DUBAI- Dubai Municipality added 1.7 million square metres of green areas in Dubai in 2018 by planting 44,000 trees on the roads and squares around the city.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said, "With the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, we have started to increase the green area in the emirate, targeting an average of 25 square metres per capita of green spaces in the urban area." "We started planting local environment trees such as Ghaff, Sidr and trees that bear the salinity of our soil.

We have developed and re-engineered agriculture on the roads and squares of Dubai and introduced for the first time new trees to withstand the UAE's environment, such as the Boseda and green Cassia trees, which were newly produced in the nurseries of the Municipality, in addition to the plant walls that prevent the encroachment of sand on the roads," he added.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2019.