Banyan, peepal trees help mop up dust, finds study conducted by Botany student from city
When the AMC decided to cut a 70-year-old Banyan tree in Vastrapur, several citizens came together to stop it. The tree that is believed to be home to several parakeets also has a small temple at its trunk. But what neither the AMC nor the citizens realised is that it is trees like the Banyan that perhaps hold an answer to how to battle the city's dusty environs.
The AMC can be forgiven, for, it may not have come across a thesis of Botany student Deepika Chandawat. The thesis that studied the effects of air pollution on the physiology and metabolism of roadside plants in Ahmedabad found that of all the trees, it was the mighty Banyan and Peepal that had the best ability to mop up dust from the city's environs.
The study among other things also evaluated the rate of dust deposition/capture capacity of different plants species (trees). The study found the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (ATPI) for such trees to be high and they can be effectively used in ameliorating air pollution.
The study found that plant species with dense hair and rough leaf surface (like the Banyan) had greater effect on dust removal while plant species with smoother leaves had a weaker effect. Trees with horizontally suspended leaves were found to be bettter dust trappers than those with vertically suspended leaves.
Explaining why Banyan and Peepal trees are better for the dusty environs of Ahmedabad, Hitesh Solanki, Professor and Head of Department of Environmental Science at Gujarat University, said the physiology and metabolism of these two species were such that they could withstand it better. "Moreover the trees are such that they can survive in adverse conditions with less water. Peepal has the highest oxygen generating capacity and trees like that will be a boon in managing pollution," said Solanki. The trees also have big leaves which trap dust better. "Any tree is beneficial to the environment but diversity of trees is needed because it automatically translates into bird and insect diversity too," he said. It could be the huge size that Banyan and Peepa trees grow to and their relative slow growth why they do not figure prominently in the plantation drives, according to him.
Jignesh Patel, Director of Parks and Garden, AMC, said Banyan and Peepal constitute 10% of the total plantation drives. "These are trees with shallow root and spread horizontally. So they are not very suitable for urban areas particularly for roadside plantations," he said. People who take advantage of AMC's plantation drives generally do not prefer these trees because of the same reason, he added. "Even when we plant them we usually plant them in campuses or places that have a wide open space," said Patel.
QUITE A BREATHER
- A CEPT study in 2016 found that 16 users in the city share a single tree
- WHO guidelines say that it should be 15 trees per user
- The study found the city's green cover to be at 4.62%
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Banyan tree")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}