Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has written to various government agencies that are custodians of flyovers and elevated Metro railway tracks, asking what they could do to make vertical gardens on the piers.
The letters were sent after mayor Firhad Hakim said on February 27 that the civic body’s priority was to improve Kolkata’s air quality, which remained consistently in the range of moderate, poor and very poor through the winter.
An official of the KMC said that the letters have been sent to the Metro Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), state PWD and Eastern Railway.
“We have written in the letters that the mayor wants vertical gardens to be built across the city, using the space on piers of elevated corridors,” said an official. “The scope for plantation on the footpaths has been almost saturated. New plantations in the city, especially along busy roads, are required but the non-availability of space is a problem,” said the official.
“The KMC has asked the agencies to inform the civic body about their views and what they can do to make the vertical gardens,” said the official.
Vertical gardens have been created on a number of piers of the New Garia-Airport metro’s elevated tracks in New Town. The KMC had in August last year initiated a process to create vertical gardens on a stretch under the AJC Bose Road flyover. The Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) are the custodians of the flyover. But nothing has materialised out of that proposal yet. Meanwhile, the KMC has again written to several agencies for creating vertical gardens.
An environmental scientist said that studies have shown that green patches along a road help in the absorption of dust particles by the leaves. “The resuspension of dust particles, which is a significant contributor to air pollution, is cut down by the presence of roadside plantation,” she said. “However, we must realise that when so many human beings do multiple activities that contribute to air pollution, only plantation cannot be a solution,” she said.
Studies have shown that the transport sector, especially the presence of decades-old vehicles, is a big contributor to the city’s air pollution.
Dust lying on the road and rising up as vehicles wheeze past is a common sight across the city, especially during winter months which are largely devoid of rain. Doctors in the city have said that infections of the respiratory tract are often triggered by air pollutants.
The presence of advertisement boards on the piers could pose a challenge in the path to creating vertical gardens. The KMC official said that many of these agencies could be in an agreement with outdoor advertising agencies that have purchased rights to put up advertisements on the piers.
The billboards are often a dangerous distraction for motorists, many Kolkatans have complained in the past.