Ahmedabad: Nearly two-thirds (63.4%) of Ahmedabad’s 2,670km road network shows very sparse green cover, while nearly a third (28.6%) registers as nearly barren — a reality revealed by a new satellite-based study. This falls well below healthy thresholds for urban areas that desperately need trees along road networks as their first defence against particulate pollution like PM 2.5 and PM 10.The study comes just as the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) races to plant saplings under its ambitious Mission Four Million Trees this year. The study not only highlights the urgency for this campaign but also provides a scientific basis to guide it. “But here in this shortfall lies an actionable opportunity,” believes Anurag Kandya, associate professor at PDEU’s Civil engineering department.At the heart of the research is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) — a globally recognized metric that quantifies vegetation density on a scale from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating the greenest. The results are eye opening — Ahmedabad’s average NDVI across its road networks stands at just 0.189, far below the healthy threshold for urban greenery. Nearly two-thirds (63.4%) of the network showed very sparse green cover (NDVI below 0.2), and nearly a third (28.6%) registered as nearly barren (NDVI under 0.1). The BRTS corridors, which is Ahmedabad’s backbone of sustainable transport, are paradoxically among its least green, with 72% of their length falling under the 0.2 NDVI mark. For Sardar Patel Ring Road, which has the same NDVI, this percentage is 57.6% However, some roads stand out for their relatively higher green cover. The Godrej Garden City Road leads with a notable NDVI of 0.6, indicating dense vegetation. The 132 Feet Ring Road near the University area follows with an NDVI of 0.4, while the 120 Feet Road in Vasna shows moderate greenery with an NDVI of 0.3. Analyzing over 4.74 lakh data points, each representing a 10x10m pixel from satellite imagery, researchers associate professor Anurag Kandya, Shubham Kela, Viral Patel of PDEU, Gandhinagar, and Ashish Sharma of Discovery Partners Institute, Chicago mapped the city’s roads against NDVI scores.“Instead of haphazard planting, our data allows for precise identification of areas most in need of vegetation. Planners can prioritize these 3.05 lakh low-greenness locations for immediate intervention,” Kandya said, speaking to TOI from Chicago, where he is presenting the study at the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Conference. “Trees absorb harmful gases. Green corridors can lower surface and ambient temperatures, curbing ground-level ozone formation,” added Kandya.