MC staff given sprayers to treat termite-hit trees

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

Municipal Corporation workers today used sprays to treat termite-hit trees.

In these columns, Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted that while MC workers were using sticks to remove termites from trees, volunteers were treating such termite-ridden trees in a sophisticated manner by spraying medicine.

The corporation workers were today seen spraying medicine on roadside trees, which are badly affected by the termites, in Sector 27 here. “We have got this new equipment today. We are going to spray medicine on all termite-affected trees in the city. It will take a month’s time,” said one of the workers.

A senior official of the civic body’s horticulture wing claimed, “It is not anything new. It is a regular feature. We have been using sprayers for termite-hit trees’ medication for a long time. Sticks were used only to remove as much termites as possible before medicine is sprayed.”

About 15 to 20 per cent of the total trees in the city are termite-ridden. A group of volunteers led by a city-based horticulturist had on Saturday started a drive to treat these.

There are 1.64 lakh trees in the city in addition to 20,000 being looked after by the Administration. As many as 1,074 termite-hit trees have already been axed by the MC.

Volunteers claim that anti-termite treatment could double the age of these trees.