Salumarada Thimmakka, who is 105 years old now, has been at the vanguard of pro-green movement in the state. She speaks to Aknisree Karthik on the desperate need to protect the environment and how the government should relook at development projects to reduce felling of trees.
“The development versus destruction debate will not die till the world exists. But while we need development, we should also take care of our environment and preserve trees, ,” said environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka, who along with her husband planted 384 trees on a 4-km stretch on the highway between Hulikal and Kadur decades ago. Thimmakka, who is now 105 years old, has been at the vanguard of pro-green movement in the state. She says that we humans have encroached upon the land that belongs to the birds and animals. “In the name of development, we should not cut hundreds of trees. It is heartbreaking that the government is cutting hundreds of trees for flyovers, elevated corridors, underpasses and road widening projects. Where would animals and birds go if we cut trees in such large numbers? From which machine are we going to supply oxygen to the people?”
She said, “I am not against development. A city needs development, but does that mean you chop down hundreds of trees to build a flyover or an underpass?” Recalling years of hard work that she and her late husband put in to plant the 384 trees, she said, “We watered the trees every day, we fenced them and looked after them like our children. Will you sacrifice your child for development or look at other possible options? That’s exactly how development should be. Instead of chopping down trees, the government should look at alternatives. The plan to build a flyover or a road can be changed so that the number of trees cut can be reduced.”
The rate at which the population is growing now, there is a need to plant more trees, she said. “Trees have a lot to offer. They provide oxygen, improve the quality of air, prevent soil erosion and support animal life. Rainfall has decreased and droughts have increased because of rampant tree felling. Most the lakes in Bengaluru have dried up. The city that could draw enough water from its lakes is now bringing water from other parts of the state. We would not have come to this state if we had conserved the environment and prevented cutting down of trees. It is not late even now. We can spread the message of planting trees and conserve this world for the future generations,” she said.
