Massive Urbanization and development projects have taken us away from nature. In many cities, there is no place left for parks or gardens. Not staying in touch with nature has a lot of negative impact on both our physical and mental health. In order to solve this issue, rooftop gardening is becoming more and more popular. In this article, we are going to discuss about it.
What is a "rooftop garden?"
A rooftop garden can be considered as an oasis in the concrete jungle of cities and urban areas. It offers a beautiful natural environment in the closest proximity of one's home or office that is the "roof" of one's residential or commercial building. It further aids the extreme heating issues and high energy consumption in order to cool the apartments and offices.
Why do we need a "rooftop garden" ?
The high rising buildings, accommodating hundreds of people in them, absorb solar heat during the day. It increases the temperature of the structures and eventually, effects energy consumption as well. Concrete and all other man-made materials, heats up three times more than plants and trees or water. The roof of a building, exposed to the direct sunlight absorbs excessive heat during the day.
In urban areas, not only a single building or structure exists isolated but a cluster of them are placed in close proximity. The heat trapped in the buildings create a "hot air" environment in the urban areas which basically is an increase in the temperature. During summers, this heat becomes unbearable and thus, cooling systems have to work harder and for longer periods of time resulting in high energy consumption. This directly stresses the energy consumption rates and the high amount of bills.
Benefits of a Rooftop Garden
A rooftop garden acts as an innovative and effective solution to the urban hazard of heating. A rooftop garden can be customized as per the needs and according to the geographical location. Planting of trees, shrubs and even making a small pond similar to a swimming pool is a great concept for a rooftop garden. The more green the rooftop is, the better the temperature will be controlled.
According to a recent survey, a rooftop with no plantation which is directly exposed to the solar radiation heats up to above 50°C during summers whereas a rooftop with planned plantations recorded a temperature of 25°C. The difference is a huge number both numerically as well as in the felt temperature.
Rooftop Garden : A peaceful place
Rooftop gardens not only serve as a go-to option for a heated home but also acts as a great place for recreation and relaxation. Gardening itself is a fun activity and spending time under a shade in a garden effectively lifts the mood of people. The trees and shrubs would supply cool and fresh air and act as a canopy of heat resistance against the scorching heat. Nature itself is a place of calm and cool. Urban planning systems have ignored the incorporation of nature in the buildings and other structures. But recently, the urban planners have realized the effect of it. Human beings are natural creatures and thus, excluding oneself from nature doesn't result in good. The more humans share their day to day life with nature , the more productive, happier and peaceful their lives become.
Different Uses of a Rooftop Garden
Rooftop gardening has many other positive aspects other than heat control. It effectively saves the rooftop from weather damage and corrosion and expands its lifetime. The constant heat and the contractions during winters makes the rooftop fragile over years. A rooftop garden protects the roof from any such events of stress on the material structure.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is a sister-project of rooftop gardening. While storms and rain showers bring along a lot of water, the rooftop garden shall absorb that and create less stress on the drainage system. The overflowing of drains and canals can be effectively reduced by channeling the excess rainwater into an underground tank that stores the rainwater. This rainwater can be used in times of need.
Recently, some urban areas are being seen to install a small pond on the rooftops. In those ponds, people breed small river fish and other such life forms. This is an innovative approach and at the same time, share a good hand in good environmental impact. The small water body on the rooftop is installed very scientifically and this creates no damage or damp on the original concrete roof. But, it creates a soothing atmosphere in the lap of a concrete jungle.
Rooftop gardens are also considered as urban agriculture. A small scale agricultural produce can be generated from rooftop gardens. In cities, agricultural areas are highly restricted and can only be spotted in the outskirts, if any. People can grow their own vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc. as they wish in their own rooftop garden. The joy of plucking fresh produce from one's garden is incomparable to the regular shopping sprees where one picks up their groceries.
Conclusion
Incorporating nature into the lives of people have increased in recent decades. The effects of nature and a fresh green environment is both physically and psychologically beneficial for human beings. It is not practical for everyone to spend their time, energy and money to visit a nature retreat frequently as most of them are situated away from the urban centres.
Holidays and vacations are not so frequent on a weekly or monthly basis and can be included for once or twice a year for an average person. The easiest and the most efficient method is to invest in and create rooftop gardens. Rooftop gardens are personal spheres of nature where there is no intervention of chaos or other public. Children can play around as well and learn gardening methods. The concrete heat effect can be tactically combated with a rooftop garden.
Hi, I am Divyyanaa Hazarika. I am pursuing my B. A. (Hons) in English from Guwahati University. My dream is to join the Civil Services and I'm extremely ardent towards it. I like to write and explore my abilities in the creative writing genre and current affairs. I spend my free time by reading books, painting, watching movies and gardening.
Comments
Post a Comment