Building bylaws to be amended for rooftop gardening

LAHORE: To combat smog and air pollution, Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (Tepa) has planned to propose various changes in building bylaws for introducing rooftop gardening and plantation in the provincial metropolis.

Recently, the Lahore High Court has directed Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and other departments concerned to introduce tree plantation on multi-storied buildings. “In the first phase, indigenous trees will be planted on the roofs of newly-constructed commercial buildings,” said Tepa Chief Engineer Abdul Razzaq Chauhan while talking to The News.

He said in the second phase, plantation will be made mandatory on the roofs and balconies of tall buildings and to ensure this decision building bylaws will be amended.Relevant agencies have ensured to cooperate in planting trees on commercial buildings, he said, adding DHA will also introduce amendments to its bylaws.

The CE said planting trees will help eliminate smog and air pollution. Tepa, LDA and PHA will support plantation on roofs of commercial buildings, he added. To a question how rooftop plantation will help reduce smog, he said rooftop plantation will reduce harmful gases, rooftop gardens will contribute to the reduction and filtering of polluted air particles and gases. Green roofs will also help in reducing distribution of dust in the air and production of smog, he added.

He said that rooftop plantation would also promote urban agriculture, which would be another environment-friendly activity in the provincial metropolis. He said people can use green roofs as miniature farms to produce fresh vegetables and other agri-foods. He said rooftop plantation will also reduce noise pollution as the combination of soil and plants will help in absorbing, reflecting and deflecting sound waves. Talking about the technical requirements for rooftop plantation, he said strength and integrity of building structure have to be prime consideration before initiating any work.

“The weight of a rooftop garden can mess up the general structure of a building. A waterproofing system must be installed on top of the building with a complete drainage system or with the help of slightly slopping down the roof,” he said and added that root roof protection mats and rainfall management systems should be installed.