Post-Diwali smog drives up sale of anti-pollution plants in Gurgaon

Immediately after Diwali, as Gurgaon woke up to high levels of air pollution and a thick layer of smog, Gurugrammers took up arms in the battle to protect their hearts and lungs from pollutants. And it's not air purifiers or masks that they have chosen, but anti-pollution plants. The sale of indoor plants that release oxygen even at night - colloquially known as anti-pollution plants - has increased by 50-60% in the city since Diwali. Ramesh Singh, who has a nursery in Sikanderpur, explains, "Waise toh all plants fight pollution, but there are some specific ones that release oxygen even at night, like areca palm, money plant, etc. And they are extremely popular at this time among people looking for indoor plants." Among the most sought after anti-pollution plants are areca palm, money plant, aloe vera, and sansevieria (also known as snake plant).

The sale of plants that release oxygen throughout the day has increased by 50% in Gurgaon post-Diwali (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

Sale up by 50% after Diwali
The sale of such plants has gone up in Gurgaon by 50% after Diwali. "Even though the pollution and smog levels haven't been as high as last year, people started buying a lot of these anti-pollution plants the day after the festival. In the four days since Diwali, we have sold 50-60% more plants than we usually do during this time," says Arvind Kumar, a gardener at a nursery on MG Road.


Snake Plant (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

Arvind adds, "If the smog persists, the sale will only go higher. Winters are anyway a good time for the sale of these plants." Some nurseries say that the sales started going up before Diwali itself, as many Gurugrammers purchased these plants in anticipation of the smog that usually follows the festival. Narendra, who is the in-charge of a nursery in Old Gurgaon, says, "Kuch log Diwali se 3-4 din pehle hi pooch kar jaa rahe thay ki pollution se bachne ke liye kaunse plants rakhne chahiye ghar mein. The actual increase in sale happened after Diwali only, but the trend had started before the festival. We had thought that since the pollution wasn't as bad as last year's, the sale wouldn't increase this year, but people are still not taking any chances."

(BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

Plants over air purifiers
Gurugrammers say that they choose these plants over other options like air purifiers,to fight pollution, as it is the cheaper option. Nitin Goswami, a Sushant Lok resident, says, "Air purifiers cost anything between Rs5000-Rs15000. But these plants are available for only a fraction of that price. And from what I have read, they are quite effective while there is no authenticity about whether the air purifiers actually work. Plus, the plants look great inside the house. They add to the interior decor whereas an air purifier would stick out." Nitin has three snake plants in his house, which he purchased last week. One potted snake plant is available for around Rs250-500, depending on the size and the quality of the plant. Other plants, like money plant, are much cheaper, starting at Rs100 in some nurseries.



Increased demands in Gurgaon offices
Even corporate offices have come around to the trend of having anti-pollution plants in their offices. Parul Soni, who runs a nursery in Sector 18, says, "I get a lot of queries from offices about providing them with indoor plants. Last year, after the smog, most companies that had already taken plants from me had immediately doubled their numbers. This year, too, there is a dramatic increase. What has changed is that earlier corporates just asked for any indoor plants but now, they specifically ask for plants that release oxygen at night - these 'anti-pollution' plants. I am landscaping an office for a company in Gurgaon on the 25th and out of the 200 plants I am using, over two-thirds are the anti-pollution ones."