Planting trees or future risk?
Agamir Somoy photo regenerated by AI.
Trees are being planted along roadsides to protect the environment. But if those very trees become a threat to road safety and durability in the future, where lies the rationale of the initiative? In Paikgacha Municipality of Khulna, saplings have been planted just one to two feet away from the asphalt of several roads built at a cost of about Tk 11.80 crore. Local residents fear this will obstruct vehicular movement, cause accidents, and damage the asphalt.
The contractor, however, claims the work was done according to the authorities' design. But where that design is and who approved it—no clear explanation is available. As a result, the question has arisen whether a future risk is being created under the guise of an environmentally friendly initiative.
BC roads have been constructed in Ward No. 8 from the Kakra Samiti (Crab Association) office to the old food godown, and in Ward No. 9 from Shibhati to the boundary sluice gate of the Lonapani center. In addition, an RCC road has been built in Ward No. 2 from Khalek Kasari's house to the gate of the Lonapani center. Saplings have been planted on both sides of these roads. Questions have been raised about what kind of risks may arise in the future due to planting trees so close to the roads. When the trees grow, their branches may spread toward the road and obstruct vehicular movement. There is also a risk of collision with nearby trees if a vehicle loses control and goes off the road. At the same time, concerned individuals fear that the asphalt of the road may be damaged by the spread of tree roots.
Suman Das, Sub-Assistant Engineer of the municipality, however, said that according to the project guidelines, saplings were supposed to be planted at a distance of 600 millimeters, or about two feet, from the edge of the road. The distance from one tree to another was set at three meters, or about 10 feet. According to him, the tree planting work was supposed to be done following the technical instructions.
Project information shows that about Tk 11.80 crore has been allocated for the construction work of the relevant roads in Wards No. 8 and 9 of the municipality. A contracting firm named Basu Enterprise was entrusted with implementing the work under the Coastal Town Climate Resilient Project (CTCRP).
A representative of the firm said that along with road construction, tree planting was also included in the project. They worked according to the design given by the authorities. The design instructed planting trees in the middle of the two-foot-wide shoulder of the road. Accordingly, saplings were planted at the designated locations.
After this statement, the matter of preparing and approving the project design came to the fore. Questions remain unanswered as to who gave the instruction to plant trees in the middle of the road shoulder, who approved the design, and whether road safety and future risks were taken into consideration when determining the tree-planting locations.
Although contact was made with the relevant departments to learn about the approved project design and the technical plan for tree planting, these could not be obtained. One department advised contacting another. As a result, it could not be confirmed which department has the design preserved, who determined the tree-planting locations, and who supervised the work during implementation.
In this regard, Mohammad Nur Ahmed, the municipal engineer in additional charge of Paikgacha Municipality, said the trees were planted following the rules. However, he will verify whether there was any mistakes in determining the tree-planting locations.
Municipal Administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Wasiuzzaman Chowdhury was contacted via text message, but he did not provide any specific explanation on the matter.
An engineering inspection is needed at the relevant roads considering the trees' location, species, root spread, and future height. This will make it possible to identify risky locations. If necessary, arrangements should be made to replant those saplings at appropriate distances. At the same time, it is important to clarify the approved project design, the technical plan for tree planting, and those responsible for supervising the work—local residents believe.
According to them, tree planting along roadsides is important for protecting the environment. However, in implementing that initiative, road safety, public movement, and the durability of infrastructure should also be taken into consideration. If the contracting firm has worked according to the authorities' design, then it is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to explain the rationale and approval of the design. In a project worth about Tk 11.80 crore, ensuring public safety alongside construction work is equally important.
