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