Dubai opens 8 public parks this week

BY PMA RASHEED

9 March 2010, The Gulf Today

The civic body in Dubai unveils a total of eight public parks in various locations of the emirate by the end of this week.

The parks built by Dubai Municipality (DM) are opening to the public as part of the civic bodyÕs 30th edition of Plantation Week activities that is observed untill March 11.

Three pond parks have already been opened in two days, one in Al Barsha on Sunday, and two others in the Al Nahda and Al Quoz areas on Monday.

A senior DM official has said that two other parks, Al Qusais-3 Pond Park and New Garhoud Park, have been scheduled to inaugurate on Tuesday.

Ahmed AbdulKarim, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Department at the DM, said, “Qusais Residential Park and Al Wuheida School Park will be opened on Wednesday.”

“The newly-developed public parks, with a total of 162 hectares, have been facilitated with landscaped gardens and green areas. A range of facilities for recreational activities including tennis and volleyball courts, football fields, jogging and cycling tracks, and skating areas have been provided at the parks,” he added.

According to AbdulKarim, boats can be operates at the Al Barsha pond park, which is measured at 4.8 hectares, and in the vicinity of the Mall of the Emirates area that witnesses a rapidly developing residential community. The park has got a 1.4 kilometre lengthy jogging and cycle track. Floating restaurants will be set up at the park soon.

“The Al Nahda pond park is one of the most comprehensive theme parks built in the city in the recent period, as it is the first entertainment facility in the Al Nahda area, the newest urban residential area proximate to Dubai and Sharjah border,” he added.

“The park was constructed at a cost of about Dhs22 million at a total area of about 14.6 hectares. The park is characterised with a large water area as the total area of the pond stretches to 80,000 square metres, which represents 54.4 per cent of the total area of the park,” noted AbdulKarim.

“Meanwhile, the Al Quoz Pond Park is characterised by a beautiful pond at an area of 45,000 square metres, covering 35.4 per cent of the park that spans in a total area of 127,000 square metres,” he said.

According to him, the project has been completed at a total cost of about Dhs16 million. The technical excellence of the entertainment projects have been carried out in accordance with the highest global standards in developing public parks and creating modern landscaping methods.

Hussain Naaser Lootah, Direcotr General of the Municipality, said, the parks have been launched as part of the civic body’s continuing efforts to improve the green areas of the emirate.

“The DM wants to support the residentsÕ sporting and recreational activities. The pond parks will also help reduce the water-logging issues during the rainy season,” he pointed out.