Students of a girls’ school create rooftop garden

ALIPURDUAR: In response to increasing classroom temperatures, exacerbated by global warming, students at Barobisha Girls’ School have embarked on an innovative project to create a rooftop garden. This initiative aims to mitigate the heat in their classrooms and provide a sustainable solution to the

rising temperatures.

The Indian subcontinent has been experiencing prolonged summers and decreasing rainfall, which adversely impacts the environment. Facing sweltering conditions in their classrooms, the students, with guidance from their teachers, devised a plan to transform the school’s roof into a

verdant oasis.

Maloti Barman, a Class 9 student, shared: “On particularly hot days, the classroom becomes unbearable. After discussing the issue with our teachers, we decided to create a rooftop garden. We repurposed old paint buckets, drums, and oil bottles into planters. The garden is now a welcome relief on sunny days.”

The students formed an eco club to manage the garden, producing organic fertiliser from egg shells and vegetable peels collected from their midday meals. This natural compost is used to nourish the plants in their makeshift planters.

Sampa Barman, another student, added: “Our eco club members take turns caring for the saplings. We regularly report the health status of each plant to the school office

for monitoring.”

The rooftop garden features a variety of colorful flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs. The students’ plan includes using these plants for shade as well as incorporating vegetables and herbs in meals in the near future.

Acting headmistress Tapti Sarkar noted the positive impact of the garden, stating: “On top of the two classrooms most affected by heat, our students have created a greenhouse covering an area of fifty feet on the roof.

While it’s still early to draw final conclusions, if the project proves successful, we plan to expand the garden across the entire school roof. The results, however, are promising.”