• Out of 558 ‘dangerous’ trees, only 214 require removal, 344 need trimming 
• Pera Uni. dons checking usability, CMC encountering difficulties in sourcing infection prevention chemicals, pvt. sector resources sought  

Amidst efforts to remove or trim trees identified as “dangerous” within the vicinity of the Colombo Municipality area, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is currently looking into the possibility of using an imported tree scanner which recently became a topic of discussion for not being utilised for the purpose despite the availability. 

According to the CMC Commissioner Bhadranie Jayawardhana, the scanner in question, which was purchased at a cost of Rs. 40 million (Mn), is being checked by professors and students of the University of Peradeniya to ascertain its usability.

This step comes in a context where a number of persons sustained injuries (17) while five among them succumbed to injuries when a large tree fell on a Sri Lanka Transport Board passenger bus in Kollupitiya in October, sparking controversy about safety related issues posed by trees in the Colombo City limits. It was alleged that the CMC had not taken necessary measures to properly identify and remove such trees. Subsequently, the CMC took steps to identify unsafe trees and remove them with more enthusiasm than before. However, several other incidents of trees falling onto roads were reported within the City limits of Colombo in the past few months. 

Following the incident in the Kollupitiya area, the authorities also launched a probe into why a high-cost, high-tech scanner used to check the health of trees has remained unused in storage for years.

Jayawardhana told The Daily Morning that the probes that were launched following the said accident have led to the identification of 558 trees within the vicinity of the CMC as “dangerous” including those that are more than 100 years old. However, according to her, only 214 of them need to be removed, while the remaining 344 trees only need to be trimmed. 

This is a collaborative operation that receives the support of multiple parties including the subject Ministry, the Wildlife Department, the CMC, the Urban Development Authority, plant experts and the State Timber Corporation, in addition to a committee appointed by the CMC, all of whom have held discussions regarding the matter. The identification process, she said, included the Police, the CMC and the public. 

However, claiming that their resources are not sufficient for the removal of unsafe trees within the relevant boundaries, Jayawardhana stated that the programme of removing such trees will continue with additional resources being procured from the private sector. She said that the CMC continued to remove the trees that have been identified as being dangerous. "All dangerous trees are being removed. We cannot say a particular time by which the removals could be concluded, but, it is happening now. As there is a shortage of the necessary resources, we have taken steps to procure them from the private sector."

She also said that there have been incidents of certain trees that have not been identified as being dangerous falling down in the recent past. "The relevant officers carry out field studies and identify trees that may pose a risk. More than 200 such trees have been removed by now. However, certain trees that don’t seem to pose a risk also fall down. We cannot imagine what we should do in such cases," she added.

Elaborating on priority-related concerns, Jayawardhana added that the said probes have revealed that the roots of certain trees in Colombo do not receive the necessary amount of oxygen due to various human activities including certain road development activities. Adding that a certain chemical should be applied to trimmed tree branches in order to prevent infections, she added that another key concern is that the CMC has been unable to apply it properly due to issues in obtaining that chemical. At present, the CMC is obtaining that chemical from local sources.

In the long run, she added, special attention will be paid to ensuring safety in urban environments, especially when it comes to urban beautification projects.