Pune: Residents in areas such as Kondhwa, Bhugaon, Kharadi, Baner and Hadapsar are redesigning their home gardens by replacing water-intensive plants with drought-resistant varieties, with water conservation becoming a priority amid growing concerns over shortages.The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) garden department is also working towards developing more climate-resilient and water-efficient public gardens.“We have a large lawn at home, which needs to be watered at least once a day, consuming a considerable amount of water. We are now considering planting more local varieties and native trees to reduce water consumption,” said Neha Sachdev, a Bhugaon resident.“We have already replaced some high-maintenance varieties with plants that do not require daily watering. Some succulents and bonsai varieties need to be watered only two to three times a week,” said Surya Shinde, a Hadapsar resident.Residents are increasingly opting for native plants, succulents, cacti and other low-maintenance species that can survive with minimal watering. Some are also reducing lawn areas, which require frequent watering, and replacing them with gravel landscaping, mulching and hardy shrubs.“We are building a farmhouse in Mulshi and have told our landscape designer to reduce the lawn area and use materials such as gravel and larger stones, along with native shrubs. This will help keep maintenance requirements low, especially during summer,” said Sanjay Vaidya, a Baner resident.Landscape designers are also witnessing growing interest in projects that maximise green cover while minimising water consumption.“We are working on redesigning some existing gardens and are also collaborating with developers to create individual farm plots using hardy plant varieties,” said a landscape designer based in Wanowrie.Meanwhile, the PMC’s garden department has been increasing the proportion of native trees in public gardens over the past few months. “The aim is to gradually move towards climate-resilient, water-efficient and ecologically sustainable gardens while conserving existing mature trees and green cover,” said a senior civic official.“The department is focusing on promoting sustainable and water-efficient landscaping in public gardens, particularly in view of increasing water scarcity and changing climatic conditions,” Ashok Ghorpade, PMC chief garden superintendent, said.The department is encouraging the use of drought-tolerant, native and locally adapted plant species that require comparatively less water and can withstand Pune’s climatic conditions.“We are promoting indigenous and drought-resistant tree, shrub and ground-cover species. Wherever feasible, we are reducing water-intensive ornamental plants and excessive lawn areas, encouraging drip irrigation and other water-efficient systems, and promoting mulching to retain soil moisture and reduce evaporation,” said Ghorpade.The department is also exploring the reuse of treated wastewater for garden irrigation and selecting plant species based on their water requirements, survival rates and suitability to local conditions.At Empress Garden, too, native trees help keep water requirements low. “The fully grown native trees in the garden require very little water as they meet much of their needs through rainwater and groundwater. We also have a few wells on the premises, which are used to meet the garden’s water requirements,” said Suresh Pingale, secretary of Empress Garden.
