Asmita Polji
asmita@herald-goa.com
ARAMBOL: It was re-rooted less than three years ago thanks to a community effort involving locals, tourists and environmentalists, but Arambol's iconic 200-year-old banyan tree, popularly known as 'The Source', appears to be withering away, much to the dismay of those who went to great lengths to get it back on its 'feet' after it toppled over amid driving rain in August 2020.
Considered to be a vital part of the local ecosystem at Girkarwada, a ward of Arambol, the towering tree's failing health has sparked rumours that it is about to face the axe to make way for a real estate project.
"It looks like some developer wants to replace it with concrete structures because laterite stones have been dumped close to the roots of the banyan tree," said Avertino Miranda of the environmental group Goa Green Brigade which was instrumental in re-rooting the tree.
Miranda said that when he visited the spot a few days ago, he noticed that the tree's branches had been chopped. "Its branches were existing when we had re-rooted it. We will be writing to the range forest officer asking for an inspection of the tree and an investigation into why it is dying," he said.
When Herald visited the site, locals said they felt that the tree did not adapt to the soil after it was re-rooted. "We watered the tree for six long months but it never really thrived. This is unfortunate because the tree brought a certain charm to the area. Several foreigners would spend time in its shade, which prompted us to set up small businesses to cater to them," Kevin, a local resident, said.
Arambol sarpanch Bernard Fernandes maintained that the tree had neither been chopped nor poisoned but simply died after it was re-rooted.