ay:

Topic: Green Belt to Reduce Pollution

Mohamed Al-Mutairi
Introduction

• Green belt is a general term that refers to natural, undeveloped, and/or agricultural lands that
surround urban areas. These lands may include open spaces, parks, farms and ranches, wildlands,
or a combination thereof as designated by cities, countries, special districts, and other jurisdictions.
• Greenbelts encompass many different types and scales of landscapes such as wildlife corridors,
streams, wetlands, and recreational parks as well as grazing lands, orchards, and vineyards.
• Green Belt has many impacts to overcome environmental damage, such as being able to neutralize
the air pollution in urban areas from motorized vehicles and factory waste. In addition, the
development of Green Belt directly impacts people’s livelihoods if the vegetation planted is in
accordance with the livelihoods of the majority of the community in the Green Belt area.
 Discussion

• Greenbelts are an effective mode of control of air pollution, where green plants form a surface capable of
absorbing air pollutants, and forming a sink of pollutants. Leaves with their vast area in a tree crown, sorbs
pollutants on their surface, thus effectively reduce pollutant concentration in the ambient air.
• Often the adsorbed pollutants are incorporated in the metabolic pathway and the air is purified. Plants grown
to function as pollution sink are collectively referred as greenbelts.
• Green Belt is a solution to various problems relating to the environment, such as air pollution caused by the
smoke of motor vehicles and industrial garbage. The concept of Green Belt also offers a solution to problems
caused by natural activities such as sea water waves touching the coastal lips too strongly, causing beach
abrasion.
• Selection of plants for Greenbelts:
• The main limitation for plants to function as scavenger of pollutants are, plant’s interaction to air pollutants,
sensitivity to pollutants, climatic conditions and soil characteristics. While making choice of plants species for
cultivation in green belts, due consideration has to be given to the natural factor of bio- climate.
• Roadside Plantation
• Roadside plantation plays a very important role for greening the area, increasing the shady area, increasing
aesthetic value and for eco-development of the area. The approach roads to project site, etc. can be planted with
flowering trees. Trees can be planted to increase aesthetic value as well as shady area along the roads.
• Guidelines for plantation
• The plant species identified for greenbelt development can be planted using pitting technique. Width of the green
belt in the available land area may prove difficult for many industries to attain for one or more reasons. Hence it
can be decided to have green belt in places available around the industry (source oriented plantation) as well as
around the nearby habituated area (receptors oriented plantation).
• The choice of plants for green belt should include shrubs and trees. The intermixing of trees and shrubs should
be such that the foliage area density in vertical is almost uniform.
• Recommendations
• The role of government is very influential in the development of Green Belt. The Government should be very
concerned with the problems of air pollution and create a Green Belt policy especially in urban areas.
• Conclusion
• Greenbelt is needed to overcome all problems of air pollution contained in the urban area. Greenbelt has
many benefits, such as being one form of city forest that can maintain the survival of the earth.
• References
• https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol10iss12/101235_Puji_2020_E_R.pdf
• CPCB (March, 2000) Guidelines for developing green belts PROBES/75/1999-2000.
• Jieqing, Wang & Liao, Zaiyi & Rong, Li & Xueling, Huang & Menghui, Du. (2017). Effect of Plant
Community Structure and Road Greenbelt Width on PM2.5 Concentration. Journal of Engineering Science
and Technology Review. 10. 80-85. 10.25103/jestr.102.09.
• Susanto, J.P. & Komarawidjaja, W. (2018). Green Belt Development as an Anticipation of Air Pollution in
Fertilizer Industry, East Kalimantan. J Teknol Lingkung. 19[2]:155– 64.
• Shannigrahi, A.S., Sharma, R. & Fukushima, T. (2003). Air Pollution Control By Optimal Green Belt
Development Around The Victoria Memorial Monument, KOLKATA [INDIA]. Int J Environ Stud.
60[3]:241–9.