Saving Vasco city and its heritage trees as well

For close to ten years, I have been pleading with the authorities to adopt a scientific and logical tree-trimming programme to save our heritage trees, prevent tree falls, danger and damage to property and citizens. This would include procuring for the Municipality petrol driven power saws (instead of using pre-historic axes and coitas), as well as a policy of reducing the height of all the trees to not more than 8-10 metres. Unfortunately, my pleas have fallen on unreceptive ears. Finally, following the disastrous events of Sunday, 21 June, some progress has been made in that direction and under the supervision of the Chairperson, Ms. Lavina D’Souza, and the local Councillor, Krishna Daji Salkar, several trees have been trimmed to the requisite height. Sadly, some valuable trees which could have been saved have been uprooted or axed right to the ground and it will take a long time to replace them. The pendulum has swing from total neglect to total destruction of healthy trees that would be saved by scientific trimming. Many more still remain to be trimmed scientifically to safe heights. Scientific disaster management calls for prevention of adverse events – which means anticipation and timely action to prevent, not just react after adverse events. A scientific and logical tree-management policy is not a one-time-one-day event but a continuous round-the-year process and effort. If the events of 21 June act as an incentive for the authorities to adopt an ongoing scientific and logical tree-management programme, the inconvenience, danger and damage caused to citizens will not have gone in vain.