A group of concerned citizens of Assam sent a memorandum to the chief minister demanding immediate stoppage of felling of more than 2500 trees at NH-27 (old NH-37) for the 6-lane project.
Taking an initiative to form a strong voice to oppose such steps, Fridays for Future, Guwahati has started a campaign of signing petition recently. Altogether 321 people signed the petition and accordingly it was sent to chief minister on March 31.
Fridays for Future, Guwahati has been protesting against the felling of tree and they had formed human chains to protect the trees in Betkuchi in Guwahati recently.
“The city has ample reasons to protect the trees at the current moment. From its groundwater problems, flash floods to its position as the most polluted city in the Northeast,” the group said.
“It is essential that a city must be built around its biodiversity. The presence of biodiversity should not be seen as a hindrance in the process. The absence of human empathy towards the natural world has brought us to the brink of the 6th mass extinction; if the city is further stripped of its trees, children and adults will become apathetic towards the same. The key learnings from the climate crisis have been the need to co-exist with biodiversity,” a member of the group said.
“Each mature tree, about ten years old, absorbs in its trunk and branches some 1,500 litres to 2,000 litres of water which help keep the water table up. The trees’ roots suck water deep from under the ground to as low as 200 feet,” another member said.
The group of concerned citizens urged the chief minister to form an expert committee before felling the remaining trees on the national highway.
