DEPUTY City Engineer Lloyd Alleyne  blamed heavy rains and soggy roots for the fall of the samaan tree on Vlissengen Road, in the vicinity of Office of the President, causing severe damage to traffic lights and some to a motor vehicle early yesterday morning. The tree fell on Toyota HB 7046 and the driver, Richard Pooran told the Guyana Chronicle that the Public Works Ministry expressed an interest in repairing it.
But the trees which ended up crashing to the ground might have been a result of officials disregarding advice, said Alleyne.
He said related concerns have been raised with the Director of the National Parks Commission (NPC) to have several trees, especially those along Vlissengen Road, examined and treated for parasites.
According to him, the trees which have fibrous roots were planted years ago and trimming and maintenance should be a priority. He said, while City Hall has some control over them, so, too, does the NPC and the National Trust.
Alleyne explained that the ones lining Vlissengen Road are, usually, considered the property of the Botanical Gardens, which is managed by the NPC.
He said many along Croal Street also pose a threat to life and limb and need to be looked at urgently as well, noting that those which mostly line canals and avenues have had their integrity compromised by the digging to lay pipelines and phone cables.
In the cases of those lining the canals, Alleyne said, whenever desilting exercises are carried out, they exceed the design width and cause the roots to become loose from the soil.

WEAK ONES
Alleyne insisted that many of the trees around the city are in need of much trimming of excess branches and masks which add to the weight of the already weak ones.
He suggested a joint exercise to take care of the trees, taking their age into consideration.
Alleyne said, for City Hall to take on the trimming and maintenance of the trees solely, will be too costly for the already cash-strapped municipality. He argued for a collaborative  effort involving the Mayor and City Council (M&CC),the National Trust and the NPC.
In his suggestion for effectively addressing the threat to life and limb that many of the trees pose, Alleyne  said the Agriculture Ministry should be able to advise on the types best suited, especially for along canals and main thoroughfares. The advice must be given with several considerations being looked at, including the traffic situation, height, locations, infrastructure and the life expectancy.
Meanwhile, Pooran’s vehicle was covered with the tree limbs and he was overheard saying that, had they been bigger in size, he might not have been alive  today.
Traffic was at a standstill for several minutes at the location after the tree fell and only began to flow again when police officers established a presence at the location and began diverting commuters away from the danger zone and saw movement heading south and north on Vlissengen Road make diversions to Regent Road and Croal Street, respectively.