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With 4 million flowers, Sharjah green belt is set to grow

Sharjah - The municipality also launched the annual 'Beautiful Garden' competition, which is a huge draw.

Sharjah's streets, squares and parks are decked up with 4 million flowers of various kinds as Sharjah Municipality's annual plan to increase the green cover in the emirate gains momentum.
Salim Thabit Al Taraifi, director-general of the Sharjah Municipality, said that the green belt is currently spread across 27 million square metres in the city. This is increasing annually as part of the municipality's plan to enhance it by at least 15 per cent during this year, he added.
The plan includes planting trees and flowers in new areas, roads, squares, bridges, and intersections, through periodic maintenance of agriculture and irrigation systems, he pointed out.
Hassan Al Tafaq, assistant director-general of the agriculture and environment sector, said that the civic body is keen to increase the number of trees and flowers in a wide range of areas in the emirate.
He added that the number of seedlings grown in the municipal nurseries in 2018 was more than 190,000, which are ready for planting. The green belt nursery and plantation by farmers also provided small trees and flowers to be planted during this year in many spaces. During 2018, the municipality adorned streets, squares and parks with 4 million seasonal flowers, Al Tafaq pointed out.
The municipality selects different types of plants that suit the parks, squares and streets based on scientific studies on these plants and their ability to withstand the climatic conditions. "The Sharjah Municipality is keen to plant palm trees in various streets. It planted approximately 27,000 trees in various parts of the city," Al-Tafaq added. 
To assist people in plantations, the civic body provides them with free services, including pest control through specialised teams, seedlings and plants. The municipality also launched the annual 'Beautiful Garden' competition, which is a huge draw. It aims at encouraging citizens and members of the community to increase the green spaces in the emirate.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com