700-year-old Banyan tree on saline drips as CPR
Mahabubnagar, Telangana: A 700-year-old banyan tree in Telangana’s Mahabubnagar district is on the verge of death. In a desperate attempt to save the tree, officials decided to put up drips filled with diluted pesticides to kill off the insects.
The gigantic tree which is spread across three acres is reportedly the second biggest banyan tree in the world. A popular tourist destination, the tree is popularly referred to as “Pillalamarri” or “Peerla Marri” in Telangana.
After one of the trunks of the tree fell down last December due to termite attack, the tourist spot was shut down, a local paper reported.
Following this, the forest officials came up with the ingenious idea to rejuvenate the tree by injecting Chlorpyrifos chemical through a saline bottle similar to a saline drip given to patients in the hospital.
“We diluted the Chlorpyrifos chemical and started pushing it into the stem by keeping holes, but it didn’t work out. The solution was coming back instantly. Later we started injecting solution like a saline drip. This process has been effective. Secondly, we are watering the roots with the diluted solution to kill the termites. And in a physical method, we are building concrete structures to support the collapsing heavy branches,” Mahabubnagar District Forest Officer Chukka Ganga Reddy told the media.
Their efforts to save the dying tree are not going in vain. In fact, Reddy says the majestic tree’s health is stable now and hopes it’ll be back to normal in a few days.
