Namma Metro piers across the city could soon become greenery hubs as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is carrying out an experiment to see if vertical gardens can adorn the piers bringing visual relief and much-needed respite from air pollution.
Similar exercises have been carried out across the world and most noticeably in Mexico City where vertical gardens on highway pillars and other infrastructure projects are being built as part of a citizen-led movement called “Via Verde” project.
For now, BMRCL has chosen one pier at Anil Kumble Circle to run a small pilot project. Started two weeks back, the results seem promising according to officials. The garden is fed by a fully automatic drip irrigation mechanism which consumes around 100 litres of water two times a month, according to BMRCL spokesperson U.A. Vasanth Rao.
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According to Mr. Rao, the plants may take another six weeks to provide a lush green cover. For now, only one pillar will be part of the project so that BMRCL can work out the costs involved as well as study the impact of the vegetation on the pier.
“For this project, we have chosen plants which bring down pollution levels,” Mr. Rao added.
The project in Mexico City will, once completed, provide an extra 40,000 meters of greenery made on metal frames covered with cloth placed over the pillars to avoid damage. While the impact of the green cover on reducing air pollution levels has not yet been quantified, the visual relief provided has delighted the citizens of this city.
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It might take longer for BMRCL to cover all the piers in Bengaluru as once the decision on the feasibility of the project is made, Namma Metro, could also opt for a sponsorship model to let companies adopt piers and fund the project. “We may get corporate sponsorship ... we need to have a working proof of concept and so we are trying it on one pier,” Mr. Rao said.