Chennai: Residents of Adyar’s Gandhi Nagar have a newfound collective interest. Every weekend, they step out of their homes, walk through every street and assess their neighbourhood’s green cover and any damage to it.Led by the environmental non-profit organisation Nizhal, the survey records tree names, dimensions, family name, leaf and bark shape and size, and damage to the plant under the initiative. They are also scouting potential locations where saplings could be planted in the future.“We surveyed the streets around Adyar bus terminus today, and spotted trees ranging from gulmohar to the traditional neem. Several trees had cables and nails around their bark, and some had concrete around their roots, covered by pavements. The survey marked these issues. Wherever there were doubts, the photos of the branches and leaves were sent to Nizhal for assessment,” said C Namachivayyam, president, Federation of Adyar Residents’ Association (FEDERA), who participated in the survey on Saturday.Residents taking part in the survey were given an orientation session by Nizhal volunteers, including on assessing the age of the trees.This is the second such survey happening in Gandhi Nagar, and volunteers said that the data collated will be sent to govt authorities to strategise on increasing green cover in the city. The previous survey was done in 2019, where around 65 species of trees, including sausage tree, fig, peepal, neem, picklenut and palm, were tabbed.“The community should be involved in knowing the trees in the neighborhood and assessing what we have lost and gained. The survey will continue for a few more weeks, and residents can participate whenever they have time. The data will be collated, and a report will be prepared after comparison. We plan on submitting them to the corporation,” said T D Babu, trustee, Nizhal.GCC Commissioner G S Sameeran said that a study of the tree cover in avenues and parks were done by the corporation in the past, and a report on city’s tree cover will help strategise planting in the future.
