The BMC has proposed to make it mandatory for all new buildings having a plot size of more than 2,000 square metres to plan rooftop or terrace gardens. It also wants builders to have vertical gardens on construction sites instead of tin sheets that barricade their projects. This is part of the BMC’s new rooftop/terrace and vertical garden policy which will be rolled out soon.
The draft policy was proposed by the BMC’s Gardens Department, and municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal has now asked the BMC’s Development Plan (DP) department which regulates buildings in the city to study the proposal and offer their comments. The BMC will soon hold consultations with builders associations, like the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MHCI) and the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), to check how the policy can be implemented.
“The conventional method of tree plantation requires huge space which is not possible in Mumbai. Thus, alternate solutions need to be worked out for providing the required green cover to Mumbai. Some of the methods, like vertical gardening and terrace/rooftop gardening are implemented worldwide. For increasing green cover, it is necessary to formulate policy guidelines for terrace/rooftop gardening and vertical gardens for conservation of biodiversity in Mumbai,” Jitendra Pardeshi, superintendent of Gardens, stated in the draft policy.
According to the draft policy, the builders, while developing a terrace/roof top garden, must ensure structural safety and leave enough working space for maintenance of the buildings/structures. The stability of the structure shall not be compromised and neither should the water proofing suffer. The rooftop/terrace gardening should be made with an irrigation facility.
The policy also proposes to make it mandatory for every builder/developer to create vertical gardens during the period of construction of the project, at least on the side facing the main road for reduction of air/noise pollution. “The draft policy guidelines have been given in-principal approval, and they will be finalised after consultation with stakeholders and DP department,” Pardeshi said.
For big projects, the policy will make it mandatory to provide podium gardens where native tree varieties that have shallow root system or medium size canopy can be accommodated while also ensuring structural stability.
