Khaleej Times

Dubai parks to offer free flower saplings

- Staff Reporters

dubai — At parks in Dubai, you are not allowed to pluck flowers or plants. However, this week, the Dubai Municipali­ty will give you flower plants when you visit parks.

As part of the 37th Plantation Week and in line with the announceme­nt of 2017 as the Year of Giving, the Dubai Municipali­ty will distribute more than 500,000 flower plants and 50,000 saplings to the public and visitors to the different parks in Dubai.

On Sunday, the municipali­ty opened a new park in Al Warqa-3, in the presence of Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environmen­t, and other senior municipali­ty officials.

The Plantation Week, organised during on March 12-16 under the slogan, ‘Let’s plant a greener Emirate together’, will see the opening of more parks such as the Nadd Al Sheba-2 Park, Al Khawaneej Pond Park, Al Mizhar-2 Park, Hatta Valley Park as well as the Hatta community Facility.

After touring the new park in Al Warqa-3, Al Zeyoudi said he valued the remarkable care that has been given by the public and private sector establishm­ents in the country on environmen­tal affairs, stressing the ministry’s keenness to communicat­e with all stakeholde­rs to implement environmen­tal initiative­s and utilise every occasion to expand green areas in Dubai.

“Those efforts have resulted in achieving stunning successes in spreading green areas and transformi­ng cities of the country to lush parks. Additional­ly they have promoted agricultur­al developmen­t and increasing plantation projects as well as using the best practices in agricultur­al projects and managing them efficientl­y and effectivel­y,” said Al Zeyoudi.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipali­ty, said the plantation week aims to educate society about the importance of afforestat­ion. “We want to ensure the participat­ion of different age groups in the preservati­on of agricultur­e and implant agricultur­al values in the minds of young people, including students,” he said.

The Dh22 million Al Warqaa-3 park, spread over a total area of 27.1 hectares, boasts of many recreation­al, sports and service facilities, including a 3.5km long running track, a 3.55km long cycle track, a 3.5km long sandy track, two football fields planted with natural grass, basketball and tennis courts.

 ?? Photo by Neeraj Murali ?? Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Hussain Nasser Lootah and other municipali­ty officials plant a tree during the inaugurati­on of Al Warqa-3 Park in Dubai on Sunday. —
Photo by Neeraj Murali Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Hussain Nasser Lootah and other municipali­ty officials plant a tree during the inaugurati­on of Al Warqa-3 Park in Dubai on Sunday. —

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