Workers cut down trees on Kim Ma Street for the urban railway project. Hanoi mayor Nguyen Duc Chung said his administration will provide residents with clear information on its plans to take down trees. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Chairman of the HanoiPeople’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has pledged that his administration willprovide clear information on its plans to replace, cut and remove trees alonglocal streets.
Chung made the pledge on June 25 afterhearing comments from voters about the city’s plan to chop down and replace1,300 old trees on Pham Van Dong street before September to broaden the streetand build a bridge on Belt Road No 3.
The plan, which the administration says aims tomitigate traffic jams in the area, has been criticised by many residents.
Trinh Quoc Viet, a resident of Thanh Nhan ward, said Hanoi had experiencedearlier this month the worst heat wave in four decades, with the mercurysoaring to 41.5 degrees Celsius, disrupting the daily lives of residents. Thiswas partly caused by the chopping down of trees and filling up ponds and lakes,he said.
Viet said the city administration shouldcarefully consider the issue and find a balance between infrastructuredevelopment and environmental protection.
Chung admitted that chopping down trees andfilling up lakes in the past partly led to the historic heat wave. However, hesaid, it is impossible to avoid replacing, chopping down and removing old treesas a city develops.
Old trees will be removed if they are located inareas where the city plans to upgrade transport infrastructure, includingbroadening roads and building bridges, he said.
Chung said his administration and relevantagencies have carefully considered the proposal and only allowed the choppingdown of trees in case it is unavoidable. Studies show that most of the treesalong the street were planted in 1992, which meant that they were more than 20years old, he said.
Therefore, the administration decided tore-plant trees that could develop more in parks and chop down others to selltimber. The city has calculated and chosen the best option, he said.
Hanoi now has 122 lakes, covering 1,097 ha in inner districts, and 150 lakeswith a total area of 534ha in suburban districts. Chung said the ratio of lakesin Hanoi is higher than other capital cities in neighbouring countries.
Chung also said that the city plans to plant anadditional one million trees by 2020 and dig an additional 25 lakes by 2021.
When this is completed, temperatures are expected to fall by 1-1.5 degreesCelsius during hot weather, he added.-VNA
VNA
