Bengaluru now has a vertical garden to help tackle increasing pollution

Of the scores of gigantic pillars supporting the Hosur Road flyover in Bengaluru, one particular column stands out in sharp contrast. 

A vertical garden was on Friday installed on the pillar by SayTrees, an NGO working towards the protection of environment. 

"SayTrees has been planting trees for many years now and this time we thought it is better to create or increase the green cover right in the middle of the city," said Durgesh Agrahari, a member of the group. 

He stated that most big cities in India are grappling with the problem of a high density of vehicles causing increased pollution. "Vertical gardens are the answer to the problem. If you travel from Silk Board and go till Attibele, you can literally count the number of trees on the stretch on your fingers. There is an urgent need to increase the green cover and with vertical gardens, there is an ample scope because you can see 'n' number of pillars across the country."

Nearly 3,500 sapling from 12 different species have been planted on the vertical garden. "These species have definite environmental benefits, such as lowering temperature and absorbing particulate matter. Without those benefits, it would have become just another landscaping project," he said. 

The garden will be looked after by the organisation and an automatic drip irrigation system that has been installed will take care of the major part of the maintenance. These plants also need minimal quantity of water, i.e. 100 ml of water per plant each day. 

The garden is also fully organic. "No chemicals have been used. We used cocopeat as the base, some quantity of soil and byproducts from cows for nourishment of the soil," Durgesh said. 

The organisation plans to replicate this model on not just all the pillars of the Hosur Road flyover, but extend it to other such pillars in Bengaluru and other cities in the country.