Navi Mumbai: Heavy Rains Uproot 103 Trees In Panvel, Raise Concerns Over CIDCO Plantation Quality

Navi Mumbai: Continuous heavy rainfall over the past three days has uprooted 103 trees across the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, with the civic body recording over 420 mm of rainfall during the period. The worst-affected areas were the CIDCO nodes of Kharghar, Taloja and Navade.

According to PMC data, Kharghar, Taloja and Navade together accounted for 59 uprooted trees. Another 25 trees fell in Panvel, New Panvel and Khanda Colony, while 11 trees were uprooted in Kalamboli and eight in Kamothe.

Although no casualties were reported, the incidents damaged 11 two-wheelers and four cars. Continuous rainfall has softened the soil, causing several large trees to be uprooted from the roots and collapse onto roads, footpaths and parked vehicles, disrupting traffic in several areas.

The civic body said it had pruned 3,393 potentially hazardous trees as part of its pre-monsoon preparedness. Following the recent incidents, the Tree Authority Department has been working to remove fallen trees and restore normal traffic movement.

PMC Deputy Commissioner Swarup Kharge appealed to residents to report dangerous or leaning trees so that immediate action can be taken.

Meanwhile, the large number of uprooted trees in Kharghar, Taloja and Navade has once again raised concerns over the quality of tree plantations carried out in the CIDCO-developed nodes. Local residents alleged that many trees had not been planted at sufficient depth, making them vulnerable to being uprooted during prolonged spells of heavy rain.