More than a year after nearly 95 trees were relocated to Raman Thangal Lake in Sholinganallur, most of them have failed to survive. The trees, mostly mature adult trees, were transplanted by the Highways Department between March and May 2025 to facilitate the widening of the ECR between Akkarai and Thiruvanmiyur. A recent visit to the lake found rows of dead trunks with no signs of fresh leaves, shoots, or new growth, indicating that most of the trees had dried up after transplantation.
The transplantation of trees is a common mitigation measure when infrastructure projects require the removal of mature trees. However, environmentalists point out that transplantation can succeed only if the trees receive intensive aftercare for several months after they are moved. T.D.
Babu of Nizhal, a Chennai-based environmental organisation, said, “The place has become a graveyard of trees. The location itself is good because it is next to a waterbody, so water availability should not have been a problem. But there are no new leaves, shoots or sprouts.” He explained that transplantation places trees under severe stress because a significant portion of their root system is damaged during excavation and relocation.
After transplantation, they require growth promoters, anti-fungal treatment, organic manure, and regular watering to maintain soil moisture. “They should be monitored until they put out new leaves. At the very least, they need careful maintenance through one full summer,” he said.
Environmentalists say the District Green Committee should periodically review tree transplantation projects to monitor survival rates and fix accountability where maintenance has been neglected. They say that agencies responsible for transplantation should be held accountable when trees die due to poor aftercare. An official from the Highways Department acknowledged the issue and said the matter would be looked into.
