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‘Fight pollution with mango, mahogany, banyan, Ashoka trees’

Mango, mahogany, banyan and Ashoka trees should be planted in large numbers to fight air pollution in towns and cities, a horticultural expert has advised.

”We have drawn up a list of trees which can effectively fight air pollution, and we have asked the town planners and landscape artists to incorporate these in their designs,” said Anupama Mitra, deputy secretary, Agri-Horticultural Society of India.

These trees are special because they not only absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but also take in poisonous gases responsible for pollution.

”They take in gases like certain sulphur oxides and nitrous oxide, major air pollutants,” said Mitra.

Responsible for effects like global warming, acid rain, smog and ozone depletion, these toxic gases mainly emanating from vehicular and industrial emissions find their way into the atmosphere.

The trees were selected based on their Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) which determines the response of plants towards air - their tolerance of different levels of pollution, and their sensitivity to pollutants.

”Trees like banyan and mahogany have high APTI and are good control agents for air pollution. Even shrubs like bougainvillea, heliconia and croton can be used by landscapers to decorate streetsides and curb air pollution,” Mitra told IANS.

Trees are important not only for limiting air pollution, but they can also shield from noise pollution. “The old schools in the city are surrounded by mango and Deodar trees. These are very good at warding off noise pollution,” said Mitra.

Using layers of plants to buffer pollution is another strategy that should be followed by developers and landscapers to deal with pollution.

”A buffering zone formed by four layers of tress or shrubs is the best option. Even monuments like Victoria Memorial used to have such buffering zones. This should be taken into consideration by town planners,” Mitra said.