Dubai has plans to develop a green area of 3.57 sq km before the official launch of Dubai’s Expo 2020 this October, with the costs of irrigation and landscaping projects running at an estimated $75.4 million (277 million dirhams).

These projects, which focus on developing green trails, fountains and parks at the event’s location, is being implemented by the Dubai Municipality. 

Taleb Abdulkareem Jilfar, Executive Director of the Infrastructure Services Division at the Dubai Municipality, was cited by Emirates News Agency as stating that this 3.57 sq km area is expected to be ready before the official launch of the exhibition in October 2020 and that the municipality has delivered 863,117 plants valued at more than AED 22.5 million.

The Expo has allocated an area of 220,000 sq metres to a planet nursery, which will cultivate 12,157 trees, including palm trees, over 256,000 shrubs, and thousands of flowering plants and herbs, in cooperation with the Dubai Municipality, according to Ahmed Al Khateeb, CEO of Development and Real Estate Development at the Expo 2020.

Treated wastewater provided by the Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs and clean drinking water is only used for seed development during the first stages of plant development, he added.

Last week, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inspected works at the Expo 2020 site and promised the emirate would hold the best Expo in its 168-year history.

"We are ready and remain true to our promise of presenting the best Expo edition in its 168-year-old history," Sheik Mohammed tweeted.

Dubai Expo 2020 will carry a theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, and its three subthemes – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability and aims to attract a total of 25 million visits over the course of the 173-day event.

(Reporting by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@refinitiv.com, editing by Daniel Luiz)

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