percent of people in our villages and 5.3 million people in Dhaka are at risk of facing extreme heat in the summer. Along with the rise in temperature has returned loadshedding, with greater frequency outside the capital, with the authorities reportedly struggling to generate sufficient electricity because of the crisis of fuels and dollar.

In such a situation, researchers have recommended planting trees, installing water taps in different parts of major cities, creating a tree-covered park in each neighbourhood, and preserving wetlands. The importance of preserving and planting trees cannot be overestimated. We, therefore, urge the DSCC mayor to immediately stop their tree-cutting initiative in Dhanmondi and elsewhere in Dhaka, and find a way to improve road sights that doesn't harm trees. The DSCC can learn a thing or two from the DNCC, which recently appointed a Chief Heat Officer to help reduce temperature and also announced a plan to plant 200,000 trees in two years. Such initiatives are vital to preserve what little life still left in Dhaka's environment.