CHENNAI:  The sprawling Thiru Vi Ka Park in Shenoy Nagar, which was reopened last year, is gradually turning into a green lung space for the public in the neighbourhood, showed the sensors that the Chennai Metro Rail Limited installed to monitor oxygen levels, air quality, and temperature.

Rajeev Srivastava, Chief Advisor (Environment), CMRL, said it was taking all efforts to maintain the plants and the park. “We have adopted various plantation techniques, including covering the concrete wall with bamboo so that heat and pollutants are reduced."

As the Shenoy Nagar Metro station is right under the park, with the roof slab of the station close to the bottom layer of the park, plants that have deep roots could not be planted in the park, Srivastava said. Hence, officials have opted for small and medium plants, he said.

CMRL has installed sensors to monitor oxygen levels, air quality and temperature, which showed that the air quality inside the park is “excellent” now.

"The air quality at present is at 80 per cent, which is classified as excellent. Earlier, it was 78 per cent, which is moderate," said an official.

The oxygen level inside the park is also showing an upward trend. From July till September 17, the oxygen level is between 19 to 21 per cent, which officials say is the ideal limit. "Every day, there is a gradual increase in oxygen level, showing the positive impact of planting native plants," the official said.

The Thiru Vi Ka Park, also known as Shenoy Nagar Park, spans 8.8 acres. Before CMRL took over the park in 2011 for the construction of Shenoy Nagar Metro station in phase I, there were about 328 trees. During the construction, 172 trees were axed and 56 trees were translocated.

After the station was constructed at a depth of 28 metres, CMRL restored the park at a cost of Rs 18 crore. It planted 4,802 new trees using the Miyawaki method.