Akar reput, rongga pada pangkal punca pokok tumbang, kata MBPP

Pulau Pinang's Chief Band councillor A Rajendran stated that a 28-meter tall Pterocarpus indicus tree that fell in Macalister Road early this morning suffered a 30% trunk breakage. The main cause was root damage, trunk cracks, chronic soil compaction, and restricted growth space, which significantly increased the risk of structural failure, he added.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when a couple of elderly residents and their grandchildren were injured after a utility vehicle parked on them in Macalister Road. There were no reports of heavy rain or strong winds before or during the tree's fall, Rajendran said. The municipal body has conducted a survey on high-aged and mature trees along Macalister Road in 2024, and 13 trees were removed.

Last year, a remote sensing technology study for early warning systems found the trees in the area to be in good condition and not posing any warning signals, he added. The last tree maintenance work along Macalister Road was carried out on January 29 this year, he said. He added that 179 high-risk trees have been approved for removal this year, of which 148 have already been cut down.

Meanwhile, based on MBPP records, 247 trees have been cut down in the first three quarters of this year, including 82 trees from January to March, 78 trees from April to June, and 87 trees from July to September. Rajendran said the tree removal was caused by various factors, including obstructing drainage, dying or leaning trees, high-risk trees, development projects, road widening, and canal works as well as involving the Pulau Pinang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) pipelines.

For the municipal body's overall tree management program, a total of 2,535 trees have been identified in several categories last year, including 45 cases of obstructing drainage, 138 dead trees, 2,242 trees assessed under risk categories or otherwise, and 110 trees related to development or infrastructure work, he said. He said following the incident of the fallen tree, MBPP has directed the appointed contractor to accelerate the work of reducing tree height and cutting down potentially falling trees along Macalister Road based on arboricultural assessment.