Shades of danger lurk around Kochi

KOCHI: On Monday morning a huge tree, battered by rains and strong winds, fell with a big thud just behind the premises of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra. Fortunately, it happened during class hours thus preventing a tragedy.
"Thankfully, students were safe. But had the incident occurred before or after school hours, it would have been a disaster as the particular road would be full of students," said Suresh T T, leading fireman at the Gandhinagar fire station.
But the accident in Kothamangalam, when a tree that feel on a school bus claimed lives of five school children, have set off alarm bells.
On Friday, while Gandhi Nagar station received around 10 calls regarding tree-related incidents, the Club Road fire station reported around five cases following heavy rains and strong winds in the city.
Parent teacher associations from various schools across the city will hold meetings on Saturday to discuss the safety of children. The schools will have to ensure that students are safe during heavy rains.
"We had requested school authorities to undertake pre-monsoon preparations. We has asked them to prune large trees and pluck coconuts to avoid any untoward incident," said Prakash Keshavan, head of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Parents' Association, Kochi.
According to parents, falling trees are not the only cause for concern during monsoons. "Last October, a school bus had a narrow escape during heavy rains when the bus skidded and almost fell into the backwaters. On days when the rains are heavy, schools should declare a holiday for the safety of students," said Sanil Kumar, head of the parents' forum for CBSE and ICSE schools in the city.
School authorities on the other hand treat such accidents as a 'one-off' incident. "We can't plan or prepare for such incidents as we cannot foresee them. But, we will ensure that precautions are taken during the monsoon, especially in the campus," said a principal of Bhavan's school.
"There are dozens of large trees across Kochi that could potentially keel over and fall. In Kadavanthra alone, there are two areas where we have noticed trees in dangerous condition -- one at the entrance of Kendriya Vidyalaya and the other at Matha Nagar Public School," said Suresh T T.
"There are about 18 to 20 large trees in and around educational institutions, hospitals and other crowded public spaces in the city. There was a tree on Foreshore Road that was on the verge of toppling over. Though we informed the corporation, action was taken only when it was reported to the RDO," said T S Madhavan, who has been monitoring such dangerous trees in the city.
According to the fire department, such incidents can be prevented only if authorities conduct pre-monsoon drive to prune large trees.