Vanishing canopies affect air quality; Bangalore, India

Vanishing canopies affect air quality

Not only pollution levels but also pattern of planting trees has undergone a change
Vanishing canopies affect air quality
Poornima Nataraj, Nov 5, Bangalore
Friday, November 06, 2009

Gradual disappearance of tree canopies in Bangalore in the name of development has adversely affected the City’s air quality.

In a survey conducted at ten major road junctions in Bangalore (tree lanes and treeless lanes) by a City-based environment group, it was found that pollutants around canopy trees were comparatively less than along treeless stretch.
The study conducted by ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment) in collaboration with Environmental Sciences Departments of St Joseph’s College and Mount Carmel College has found huge differences in air quality.
Dr Harini Nagendra, Urban Ecology Program Coordinator at ATREE, who supervised the study, said that it is not just pollution levels but also the planting patterns that have changed in the recent times. “Trees with huge canopies planted by our forefathers have been replaced with smaller trees by BBMP,” she said."