By: Irshad Aziz
While the threat of Covid-19 is looming over the entire valley of Kashmir, the administration has taken some bold and perfect steps to stop the spread of this pandemic disease. Let is eulogize the efforts of govt. at this juncture.
But the point is that some steps which are taken to stop the spread of this pandemic are not appropriate and such steps if not checked in time and if not stopped immediately may push the entire valley in a devastating situation. The recent order of Jammu & Kashmir govt. to cut down the poplar trees is one such order. Before implementing the said order, govt. must clear some questions raised by general public, otherwise the said order is nothing but a diktat. Some important concerns expressed by the people are;
Is poplar tree related to covid19 in any way? Can poplar tree increase the chances of covid19 infection? Is cutting down of poplar trees a way out?
It is also understood that these points can be cleared only after a thorough study by the experts and it demands more time. As a student of botany I cannot say anything at this juncture about the possible consequences of poplar trees during this pandemic. The only thing which I would like to discuss is the unscientific attitude of the govt. officials during the present situation when even religious preachers cannot deny the scientific principles. Second important point which needs to be discussed is to address the possible devastation which Kashmir may witness post cutting down of poplars.
On April 3, the Kashmir administration ordered the felling of female Populus deltoides (Poplar), locally known as Russian poplars, within a week. One such order by a District Magistrate says “the female Russian Poplar trees start shedding pollen flakes which may pollute air and trigger influenza/respiratory track infections, and as such hamper the efforts being put in place for prevention of spread of covid19”. Now even a layman can understand the unscientific language used in the said order. Do female plants shed pollens? If so, how can it hamper the efforts of govt. put in place for prevention of covid19? It seems that the efforts of govt. are more unscientific than their unscientific language.
The govt. introduced the poplar trees in Kashmir in 1982, under a project funded by the World Bank. The species originally native to North America, where it is called Cottonwood, is now widely grown across the globe. If the poplar plants are not a problem in countries like USA which are the worst hit by covid19, why is it a problem in Kashmir? Even the name Russian poplar is a misnomer. When the tree was first introduced in Kashmir, some Hindi and urdu journalists, during a flowering season in 1990 called it a tree which sheds rusi (dandruff), it got wrongly translated in English newspapers as Russian poplar. Even the white cotton shed by this plant is mistaken for pollen. Pollens are shed by the male plants which are carried by wind to the female plant, where the interaction between male and female gamete produce seeds. These seeds are provided by cotton like tufts for dispersal. So it is the seed not the pollen which is shed by female plants, officials must correct their language!
Yes there are chances that this fur of the seed may carry allergic pollens of other plants which may prove disastrous for human health. But the indiscriminate cutting of these plants is not a solution. First, it is not related to covis19 in any way and second it can be easily prevented by wearing a simple mask, which is prevalent during the present time. Doctors believe that the pollens shed by poplar tree are like every other tree, even the pollens of kikar, deodar, chinar and willow are more allergic than that of poplar. Does that mean we shall cut all the trees? While all the world is going for afforestation, shall Kashmir go reverse? According to studies, the commonest allergen pollen is Kashmir is grass, followed by Kikar trees. Only 18% of allergen comes from poplar trees.
Experts like environmentalists and doctors have expressed their anger against the govt. order. Professor S.A Gangroo, Head of the forest products and utilisation department at SKUAST Srinagar, feels that it is a wrong decision. He felt that the best way to prevent the shedding of cotton is to lop the tree upto 80% of its height from the third year of its plantation, it will produce less cotton without any impact on its growth.
Furthermore the Apple industry of Kashmir is dependent on Poplar tree as it is used to make boxes for packaging of Apples. If we go for indiscriminate cutting of Poplar trees, it will create havoc in the economy of Kashmir, which largely depends upon Apple industry. Beside thousands of workers will be rendered jobless. The United Nations International Poplar Commission recommends that the tree be planted to help with livelihoods and industrial development. But I fail to understand why the govt. here doesn’t like to listen to any suggestions? Beside Apple industry, it will badly affect the pencil and plywood manufacturers. Over 30 big plywood factories depend on the wood from these plants. Since poplar grows at a faster speed, it is a good source of wood for construction purposes also. The need is to make judicious use of poplar trees for better Kashmir. Cutting down is not an option!
(The author is Head Department of Botany, North Kashmir Institute of Excellence, Pattan)