City's trees prone to uprooting in rain and stormy weather

JAKARTA (JP): Trees in the capital are vulnerable to uprooting by strong winds and rain because they are aging plants that have been transplanted from other areas, a city official said on Friday.

City Parks Agency head Dadang Ruskendar said about 400,000 trees from a total of 500,000 trees in Jakarta were cultivated elsewhere and transplanted in the 1970s.

"We will not cut down these old trees, because they serve as the lung and water reservoir of our city. Besides, it takes a long time and a large amount of money to maintain big trees," said Dadang.

Plants which have been transplanted, Dadang said, commonly cannot survive storms and heavy rains because their roots are not strong enough to grip the soil.

Dadang said his agency would preserve the big old trees and reinforce their trunks to keep them from falling, while dead trees would be cut down on a regular basis.

He cited that a mahoni (swietenaia mahagoni), a tree with a trunk diameter of about 20 centimeters, could cost the city at least Rp 20 million, depending upon its maintenance.

"We grow the seeds in separate plantations. When the young trees reach three meters tall, we transplant them at the parks," said Dadang.

At least 71 trees were uprooted and another 140 were damaged in torrential rain on Thursday. The accidents caused traffic congestion but no fatalities were recorded.

Trees were uprooted on city thoroughfares and parks, such as on Jl. Tirtayasa in South Jakarta, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in East Jakarta, Medan Merdeka and Lapangan Banteng squares, both located in Central Jakarta.

"Some of them, such as tamarind (tamarindus indica) and angsana (dalbergia latifolia), fell on cars parked in Trisakti University complex, West Jakarta," said Dadang.

Dadang added that at least 25 trucks and 100 officials had been deployed to remove the uprooted trees and dozens of young trees had been prepared to replace them.

"Our employees have been working since 2 a.m. when the traffic is very clear. It will take at least two days to remove all the uprooted trees," said Dadang.

In a bid to avoid similar accidents in the future, Dadang said, the city administration has established a team to draw up a city bylaw which stipulates standard regulation for trees, including those in residential areas and parks.

"Currently, there are several city bylaws related to building supervision. We have coordinated with independent organizations to formulate rules on trees," Dadang added. (07)