AHMEDABAD: If the city civic body’s plans fructify, then a year from now, lush green oasis in the middle of Ahmedabad’s concrete jungle will bring us much-needed respite from the scorching heat. The civic body has planned 14 new gardens and 10 new urban forests across the city in 2022-23 (AprilMarch).
“We have planned 24 new urban jungles and gardens in all seven zones. Three of the 10 forests will come up in the North West zone in Gota, Shilaj and on Sindhu Bhavan road. Four new gardens will come up in Shilaj, Bopal and Chharodi,” a senior Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) officer said.
Besides mitigating air pollution, the initiative will also lend more beauty to the city. The officer said that most of these gardens and urban forests will be developed along the lines of the one at the Science City. There will be meditation areas, open gymnasiums, children’s play areas, yoga centres and walkways.
The corporation will go for dense forest plantation using the Miyawaki technique. In this technique, various native species of plants are planted close to each other so that the canopy receives sunlight only from the top and grows upwards rather than sideways. As a result, the plantation becomes 30 times denser than normal, grows 10 times faster and becomes maintenance-free after three years.
The civic body has adopted the Miyawaki technique in its recent plantation projects which have yielded good results. At present, the city has 80 gardens and parks.
