The Effect of Urban Green Spaces on Air Pollution Reduction: A Case of Ahmedabad

Abstract

Ahmedabad city struggles with one of the highest ambient air pollution levels in India. To reduce the air pollutants, urban green spaces can be considered one of the best options. In the study, few physical variables, like plant stature and morphology, are considered. This paper covers the aspect of vegetation for analysing pollution mitigation. Four Urban Forest (UF) sites from four different zones, differentiated by the land use of each site, of the city of Ahmedabad have been selected, Physical variables of each of these Urban Forest sites were collected. Consequently, an air monitoring station was selected from within 4 km radius of these sites. The selected urban forests were introduced in 2019-20. Pollutant concentration data from before UF and after UF (2016-2021) of each site was extracted from all the stations. This data was then compared with the physical variables of UF to determine the AQI change in the area throughout the years. The findings showed improved the concentration of pollutant in each of the 4 sites. Factors like number of trees and tree species in each site played an important role in pollutant reduction. To understand the role of urban forests, NDVI analysis was conducted of the sites.