VEGI TERRACES & BALCONIES – A NEED OF AN HOUR

J.P.Rao Director – Corporate Marketing Strategy, Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Private Limited.

Growing Population…and influx to Metro cities has become a matter of deep concern, nowadays. It was indeed, shocking to have watched on television that hazardous chemicals are found in water used for irrigation to grow vegetables…!

One of the villages in the Northern India is prone to Cancer…a deadly disease…!! Pollution whether it is AIR or NOISE, is on tremendous rise…, water contamination is beyond limits…!

Under the prevailing circumstances, urban planning and designing is undergoing extreme challenges…!

Verticals townships have become common phenomenon to accommodate large number of inhabitants in Metro cities, in particular…!

In Mumbai, lots of leafy vegetables are cultivated along the sides of the railway tracks…without being hygiene conscious…!

We in general, visualize that civic by laws have made it mandatory to have car parking spaces…! Builders are offering Gyms, swimming pools, Running Tracks and club houses to offer comfort and convenience to the end users…but, the real problem remains unattended…!

1) OPTIMUM UTILIZATION OF SPACES AT TERRACES & BALCONIES: 

• Dust & Noise Pollution, prevents the dwellers to use these spaces effectively.
• Issue can be addressed, by converting these spaces for cultivation of vegetables, and thereby creating value for money…!
• Of course, the water proofing technologies are far more superior nowadays, to make these spaces leak proof….
• The societies in these vertical cities, can very well be run by introducing a “Farming Community”…!
• “Farming Community”, in such vertical cities, should consist of:
• House wives &
• Retired Personnel,

Who are always, prone to leisure time & its investment…effectively…!

In Chinese Towns / Villages, hardly anyone is found idle…!!

• Adding up of areas contributed under provisions of balconies &
  Terraces in high-rise towers, one may obtain substantial area for the desired purpose, as titled in this article…!
• Farming community can cultivate the seasonal vegetables apart from Green Coriander, Green chilies & Spring onions…!
• The concept needs to be extended to the sprawling areas aimed at schools, colleges and other academic institutions, Hospitals and even the Industrial setups, where, the Employees can play a vital role of “Farming – Community.”
• The monetary benefits can be accrued upon by the employees besides the hygiene prone cultivation of vegetables…!

How to Implement the Concept…?

• Civic Authorities must make it, mandatory for incorporating specific percentage of FSI (Floor Space Index) Area, for the Vegetable Cultivation, similar to that of Parking Area/s.
• Societies’ Acts must be updated by including this concept, so as to enable the smooth working without any hassle.
• The concept must be extended similar to MLCP (Multi Level Car Parks) by attaining Value Engineering approach for the most economical light weight structure design. Civic Authorities must be magnanimous to grant special FSI, to such initiatives.
• This will in true sense, make us feel proud being the “Integral Part of the Agricultural Country…!”

2)THE EFFECTIVE USAGE OF SOLID WASTE: This is a burning issue, although being addressed by civic authorities with some flaws in it…!

How to implement it…?

• Society by laws must be updated for making solid waste/s more useful, for the inhabitants.
• Solid waste collection agencies pick up the garbage from each building and it is disposed off through trucks…every day.
• Garbage collection bins are left open, along streets as breeding centers of flies and mosquitos…thereby, creating health hazardous environment…!!
• Let the biogas plant be mandatory for each vertical township and earnings become a part of share holdings of each dwelling family.
• This will also, prove to be an asset for providing in upholding the vegetable cultivation concept…successfully…!”
• Segregation of plastic materials from the garbage, can offer the possibility of prevention of chocking the nallahs& outlets during monsoon and thereby averting situation of the deluge…!
• The concept may even lead to minimizing the expenses being incurred on collection, transportation and dumping of garbage. This will also, save huge land areas, which are being used for garbage dumping.
• Civic Authorities if desire, can go one step ahead for generating fuel from the plastic materials, which may be used for running their trucks/vehicles. It will reduce the land requirement by 60-75% for dumping the same..!

3)VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION USAGE

• Vertical Transportation in each High Rise building, if accounted for.., will surpass thousands of kilometers travel per day, in MUMBAI, alone..!
• If, we look back, we recollect…,in olden days a dynamo attached to the rear wheel of bicycle, used to lit the lamp fixed to the handle in the front..!
• Similar, concept can be adopted for the passenger cars travelling on the guide rails of the lifts…which indeed, will produce electricity to run the “lighting system” of the car / cabin of the vertical transportation.
• Achieving the savings in usage of Electricity, for the Vertical Transportation, would mean a leap forward to embracing GREEN CONCEPT to reduce carbon foot print. Innovative approach in this regard, would benefit the society and in turn to the nation…!!

What it requires, is the “STRONG WILL POWER…!”

For more information: Email: jaiprakash.rao@shapoorji.com, Tel:91-22-67490000 Ext: 198