At vertical gardens, dried up plants and empty pots
SPOT CHECK Despite reservations by ecologists, civic bodies diverted Swachh funds to develop gardens on walls
NEW DELHI: In January this year, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) initiated the idea of vertical gardening in the city. Soon, other civic agencies followed suit. However, nine months on, civic agencies have been forced to undertake a replacement drive as most of these ornamental plants have dried up, leaving behind empty plastic pots.
Despite reservations by ecologists on the longevity of the experiment and proposals that planting creepers, instead, would save money and give the project a better chance at success, municipalities installed more vertical gardens across the city. Even funds allocated under the Centre’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ to municipalities were diverted to development vertical gardens.
HT brings you a ground report and looks at what it takes to maintain such gardens.
GROUND REALITY
At the Rani Jhansi flyover, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation installed vertical gardens on two concrete pillars around four months ago.
Civic officials grew the plants in cloth bags and not plastic pots to maintain moisture level and avoid theft of pots. But HT found these pillars looking barren. Not only had the green cover perished in the heat and due to lack of water supply, the plastic frame around the bags were also found to be damaged.
A north corporation official said, “The project was implemented under corporate social responsibility. But we are not happy with the results. The plants started drying up fast. In comparison, the creepers grown at 47 places are low maintenance and have a high survival rate.”
The situation was no different at the Metro pillars near Tilak Bridge. In January this year, the NDMC had covered eight pillars with flower pots with foliage plants. When HT did a spot check, these gardens looked like a collage of black plastic pots.
At the Savitri flyover and the National Highway-24, workers from the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were found replacing withered plants.
A NHAI official said, “The company carrying out work for widening of NH-24 is also maintaining the vertical gardens. They change patterns and replace damaged plants after intervals. But these gardens need more attention, given Delhi’s weather. Moreover, the drippers installed to supply Yamuna water to the gardens get choked due to poor quality of water. We may look for alternatives in future.”
COST COMPARISON
The average initial cost of plastic vertical gardens is ₹12,000 per square metre (sqm) and can vary depending on the quality of plants used. Their monthly maintenance cost is ₹400 per square metre, a NDMC official said. “The initial cost of the conventional creepers is ₹60-90 per sqm and their monthly maintenance cost is ₹11-18 per sqm. Also, each vertical garden requires 50-100 litre of water every alternate day and dedicated staff,” the official said, accepting conventional climbers require less maintenance.
But at the VIP zones, these vertical gardens are growing well — due to the special attention given by civic authorities.
CR Babu, professor emeritus at centre for environment management for degraded ecosystem at Delhi University, said, “Lakhs of rupees and hundreds of staff is deployed for the project. The amount can be used to carry out a green drive in the entire city. Authorities must accept vertical gardens are not right for a country like ours.”
VERTICAL GARDENS VERSUS CREEPERS
While officials from the horticulture department argued that the concept of a vertical garden is among the best ways to combat Delhi’s air pollution and give the city an aesthetic look, experts said growing plants in plastic pots could be the most ‘horrible’ way of displaying greenery.
RNS Tyagi, former director of the central public works department’s horticulture wing, said, “Vertical gardens are designed for places where a horizontal garden cannot be developed. In Delhi, vertical gardens were installed without applying mind. Display of small tender plants in plastic pots is also against the spirit of the ban on use of plastic.
“Officials seem to be minting money from the projects. I filed an RTI to get details of the cost of setting these gardens up and their benefits but failed to get a reply,” he said.
However, KS Rao, head of Delhi University’s botany department, said, “As long as the species selection is right, both vertical gardens and climbers can grow well,” he said.
The NDMC official said vertical gardens allow uniform growth of plants and give instant results. “Creepers take at least one and half years to grow, uniformity in growth cannot be guaranteed,” the official said.