45,000 residents to join ‘Yalla Walk’ in Dubai

By PMA RASHEED 

28 Feb 2011, Th Gulf Today

DUBAI’S public walking tracks will receive over 45,000 residents, as part of the Emirate’s largest health awareness campaign, ‘Yalla Walk,’ which will run between March 5 and 19.
Dubai Municipality (DM) has developed 23 walking tracks at different public parks across the Emirate, and the Yalla Walk campaign will introduce these tracks to the general public, according to DM officials.

Announcing the campaign on Sunday, the DM’s Director General Hussein Nasser Lootah said the programme would raise awareness among people on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“The Yalla Walk campaign will be launched at Safa Park on March 5 at 5pm, followed by activities on Sunday at Al Mamzar Park, Al Khawaneej Walking Track, Zabeel Park and Al Barsha Park. The closing ceremony of Yalla Walk will be at Al Mamzar Park on March 19 at 5pm,” Lootah added.
A DM spokesperson said the registration process for the campaign would be from March 1-6. Residents can also register through the special web portal, www.yallawalk.ae. Participants will be provided with a coding number through e-mail, upon registering online.
“The registration number must be printed on the badge to get entry to the contest. People can also register directly or the parks or at Fitness First branches. The participants will be provided with a badge, in addition to a wristband containing a barcode. The barcode must be scanned on the device, provided at the beginning of each track, and the badge should be swiped on the device again when a participant has completed the walk,” he elaborated.
“This is for calculating electronically the distance walked by each participant, who can also visit the website and access the page devoted to him to get all the details and distances. The campaign will also include medical examinations and various events for children,” added the DM official.
Lootah noted that the civic body set up walking tracks in various areas in order to enhance community health supporting tools in the Emirate. The walking tracks will positively change behaviour, thinking and lifestyle of thousands of residents from different nations and at different ages, he pointed out.

According to him, the walking tracks project is one of the most important and vital projects in the Dubai. “The DM does not target a particular age group or specific segment of the society through this campaign. The focus is on the promotion of the walking tracks for people from all walks of life,” he added.

“The Municipality also has kept numerous gift hampers and prizes in store for residents to attract them to the walking tracks, where various activities and contests will be conducted during the campaign period,” he concluded.