Big buildings in Garden City likely to flaunt green roofs

BENGALURU: The Garden City's canopy is withering away, given the unbridled commercialization, shrinking lung spaces, frothing lakes and roads chock-a-block with vehicles. As the city looks at innovation to rejuvenate itself, the BDA has initiated preliminary consultations to make it mandatory for large buildings to have green roofs.
M N Kumar, additional director, town and country planning, BDA, said they are consulting designers and other stakeholders to draft regulations in this regard.“We are considering several options to address the city's concerns over pollution and rising temperatures.One of these is making green covers for roofs of large buildings, say with a built-up area exceeding 1,000 or 2,000 sqft, c o m p u l s o r y. I t ' s s t i l l in the nascent stage and we are also planning to fix what percentage of the rooftop area could be dedicated to a garden and whether it could go alongside solar panels,“ he said.
Terrace gardens are not a new concept. But Indian Green Infrastructure Network (IGIN), an NGO set up to create and develop worldclass green sustainable cities in India, feels mere BDA guidelines will be insufficient; community initiative will be imperative for the successful implementation of any such rule.
“This is an idea that would require multi-agency cooperation. In other countries, it might be the responsibility of one or two agencies, but here every agency works separately. A lot will depend on the type and typology of the building-what it's going to be used for and what the needs of people living or working in the building, are. Such factors need to be considered at the time of planning itself. Further, people need to be incentivized for the move to be a success,“ Gopal Bajaj, director, IGIN, said.
However, there are individuals in the city who have taken it upon them selves to make a dif ference in the micro-level.
Vinod Kumar, a resident of Kudremukh Colony, Koramangala II Stage, attended a community gardening workshop six months ago and is now a staunch proponent of its virtues. “There were 30 people who attended that workshop. Now, we are a 170-strong community.Even two to three plants in your balcony clean the air entering your house. A terrace garden would better the quality of air by 30-40%.There are many things that can be tried, like companion gardening, which is growing flowering plants alongside vegetables to get the best of both the worlds,“ he said.
However, Kumar said despite several organizations in the city offering to set up gardens for interested customers, there is an overall lack of knowledge and resources hindering the popularization of the concept of terrace gardens.
“There are many companies that provide such services but they are very expensive and often, don't live up to their promises. People also use cheap material to feed their gardens because they don't know the damage it does. Having your own garden is like having your own baby, it needs time and attention,“ he added.
TIMES VIEW
Bane or bliss, living in a concrete jungle has become the new normal. Mushrooming buildings have invariably resulted in loss of green spaces. Rising pollution and diminishing natural resources are the main challenges urbanites are forced to cope with now. Many countries have been exploring ways to naturalize cities, and green roofs are mandatory for huge structures. When forests are shrinking, utilizing every potential green space is a great idea to deal with the heat. Ensuring an eco-friendly habitat could be the best way forward for Bengaluru which is struggling to handle the urban mess.