Vertical gardens on 70 Metro pillars soon

New Delhi: Delhi Metro is all set to turn 70 Metro pillars around Dhaula Kuan flyover covering Pink and Airport line pillars into green vertical garden. The DMRC said the project is likely to finish by this year-end. The project is likely to cost around Rs 4,77,400 .

“We are planning to cover 70 Metro pillars around Dhaula Kuan flyover covering Pink and Airport Line pillars once the tender is finalised. It may take six months time at the most to execute the work after the tender is finalised,” said a DMRC official on the condition of anonymity.

These vertical gardens will reduce pollution in the capital. Vertical gardening involves growing plants on vertical surfaces of urban structures such as Metro pillars, flyover columns and buildings with an integrated water irrigation system. With this concept, the concerned agencies will neutralise air pollution, trigerred mostly by dust and vehicular pollution. These gardens will help reduce urban heat island effect and smog; purify outside polluted air; act as a sound-proofing barrier; create a healthy habitat for birds and insects; increase real estate value among others.

Vertical gardens are those that grow vertically, along walls or pillars, with the help of trellis (which are wooden frames) or similar support systems.  Such gardens allow people to make use of limited spaces and is an excellent way to give a green boost.

Earlier in a first such initiative by Delhi Metro, eight pillars of the elevated Blue Line between Mandi House and Pragati Maidan stations sport vertical gardens.

The DMRC is not the first to take this initiative. Earlier, Bengaluru Metro and Kochi Metro adopted a similar concept from Mexico. In Bengaluru and Kochi, every fourth to sixth pillar sports a vertical garden as the other pillars are used for advertising.