Landscaping for Industries

Landscaping for Industries

In modem limes, a factory should not become a place of only machinery, dust, pollution, and noise, but should also be provided with nicely laid out parks and gardens. This js not only needed from the point of beautification, but also to fight pollution and dust The factories may be broadly categorized into two groups ;

The first group comprises comparatively neat factories such as a ply wood factory or a fruit processing plant which omit less dust and other polluting materials.

The second group consists of factories such as cement, steel, fertilizer etc, which emit a lot of dust, smoke, and harmful chemicals. If gardens are to be laid out in the factory premises itself one has to be choosy in selection the plant materials depending upon the type of the factory.

In factories belonging to the second category comparatively hardy plants are to be selected. For the factories of the first group a wider range of plant materials can be used. The primary aim in a factory garden will be to plant trees to arrest the drifting dust and smoke and to cut down noise. Tall and hardy trees such as Casuarina equisetifolia, Eucalyptus, Polyathia longifolia, and Silver oak should be planted all aTound or in the direction of the winds to stop the spread of dust and smoke. Another important aim is to provide ample shade and coolness so that the workers get a respite under the coolness of trees from the hostile hot interior of the factory. Moreover, in a well planted factory, the trees bring down the temperature in the factory premises to a considerable extent.

In a large factory a buffer zone may be created by afforestation between the factory and its residential colony. Afforestation can be done with hardy ornamentals such as Acacia auriculiformis, Casuiarina equisetifolia, Dalbergia sissoo, and some other shade trees. Besides planting of trees, a factory area can also be beautiful with rockeries, statues, water pools or lakes, fouhiains etc.

The colourful flowers of the bougainvilleas will bring life to the otherwise drab landscape of a factory area. Canna is another hardy and beautiful plant suitable for planting in beds or groups in a factory area. Hardy shrubs also play an important role in beatifying factories when planted in shrubberies. Lawns laid in vacant lands not only add to beauty but also cut down dust:

The other places where gardens can be laid in the factory area are canteen, rest-shed,, hospital, administration building etc.