Hyderabad: When you visit Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) office next time, ensure you notice a vertical garden on the walls both inside and outside the premises. The vertical garden consists of racked series of pots consisting of six species of plants. It currently greets the visitors at the reception area of the GHMC head office at Tank Bund and the central zone office in Khairatabad.
These vertical gardens, which are a common sight at airports, will be soon greeting people at all the GHMC offices. Mr V. Damodar, director of GHMC’s urban biodiversity department, said “The work is in progress to set up a vertical garden in the zonal commissioner offices except in the south zone. They will also be put up at the offices of deputy commissioners.” The plants are shade-loving plants and ones outside the office are light-demanding. The species of plants include spathiphyllum, syngonium, oxicodium, chlorophytum, ophiopogon and philodendron.
Watering of the plants is done using drip irrigation, ensuring that the floor is not wet. The garden’s responsibility is entrusted with a contractor who supplies nutrients to the plants. “The contractor maintains the wall and the plants on a daily basis. We spend around Rs 30 per sq ft each month for maintenance,” said Mr Damodar. These walls act as sound-proofing barrier and reduce air pollution. The vertical garden hangs up on bare fence put up against the wall.
