Planned plantation can reverse rising pollution

  • 05/11/2014

  • Times Of India (Ahmedabad)

Going back to being the city of banyan trees might help Vadodara counter the rising air pollution levels in the city. According to a study conducted by the department of botany at M S University's Faculty of Science, planned plantation in the city can decrease the air pollution by almost 40 per cent in a year across the city. Vadodara has seen a 65 per cent increase in air pollution in the last two decades. According to the study , the city has seen a drastic decrease in the plant cover due to infrastructural developments. It found Mandvi and Rajmahal Road as areas with highest percentage of air pollutants on the basis of the annual average. However, according to the study , during the rush hours in the morning and evening the air pollution levels increase on the roads such as Tandalja Road, Gotri Road, Station Road and Waghodia Road. “The traffic has obviously increased resulting in a steep rise in vehicular pollution. But the declining vegetation cover has made the situation worse. Trees are important in an urban setting. Apart from cooling the temperatures, they absorb air and noise pollutants and reduce the city's carbon footing,“ said professor G Sandhya Kiran, head of department of botany at M S University , who initiated this study. The study suggests that plantation of banyan trees can help reduce the pollution significantly. “Banyan trees are the best op tion. But their growth requires a huge area and might not be practical in an urban setting. But trees like devil tree, peacock flower shrub, neem, pine and peepal will also be very helpful,“ she added. “The air pollution levels in the city have shown a steep rise across the state. Vadodara is not an exception to the trend. However, the levels of pollutants in the city's air are not alarming.Efforts from all sections of the society are required to reverse the increase before it starts becoming critical,“ said GPCB regional director K C Pancholi.