Editorial Viewpoint
Do not disturb: termites at work
The vultures may have all but vanished from Doongerwadi, but the termites are thriving. Due to some inexplicable reason the new board of trustees elected in October 2008 discontinued the pesticide treatment contract at the 55-acre Towers of Silence estate.
As tree after tree collapsed (one while falling even damaged a solar concentrator adjacent to the Manekji Nowroji Sett dakhma in September this year), no remedial action was taken. Worse still the fallen termite infested trees, branches, bark are left where they fall, enabling the pests to continue destroying the landscape. One can see trees bent over, some of them propped on the tops of small brick and mortar structures which would result in damage to the roof/ceiling of the building if not its total devastation.
To further harm the delicate ecosystem, the practice of procuring cow dung for use as a fertilizer has been discontinued. Instead, dung is acquired only to be burned in barrels to camouflage the stench from the rotting corpses in the dakhmas.
To make matters worse, the gardeners are instructed not to pull down or cut creepers that clamber up the trees. These fast-growing, parasitic vines quickly envelop the treetops cutting off the sunlight essential for plant nourishment and growth. For photosynthesis to occur, sunlight is crucial. The creepers absorb the sunlight, while the host tree slowly withers and dies. Occasionally the weight of a creeper may topple a tree.
Anyone tending to a garden would be aware of these dangers. Malis, lay gardeners who keep potted plants know that termites will destroy any plant in a matter of days or weeks. A conscientious planter will pull out the weeds to ensure that nutrients are not cannibalized by the hardier interloper. They will ensure the plants receive nutritional supplements, organic or inorganic.
Why then did the trustees embark on this suicidal course? Parsiana wrote on October 22 this year to the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) which manages the estate seeking clarification: “It has been brought to our attention that the termite treatment for the trees at Doongerwadi has been stopped over the past four years or so, ever since the new board of trustees came into office. The trimming of trees and the removal of creepers climbing onto the trees has also been stopped. Trees that have fallen and may be termite infested are not being removed.
“As we intend to write about the discontinuation of earlier precautionary horticultural practices at Doongerwadi, we would like to publish the BPP’s reasoning and rationale for the change in policy.
“We would greatly appreciate if we could receive your reply by October 26 or 29 latest so we can publish the matter in our November 7 issue.”
BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta, to whom the letter was addressed, replied the next day, “We admit for some time the termite treatment for the trees at Doongerwadi has not been carried out. However, please note, all efforts are being made to give proper termite/pest control treatment to the trees at Doongerwadi. We are already in the process of identifying the proper agency for the matter and very shortly necessary action would be initiated.”
No explanation was forthcoming regarding the dereliction of duty by the trustees. And yet both Mehta and his co-trustee Khojeste Mistree never tire of repeating ad nauseam that the sole and primary duty of the trustees as per the original BPP trust deed is to look after Doongerwadi and strengthen the system of dakhmenashini. Pray tell how any natural system can be preserved and reinforced if the very greenery essential for the breeding of winged scavengers and for shielding the corpses in the Towers from being viewed by residents residing in the surrounding skyscrapers is no more?
While the trustees profess that tending to the disposal of the dead is their primary objective, this reiteration of religiosity is largely to woo their vote bank. Most if not all their energies are expended on housing and litigation, the latter often concerning property. While the present trustees may not have succeeded in even laying a foundation stone, leave aside building new houses, the allotment of flats, repairs, Rent Act litigation saps their energies. Mehta is often referred to as a walking encyclopedia on housing. Mistree lays claim to scholarly knowledge of the religion. Who claims to know about horticulture?
Doongerwadi is viewed as basically Mistree’s turf. He was reportedly instrumental in having the Doongerwadi Advisory Committee (DAC) scrapped (it was resurrected this year). Dr Homi Dhalla who served on the former DAC for 33 years stated “after he (Mistree) took over, the termite treatment on affected trees was stopped… (Mistree) stated it was not necessary … to remove those fallen trees which were also full of termites.” Dhalla alleged Doongerwadi was been “gradually destroyed because of the obstinacy of one person.” Mistree reportedly believes that the estate should be treated as a jungle where human intervention is unwelcome, if not deleterious.
But Doongerwadi is not a jungle. It is a small patch of green that is struggling to survive in a concrete jungle.
As Sapur Desai, former secretary of the BPP writes in his tome History of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet 1860-1960, “In the year 1960 the trustees undertook to afforest the barren lands and grew as many as about 6,000 trees in less than a decade... In parts the land being sheer rock is not amenable to tree culture.”
But over a 100 years prior around 1860, trees were abundant, added Desai. What happened? One theory, not substantiated, is that the grass growing on the estate was cut and sold. Without the grass to hold the earth in place, soil erosion occurred. Hence the need to replant.
Left to itself weeds and vines would cover the estate, termites and bandicoots would dominate the landscape. In a jungle, the trees are hardier. Other creatures feed on the termites restricting their numbers and so limit the damage the pests are so capable of inflicting. If a tree falls, a dozen others will race skyward to try and occupy the open space and grab their place in the sun.
