Benefits of Rooftop Gardening

For a country like India, it is very crucial to make use of available land space within the city. Sustainable planning and development is the only way forward in the country or else it will quickly become polluted, populated and uninhabitable. With the shrinking of land in urban areas and rampant reduction of agricultural lands, the need for Rooftop gardening is ever increasing. Following are the benefits of Rooftop Gardening:-

Improved Air-Quality

Plants are one of the major providers of the oxygen we breathe. They filter and reduce the polluted particles and gases in the air. With a reduction in spaces to plant trees, rooftop gardening is the ideal choice for future. Green roofs not only help in reduction of the distribution of dust in the air but also the production of smog, leading to decrease in greenhouse emissions in the urban area. Although one green roof won’t have a huge effect all on its own, having larger numbers of green roofs in a city could definitely have a positive impact.

Wildlife

One of the significant features of rooftop gardening is its adaptability to convert as a habitable place for birds. Rooftop gardening can be a perfect setup for birds especially due to the falling number of trees around the city. A rooftop garden provides stopover grounds for migratory birds and other species thus helping them to survive.

Noise Reduction

Plants are known to have excellent noise reduction capabilities, especially with low-frequency sounds. It is said that the combination of soil and plants facilitate to absorb, reflect or deflect sound waves thus being an excellent component for noise reduction. Green roofs can be very beneficial in decreasing noise pollution if implemented throughout the city.

Energy Efficiency

Rooftop gardens can surely lead to a more effective use of energy. They can retain heat in winter and maintain temperatures in summer, thus acting as a great insulation unit. What it implies is, minimizing the work of air conditioning system in summer and winter, thus conserving energy and money. A study on rooftop garden by NRCC showcases that these gardens can modify temperature fluctuations, moderate heat flow through the roof, and reduce energy demand for air conditioning in summers.

Urban Heat Island (UHI) control effect

When temperatures in the urban areas elevate compared to rural and other less developed areas is called an Urban Heat Island effect. This phenomenon is generated due to development of cities by adding more building and people. Rooftop gardening offers impressive benefits that positively affect the Urban Heat Island effect. There is an abundance of concrete in urban areas, and the sun warms up concrete quicker than it does plants and trees. The abundance of concrete makes the cities extremely hot during summers, which eventually gives rise to increased use of air conditioning and other cooling techniques. Plants have the ability to decrease the effects of UHI with the help of the daily evaporation cycle. Incorporating green spaces on city roofs will definitely reduce the Urban Heat Island effect.

Effective use of rainwater

Rooftop gardens are the perfect setup to utilise rainwater. Rooftop gardening helps in making effective use of rainwater. The plants use rainwater and store the excess water for later use. In a perfect setup rooftop garden, plants retain 80% and 40 % rainfall in summer and winter respectively. The water that is used goes back to the atmosphere through evaporation. The plants help in retaining water, moderating temperature and act as a natural filter for water that runs off. Water runoffs are significantly decreased due to the rooftop gardens, avoiding the possibility of flooding within the cities.