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Sharjah opens Desman Park for public

SHARJAH - As part of its activities for the ongoing Afforestation Week, Sharjah Municipality has opened another public park in the emirate. The new park - Desman Public Park - was opened by Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Ports and Customs, at a ceremony at the Cultural Palace on Monday.

The ceremony, initially planned to take place at the newly built park, was shifted to the Cultural Palace owing to overcast conditions and the forecast of rain. Attended by dignitaries, senior officials and other employees of Sharjah Municipality, and staff and students of several schools in the emirate, the ceremony also included the distribution of certificates of appreciation to the employees of the municipality for their efforts in achieving the civic body's objectives.

Addressing the gathering, Obaid Essa Ahmed, Assistant Secretary-General at the General Secretariat of Municipalities and Chairman of Supreme Committee of 23rd Afforestation Week Celebrations, said, "The celebrations fall under the slogan of 'Agriculture is Life and Civilisation' to reflect our determination to remain firm on our goals, under the supreme directives of the ruler."

Mr Ahmed said that the fruits of 23 years of efforts were being enjoyed today and added: "We planted more than one million trees on the roads and in the heart of the desert; we endeavour to protect the environment and provide people with maximum convenience. All the achievements of Sharjah, the capital of Arab culture, reflects the deep-rooted originality labelled with our Islamic traditions."

Ahmed Fikree, Director-General of Sharjah Municipality, appraised the gathering of the municipality's plans on expanding green cover and the upcoming park projects in the emirate.

"Our celebration of the Afforestation Week is concurrent with that of our winning the first place in the Greenery Contest of the Arab Cities Organisation in Qatar," he said.

The opening of the Desman Public Park is aimed at offering more convenience and facilities to the residents of Sharjah, and is in line with the directives of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, for the expansion of the green cover in the emirate.

He informed the gathering that the number of parks, equipped with all necessary facilities including benches, water chillers, play yards and entertainment arcades, completed in Khor Fakkan and Kalba has reached 34.

Sharjah Municipality, he said, was currently constructing eight new parks, including three in Sharjah, two in Al Dhaid and three in Khor Fakkan.

Shedding light on the future plans of the municipality, Mr Fikree said, "Designs for the proposed 17 parks are under study. Once these projects are completed, the number of parks will jump to 57 and the area of vegetation cover will increase to 7,816,000sq-m."