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The Fall of a Titan

by Noazesh Ahmed
A Titanic Raintree fell with a Promethean cry A great spasm passed through Mother Earth. For several days continued this cataclysmic feat. This happened right on the Dhaka University campus. 1 was standing near io this destruc tton site.
The University did not realise what they lost with the fall of the raintree: They lost a moral wisdom. Why a mere tree could have that much im portance on moral issue? Because a tree ts a symbol of life today. Was it necessary for the University to perish this Maha vanaspatt? Were they con structing a new building complex on the tree-stand? No. Was It then destroyed because it gave unwanted shade to a particular bungalow? If that is the case, it is a serious offense and an unthinkable shame.
Let me tell the story of this near-a-century-old raintree. This tree species was introduced during mid 19th century tn the Indian subcontinent. For the last one hundred years this tree-community is rendering a great service in ecological harmony to our country though the species is a native of South America. At the time of its fall, this giant raintrees weight must have been over 30 tons having a height of about 150 feet. Do we know of its unseen direct and indirect contrfoution to our life over a long span of its existence! An awareness and understanding of these benefits may help us appreciate the value and importance of a tree like this lost one. Understanding these effects can be particularly helpful to persons or axemen responsible for their destruction unwillingly.
From the dawn of civilization. trees have been a very
important part of man's envi ronmcnl. They have always supplied many of man s basic needs — material, authentic, spiritual and stable environmental. They also contribute generously some very important physical factors which we in Bangladesh need very badly In sher^ trees reduce sail erosion, screen dust from air, suppress loud noses and wind velocity, produce atmospheric oxygen, reduce air pollutants and temper the climate. Recently. the Indian Forest Research Institute In Dehradun and Virginia Polytechnic Institutes, USA jointly calculated the value of above contributions from a full grown mango tree to be Rs 15 lakh. Now you can imagine, what would be the value of this Herculean campus-Ralntree which Is about 20 times bigger than a mango tree! In another computation it shows that for each ton of wood growth, a tree releases 1.07 tons of oxygen and purifies. 1.47 tons of carbon -dioxide. An average-size mango tree in hot summer day transpires about 100 gallons of water. The accompanying cooling effect is equivalent to that produced by five or more room-size air cooling units You can now easily compute the cooling effect of that fallen raintree which is so many times bigger than the former. In other words, citizens of Dhaka, particularly the fnhabl tants of the campus must have enjoyed for over half a century the silent offerings made by this fallen Titan.
Under the circumstances, we should make a direct question: who has the audacity to destroy this silent friend of mankind? Where arc the green crusaders of our country? Where are the teachers and students of the University?
Why could not they resist the killing of this benefactor?
We are more concerned because this Green-Murder took place right on the campus of Dhaka University, the leading
educational and human resource development Institution of the country! The University is not only responsible for dissemination of knowledge and protecting its own environ-
mental affairs, but also for promoting those for the overall welfare of the country We must remember trees give us shade, beauty, the air we breathe, among other benefits. If we let them, they could save our troubled environment. In view of these significance, the Government, like in many countries and cities, should ban the felling of established large and uncommon trees, particularly In urban areas. Prior permission must be sought from the Environment Department to axe a standing tree in the major cities of the country.
Yet when axemen went to strike it, this benefactor remained silent, and offered all its material products to them after death, which, they loaded on many trucks perhaps on their cruel craze, and rushed to the market for a diminish-
Ing foolish gain'. History leaches us that it Is the destruction of trees, whether by nomadic tribes or by ancient Romans or modern man that leads to environmental catastrophe and desertification. Then the vast complexity of life yields to the simplicity of death. Disgusted with mans ’ destructive behavior towards* our most benevolent friend. George Barnard Shaw made a caustic remark in his Maxims for Revolutionist: ... Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree docs.'
DR NOAZESH AHMED is a distinguished agricultural scientist with specialization in agro-erwironmenL He works as consultant to the Asian Deuel opment Bank, World Bank and FAO in Southeast Asia.