Recently, I was out in a park for a walk, the time could be 5:30 am, waiting for the sun to rise. I didn’t expect many people to come out of home so early. The faint streaks of the sunlight could be seen through the tree branches. I was sitting in a park bench all alone, the stillness of the surrounding casting a soothing spell on me. Then suddenly, I heard a noise from the plants... I was alert... tried to observe… but then... there I saw four aunties, holding long sticks and polythene bags, dragging branches and plucking flowers from the park. The way - more “admirers” of the morning bliss and the “responsible” members of the families.
Once again, I heard an elderly saying to his little ones, “One should pluck flowers early in the morning, for at that time they would be opening their petals, as it was felt that the flowers should be fresh, and should not have been sucked at by bees first.” Well, these days especially in such structured urban areas we hardly find flower-bearing plants unless we own a property or grow our very own “potted flowering plants”, mostly pouring “potable freshwater” to it, on the terrace or balcony of our apartments. But then, if we really want to heal our eyes from the concrete urban texture, with the mesmerizing colours of nature, then we have to head to the nearby parks well maintained by the developing authorities.
According to an independent study, it has been found that in recent times green areas are missing, mostly from the low-income neighbourhoods due to a gradual increase in the land value, where the construction industries are more focused on utilizing most for built-up, rather than considering space for landscaping.
As the population of the cities becomes denser, the concern about the impact of climate change increases, for which elected officials, planners, and community advocates are taking a fresh look at parks and their potential to help address critical urban infrastructure and public health issues. Parks are now recognised as the most powerful tools for urban communities and local economies.
To increase the green zones of the urban areas, the Government has been introducing fully equipped parks – large scale public parks and many colony parks (in recent times) within the larger settlement areas, where major intension apart from providing recreational facilities to the people, is to provide “shelter” and “space” to the “leftover” ecosystem which is at a major extinction within these urban sprawls. A huge gesture of gratitude to the Government, in our city, colony parks can be seen very active these days – well equipped with open gym facilities, jogging tracks, flowering plants, large foliage of trees shading the spaces, chirps of birds, active squirrels, early in the morning encouraging all age groups to consider their physical and mental wellbeing.
But it’s a painful sight where people bring carrier bags, some use their pockets, and some simply cup their hands and pluck all the flowers from the park. The pluckers are not the poor who sell the flowers, but the well-to-do colony residents. The few walkers like me who object to this pillage have given up trying.
Our earth is now occupied with more than 50% of the total livable areas with urbanscape. Overplucking of flowers from the urban parks leads to a drastic change in the entire ecosystem of the place. Many of the most spectacular blossoms in the parks are specially designed to attract certain pollinating creatures. If no flowers exist, where will the partners go who let us survive, the butterflies and bees who are responsible for pollination, production, etc.? As the science of lifecycle says, that they are equally responsible for our existence.
The number of flowers pollinated combined with their arraignment of the stem can make a difference between reproductive success or failure for the entire year. Overplucking of flowers may not kill the plant at once, but can stop its further reproduction.
A plant will not only die if we over pluck its flower but extinct. It is often difficult to distinguish between common, rare, and endangered species of flowers. Species that are in danger of extinction may look abundant to the casual observer who is possibly looking at one of the few remaining areas where the plant is located. Flowers are meant to be picked for a purpose of religious, social, or otherwise. But the place and purpose of growing (hobby, commercial, and curiosity on a flower across the fence) decide the dos and don'ts.
At one point we have already started feeling health stress due to climate change at a very personal level; so we should put our effort towards “being the change” to “bring the change” for the earth, for the better present and future. What is the point of coming across effective climate change news, articles, rallies, awareness events, and what not in daily newspapers and digital media these days, where we can’t even let a flower bloom? We at the individual level must be aware and mindful of our acts. The scale and pace at which trees are planted or naturally regenerate must significantly increase if trees are to continue to make people healthier or slow the effects of climate change. We must be mindful not to contribute towards the deterioration of the urban landscape through these kinds of acts of harming the growth of plants and overplucking of flowers.
It’s not an assigned duty of the Government only to take care of our existence, protect the urban natural environment, especially for these kinds of colony parks. The society welfare association and residents of the colonies also share equal responsibilities.
(The writer is an architect and sustainability consultant, Bhubaneswar, ananyadaspmca@gmail.com M: 9776529779)
