Pune: In an effort to keep pollution levels low and to give a green look to the city, MahaMetro has decided to develop vertical gardens on some pillars of the metro railway.
The pillars being used for vertical gardens will be marked by mid-2019, once the overall construction of the metro railway is completed.
Inspired by metro projects in western countries, which have such vertical gardens and other metro projects developed in Kochi, Delhi, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Pune will also have such gardens.
MahaMetro CMD Brijesh Dixit told Sakal Times that the total number of pillars is 750, of these some pillars may have vertical gardens. A final decision will be taken after the overall construction is completed.
Dixit said, “Within the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal jurisdiction, there are 471 pillars. while in Pune municipal area, there are 297 pillars. The tender for Vanaz to Ramwadi metro route has still not been awarded. So, the pillars for that route have not been marked yet. Each pillars is built within a distance of 25 to 28 metres. This initiative is taken to fight air pollution and will also support the tagline of a green metro.”
Ramnathan Subramanyam, Executive Director of MahaMetro said, “We will develop a frame around the metro pillars, on which the vertical gardens will come up. The vertical gardens will be built on a metallic frame structure around the pillar, held together by wire mesh, on which small pots with plants will be mounted. This will also make sure that the plants’ roots don’t harm the pillar’s structural integrity. Also, the roots will grow into the pots itself and will be maintained by us. These vertical gardens will have anti-pollution plants that help reduce smog and produce oxygen 24x7.”
Subramanyam added, “We are planning to use the hydroponics technology to save water. The technology provides all nutrients through water, without soil. Also, we will be using recycled water through drip irrigation. We have the prerequisite machinery to take care of plants.”
