Breath of fresh air around airport

[1]

Bengaluru has lost its traditional green belts due to rapid urbanisation in recent years, so the concept of a ‘Green Belt’ around the Bengaluru International Airport is a welcome one.

A green belt or necklace around the BIA is a good idea as it would absorb pollutants spewed into the air by the movement of heavy aircraft, says environmentalist A. N. Yellappa Reddy.

“Every day over 400 aircraft movements are recorded at BIA, besides thousands of vehicles burning the fuel. During such heavy activity, large amounts of carbon are emitted and due to combustion activity a large amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is lost. This could lead to breathing problems and cause headaches too. By creating the green belt around the airport we are trying to make up for the lost oxygen,” Mr Reddy explained.

To begin with, the respective departments in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Chikkaballapur will identify the land required to create the new green belt.

“The government departments will identify planting space in four categories of land. Large patches of waste land are available - nearly 50,000 hectares in the three districts around BIA,” Mr Reddy said.

Trees will be planted in forest land, government common land, cultivable waste land and fallow land. In the case of private farms and fields, the farmers will be encouraged to plant trees so that there is no need to acquire the land, Mr Reddy explained.

Polluting emissions from aircraft at ground level are increasing. “Nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) are a pollutant in themselves. Aviation is also a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions, and presents a major threat in terms of emissions growth since it has two or three times greater effect on climate change than those at ground level,” explained an aviation expert.

Not everyone is convinced the greening project will work. “Who will look after the saplings once they are planted? Moreover, the government needs to call for a public debate on what kind of tree plantation they are going for.

"Certain areas like Hesarghatta do not need tree planting since it’s a grassland eco-system. The BDA took up tree planting despite opposition of environmental experts,” says Vinay Sreenivasa, member of the NGO, Hasiru Usiru.