If human habitat and habits have unwittingly killed the vultures, they could easily do the same to Doongerwadi’s flora and fauna. Only a concerted, scientific and knowledgeable effort can preserve south Bombay’s largest green lung.
As tree after tree collapsed (one while falling even damaged a solar concentrator adjacent to the Manekji Nowroji Sett dakhma in September this year), no remedial action was taken. Worse still the fallen termite infested trees, branches, bark are left where they fall, enabling the pests to continue destroying the landscape. One can see trees bent over, some of them propped on the tops of small brick and mortar structures which would result in damage to the roof/ceiling of the building if not its total devastation.
To further harm the delicate ecosystem, the practice of procuring cow dung for use as a fertilizer has been discontinued. Instead, dung is acquired only to be burned in barrels to camouflage the stench from the rotting corpses in the dakhmas.
To make matters worse, the gardeners are instructed not to pull down or cut creepers that clamber up the trees. These fast-growing, parasitic vines quickly envelop the treetops cutting off the sunlight essential for plant nourishment and growth. For photosynthesis to occur, sunlight is crucial. The creepers absorb the sunlight, while the host tree slowly withers and dies. Occasionally the weight of a creeper may topple a tree.
Anyone tending to a garden would be aware of these dangers. Malis, lay gardeners who keep potted plants know that termites will destroy any plant in a matter of days or weeks. A conscientious planter will pull out the weeds to ensure that nutrients are not cannibalized by the hardier interloper. They will ensure the plants receive nutritional supplements, organic or inorganic.
Why then did the trustees embark on this suicidal course? Parsiana wrote on October 22 this year to the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) which manages the estate seeking clarification: “It has been brought to our attention that the termite treatment for the trees at Doongerwadi has been stopped over the past four years or so, ever since the new board of trustees came into office. The trimming of trees and the removal of creepers climbing onto the trees has also been stopped. Trees that have fallen and may be termite infested are not being removed.
“As we intend to write about the discontinuation of earlier precautionary horticultural practices at Doongerwadi, we would like to publish the BPP’s reasoning and rationale for the change in policy.
“We would greatly appreciate if we could receive your reply by October 26 or 29 latest so we can publish the matter in our November 7 issue.”
BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta, to whom the letter was addressed, replied the next day, “We admit for some time the termite treatment for the trees at Doongerwadi has not been carried out. However, please note, all efforts are being made to give proper termite/pest control treatment to the trees at Doongerwadi. We are already in the process of identifying the proper agency for the matter and very shortly necessary action would be initiated.”
No explanation was forthcoming regarding the dereliction of duty by the trustees. And yet both Mehta and his co-trustee Khojeste Mistree never tire of repeating ad nauseam that the sole and primary duty of the trustees as per the original BPP trust deed is to look after Doongerwadi and strengthen the system of dakhmenashini. Pray tell how any natural system can be preserved and reinforced if the very greenery essential for the breeding of winged scavengers and for shielding the corpses in the Towers from being viewed by residents residing in the surrounding skyscrapers is no more?
While the trustees profess that tending to the disposal of the dead is their primary objective, this reiteration of religiosity is largely to woo their vote bank. Most if not all their energies are expended on housing and litigation, the latter often concerning property. While the present trustees may not have succeeded in even laying a foundation stone, leave aside building new houses, the allotment of flats, repairs, Rent Act litigation saps their energies. Mehta is often referred to as a walking encyclopedia on housing. Mistree lays claim to scholarly knowledge of the religion. Who claims to know about horticulture?
Doongerwadi is viewed as basically Mistree’s turf. He was reportedly instrumental in having the Doongerwadi Advisory Committee (DAC) scrapped (it was resurrected this year). Dr Homi Dhalla who served on the former DAC for 33 years stated “after he (Mistree) took over, the termite treatment on affected trees was stopped… (Mistree) stated it was not necessary … to remove those fallen trees which were also full of termites.” Dhalla alleged Doongerwadi was been “gradually destroyed because of the obstinacy of one person.” Mistree reportedly believes that the estate should be treated as a jungle where human intervention is unwelcome, if not deleterious.
But Doongerwadi is not a jungle. It is a small patch of green that is struggling to survive in a concrete jungle.
As Sapur Desai, former secretary of the BPP writes in his tome History of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet 1860-1960, “In the year 1960 the trustees undertook to afforest the barren lands and grew as many as about 6,000 trees in less than a decade... In parts the land being sheer rock is not amenable to tree culture.”
But over a 100 years prior around 1860, trees were abundant, added Desai. What happened? One theory, not substantiated, is that the grass growing on the estate was cut and sold. Without the grass to hold the earth in place, soil erosion occurred. Hence the need to replant.
Left to itself weeds and vines would cover the estate, termites and bandicoots would dominate the landscape. In a jungle, the trees are hardier. Other creatures feed on the termites restricting their numbers and so limit the damage the pests are so capable of inflicting. If a tree falls, a dozen others will race skyward to try and occupy the open space and grab their place in the sun.
If human habitat and habits have unwittingly killed the vultures, they could easily do the same to Doongerwadi’s flora and fauna. Only a concerted, scientific and knowledgeable effort can preserve south Bombay’s largest green lung.
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