Bhubaneswar: The cyclonic storm Fani that ravaged parts of Odisha has a fiery effect on the weather. Normally, heat is oppressive in summer months in the Capital city. But this time, the unusual summer cyclone has raised the day temperatures in Bhubaneswar to unbearable levels. The reason cited for this phenomenon is Fani had damaged the city’s greenery. According to Forest and Environment Department officials, a total of 14 lakh trees and eight lakh saplings were damaged in the cyclone. The department itself is the worsthit as it sustained Rs 537 crore loss, Secretary, Information and Public Relations, Sanjay Kumar Singh, said .
The loss of so much greenery indicates the Bhubaneswar city too had suffered heavily in terms of green cover. Parks and roads in the city now stand naked without any trees. To add to the people’s woes, many houses are still in dark as power has not been restored yet. The areas such as Lower PMG, AG Square, Governor House Road, Gopabandhu Square used to be places where drivers and pedestrians preferred to pass through because of giant trees. But now, all these areas are without trees, thanks to cyclone Fani. The worst sufferers are the homeless and labourers who used to take shelter under these trees are now resting under over bridges and flyovers.
The fresh cool air coming from these trees used to refresh us but now their absence has made life tougher, said Sanjay Singh, a tea vendor near Vani Vihar. Meanwhile, the authorities and voluntary organisations are busy cutting the fallen trees in the city.
Urban planner Piyush Ranjan Rout said the city which used to boast itself as Green Bhubaneswar has lost around 5lakh trees beyond the forest area which were either uprooted or damaged during cyclone Fani. The city has lost almost all big trees in public parks. It’s so stressful to see so many large trees uprooted by cyclone Fani, he said. At the same time, many are busy collecting the fallen trees to use them as timber or firewood.
Green spaces in the city such as Biju Patnaik Park, Indira Gandhi Park, Buddha Jayanti Park and Madhusudan Das Park had also suffered huge damage in terms of greenery. Generally, these were the places where people used to come in large numbers for exercise and relaxation in the morning and evening. But after the May 3 cyclone, locals, particularly senior citizens, are left with no place to go for their healthy chores. Although the BDA official said that restoration work in these parks is almost complete, work in many parks is still being done.
Sundara Narayana Patro, president of Odisha Environment Society , said that it takes a decade to grow a tree into full form and the cyclone had damaged so many trees that it will be a big task for the authorities to make the city green again.
Arindam Ganguly, OP
