Over a year on, transplanted trees at Raman Thangal Lake in Sholinganallur stand dead
Nearly 95 trees transplanted to Raman Thangal Lake for a road widening project have died due to a lack of proper aftercare. Environmentalists are calling for stricter monitoring and accountability for agencies responsible for tree transplantation projects.
Why it matters
It underscores the failure of common environmental mitigation strategies when they are not supported by long-term maintenance and expert care.
Morning walkers circle Raman Thangal Lake in Sholinganallur, but instead of the shade promised by rows of transplanted trees, they are greeted by a line of lifeless trunks.
Over a year after nearly 95 trees, most of which were mature adult trees, were relocated there by the Highways Department during road widening works, most have failed to survive.
The transplantation was carried out between March and May 2025 after the Highways Department relocated several trees to facilitate the widening of the ECR between Akkarai and Thiruvanmiyur. A recent visit to the lake found rows of dead trunks with no signs of fresh leaves, shoots or new growth, indicating that most of the trees had dried up after transplantation.
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