HYDERABAD: The bare walls of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation offices will soon offer a pleasing sight to the public. The GHMC has proposed to start ‘Vertical Gardens’ for the first time in different GHMC offices in the city.
The civic body’s move is aimed at curbing pollution by turning official spaces environment-friendly. Officials of the civic body said that such vertical gardens have already come up in other cities, including Bengaluru and Surat, and have received positive response from the people.
Such an initiative, they believe, is essential for Hyderabad where pollution is already higher than it should be. The city has also been battling the problem of diminishing greenery for a while now, with trees being chopped down as part of the road widening programmes including Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) and elevated corridors.
Why vertical gardens?
The Urban Bio-diversity wing of GHMC, involved in creating a bio-aesthetic environment, is trying to develop a green atmosphere for the people of the twin cities.
Vertical gardens are feasible in spaces where horizontal square footage to put in a garden is not possible. In little more than a decade since idea of sky-rise greenery was promoted in cities across India, numerous sky-rise greenery installations have come up across those cities.
Benefits abound
Initially, the Gardens are planned for offices of zonal, circle and major sports complexes of GHMC
The vertical garden would have automated drip irrigation system
They would help reduce urban heat effect, as well as act as a sound-proofing barrier