HT Digital
GUWAHATI, Feb 28: The construction of national highways in Northeast India has been at considerable ecological expense, with an estimated 4.20 lakh trees being cut down in the last four years. Assam lost a staggering 94,000 trees in that time, with Manipur losing the most at 1.17 lakh trees.
The other states in the region, such as Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya, also experienced extensive deforestation for the development of road infrastructure. These statistics point to the large-scale environmental consequence of highway construction in the region.
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Although infrastructure development is important for economic growth and connectivity, it also creates issues regarding ecological sustainability.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry requires compensatory afforestation in a 1:10 ratio, i.e., for every tree felled, ten saplings must be grown. But in most instances, this order is not properly followed because there is no appropriate land available for plantations along highways. This has resulted in an increasing disparity in the green cover of the region, further aggravating deforestation and environmental degradation issues.
To address these challenges, experts have proposed that compensatory plantations can be done elsewhere if there is no land available near highways. The government boasts of a high survival rate of saplings planted along national highways, with Assam recording 82 percent, Manipur 90 percent, and Nagaland and Tripura 70 percent each.
Yet environmentalists contend that older trees are responsible for sequestering carbon and regulating the climate much more than saplings, which develop over years. The Union Ministry has acknowledged that the felling of fully grown trees leads to serious environmental consequences.
One possible solution is to acquire land for highway expansion on only one side of an existing road rather than on both sides. This approach could potentially reduce tree loss by 50 percent while still allowing for necessary infrastructure improvements.
Besides afforestation, other steps like urban forestry and vertical gardening on flyovers may also reduce the ill effects of deforestation. These would not only replace the lost greenery but also bring about improved air quality and climate resilience in the long term.
