A collection of trees or forest that grows within the city or town boundary are known as an urban forest. Trees may grow around some urban settlements or beside the roads. Urban forestry can be started by a single man or a community, it can be private or public. In terms of ecological benefits, it cleans the climate from air pollution, provides shelter for animals, and is a sustainability hotspot.
Chetla Urban Forest is situated between New Alipore and Majerhat bridge, along the east bank of the Chetla canal. To reach the Chetla Canal which can be described as a green patch along the east bank of Chetla Canal is by taking a bus to Taratala road or Chetla, after reaching either location, use Google maps to navigate yourself to the spot, It's a stretch between the Majerhat Bridge on one end to the Durgapur Bridge on the other end. If you want to reach by train then the nearest station would be Majerhat, from there you can walk. If you want to reach by metro, then the nearest junction will be Rabindra Sarovar, from there you can take electric ‘toto’s’ and reach the spot. You can also reach the spot by electric bus V1.
The 400 metres long stretch of land owned by the Kolkata Port Trust is described as an “urban jungle”. Created by a man, single-handedly which took him almost eight years. His name – is Mantu Hait. An advocate of Alipore Judges Court. The man is a naturalist and bird lover who took over the task of reviving the greenery which he witnessed declining over the years. He saw the trees unlawfully chopped down for homemaking and commercial purposes, locally found mammals, birds, and butterfly habitats disappearing thus destroying the sustainability of the place, and slowly the place being turned into a dumpster. Using the guerilla gardening technique, he was helped by his friends and some organization to complete the massive task. They started planting saplings and spreading seeds, people from the nearby neighborhood understood the need, felt the change brought by the urban forest, and started maintaining the area, thus they also pitched in. Now the urban jungle’s 13 years young and still growing.
The urban forest is now flourishing and has a flora and fauna of around 250 species of trees, almost 60 species of birds, 10 species of mammals, and butterfly species extending to over 70 varieties. The various species of resident birds in the area include:
The various migratory birds which appear are:
The mammals include palm civets, golden jackals, mongoose, and squirrels and the butterfly species include Mottled Emigrant and others. All these animals and the support from the neighboring community and the authorities create a sustainable ecosystem. Besides providing homes for the wildlife, the other biodiversity factor is that the forest also creates an area for oxygen within a specific radius around it, thus helping absorb the Carbon dioxide in that area. The trees would absorb and store carbon in the trunks, branches, and roots and help mitigate climate change, the process called carbon sequestration. Not only CO2 but other toxic air pollutants like carbon monoxide(CO), nitrogen dioxide(NO2), ground-level ozone(O3), and sulfur dioxide(SO2). The trees in that busy area also absorb all the smog and reduce the temperature of the area. They are crucial in minimizing the number of unhealthy ozone days that afflict big cities throughout the summer months by cooling the urban heat island effect. It reduces run-off water by absorbing and filtering rainwater in turn reducing sedimentation and erosion. The particulate pollution in the area is severe, the microscopic solids when inhaled get stuck in the lungs causing respiratory problems, the trees in the area reduce the pollution, thus improving air quality. The trees reduce wind speed, thus reducing heat loss from buildings during winter. The evapotranspiration of water from the leaf surface has a general cooling effect on the surrounding air. This can significantly reduce the need for air conditioning during hot weather. The forest also helps in attenuating noise by reflecting and absorbing sound energy. Vehicular emissions, smog, industrial emissions, greenhouse gases, and their effect on the population are kept under control by the trees. Despite several industrial projects and railway activities besides, the forest has helped to maintain the air quality index around the Alipore locality. The Chetla canal water is also treated to some extent because of the Urban forest. It helps in the purification of water supplies by reducing the rate at which rain falls to the ground and allowing it to sink into the soil, naturally filtering out contaminants that may otherwise infiltrate water supply sources. When talking about economic impacts, the urban forest in the area has increased the rate in property values, people being self-conscious nowadays prefer to buy properties closer to greenery, with great scenic quality and esthetic appeal and cleaner air than other parts of the city. therefore increasing the property values. It has also attracted bird watchers, naturalists, and photography aficionados to the place which was once upon a time a dump yard.
Despite the positive changes the urban jungle has brought to the area and the city considerably, the forest is under constant threat. Trees are felled down because of encroachment of development, for expansion or infill which has resulted in a loss of canopy over the years. Even though the forest is sustainable, it does need human hands for its protection. The forest indeed absorbs all the pollution, but it does have a limit, the exceeding pollution and changes in the environment like an increase in temperature have increased the forest’s susceptibility to disease and insects. And the wastewater canal nearby may also have contributed to the increase in the population of mosquitoes and bugs which may not affect the trees but has had affected the people in the area. The city dwellers and the people living in the neighborhood generate a lot of plastic waste which piles up and pollutes the soil. The general public isn't aware as of yet, they still don’t believe in the benefits and the sustainability factor it may hold for the present and the near future. The authorities also lack skills, knowledge, and inadequate resources to maintain the urban forest and they usually ignore them. The biggest threat to the forest is the harsh urban environment. Forest requires a different ecosystem to thrive on, which the everyday city dweller ignores but if the sustainability factor is kept in mind along with some helping hands to maintain the forest. The city’s face and ecosystem will be much better tomorrow.
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