Minister opens Rawdat Al Khail Park to public

Snapshots from the opening of the park yesterday and some of its facilities. PICTURES: Thajudheen and supplied

HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie officially opened Rawdat Al Khail (Al Muntazah) Park to the public yesterday after the sprawling park underwent major upgrade and development works. Present at the opening were Mike Purzycki, Mayor of Wilmington – Delaware, United States, and his delegation along with senior officials from the Ministry of Municipality as well as some officials and engineers from the Public Works Authority (Ashghal). Purzycki also took part, alongside HE Dr al-Subaie, in planting a “friendship tree” at the park, which he described as a symbol of the growing friendship between Qatar and the US. He described the park as an amazing and wonderful place, and said such parks would have a positive impact on the lives of people.

The park was developed and upgraded by the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places in co-operation with the Ministry of Municipality. Announcing the completion of the works, the committee said that Rawdat Al Khail Park in Al Muntazah has an area of 140,000sq m and is one of the oldest parks in Doha serving a number of areas. It caters to all age groups and includes various recreational and sports facilities, as well as perennial trees representing both modernity and heritage. The park includes a 1,183m pedestrian path, a 1,119m running track, and a 1,118m cycling track, green areas covering an area of 98,000sq m and 1,600 trees. These contribute to making the park an aesthetic and attractive destination in the area. The park also features exercise and training areas with fitness equipment as well as two dedicated play areas for children in the 2-5 and 6-12 age groups, while also taking into account children with special needs. Further, the park has 40 bicycle stands, seven food kiosks, 137 lighting poles, eight areas for barbecue, as well as a good number of locally manufactured seats. Rawdat Al Khail Park includes perennial trees spanning more than a decade, constituting an environmental and cultural heritage. The park serves residents of areas such as Al Muntazah, Msheireb, Fereej Abdel Aziz, Al Sadd, Al Nasr, Sudan, Najma, Mansoura, Al Hilal, Old Airport, New Salata, Nuaija, Fereej Al Asiri, Umm Ghuwailina, Fereej Al Ali, New Doha, and Bin Mahmoud. Mansour Abdullah al-Mahmoud, assistant undersecretary for Municipal Affairs at the Ministry of Municipality, stressed that the opening of Rawdat Al Khail Park comes within the framework of the great interest that the ministry attaches to the establishment and development of public parks and gardens in municipalities around the country. Rawdat Al Khail Park is one of the oldest parks in Qatar and has had a special place in the hearts of the people of Qatar for decades. Mohamed Ali al-Khouri, director of the Public Parks Department at the ministry, said the main features and some of the old trees at the park have been retained and maintained during the upgrade and development operations. He called on the visitors to enjoy the new place and do their best to keep it in good shape. Al-Khouri praised the efforts made by Ashghal and the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places to establish gardens that keep pace with global developments in this field and, in turn, contribute to changing the lives of individuals and encouraging them to follow a healthy lifestyle. Mansour Ajran al-Buainain, director of Doha Municipality, expressed happiness at the completion of the Rawdat Al Khail Park development project at a time when Qatar is witnessing many achievements in various fields. He noted that the park represents an important addition to recreational and tourist facilities and landmarks that contribute to enhancing the services provided by Doha Municipality for citizens, residents, visitors and tourists. Mohamed al-Khalidi, chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places, said: “We are delighted to develop Rawdat Al Khail park, which offers visitors of all age groups many fun experiences through a range of facilities, primarily pedestrian trails, bicycle tracks and sports areas.” Mohamed Abdulla Abbas, head of the Public Parks Department at Doha Municipality, said that Rawdat Al Khail Park has been opened to the general public with upgraded services and ample space and tracks for walking, running and cycling. He explained that some of the huge trees that used to surround the park were found to be unsuitable for the local environment, and the harm caused by them to the surroundings exceeded the desired benefits. These, Abbas said, were removed to give way to better alternatives. The other trees were kept and more were added to the park, while some trees were transplanted in more suitable areas. He said the kiosks will serve the public with food, drinks and other general items. Further, the new park has eight dedicated barbecue areas for visitors to use, in addition to ample play areas and a good number of parking slots. The official said Rawdat Al Khail is a general park open all round the clock. Park and garden projects are continuing in different parts of Doha and work is progressing well to prepare the city for all upcoming events and improve the lives of inhabitants. Project manager Majed al-Maadadi said the development works implemented included preserving perennial trees at the park, with pedestrian and cycling paths built while relying on the large trees for shade. He added that the park has a sophisticated irrigation system, with sustainable water resources that will reduce any potential water wastage. Project design manager Jasmine al-Sheikh stressed that the design of the park combines modernity and heritage, with consideration given to the areas surrounding the park, which are densely populated with high traffic. She said the committee has a good number of ongoing projects that are expected to be completed soon and will increase the number of parks, gardens and green areas across the country. Doha-Wilmington ‘friendship tree’ planted Mike Purzycki, the mayor of Wilmington – Delaware, United States, participated yesterday in the planting of a “friendship tree” between Doha and the US city of Wilmington at Rawdat Al Khail Park, on the sidelines of his participation in the opening of the park. Present on the occasion were HE the Minister of Municipality Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie and other officials and dignitaries. This symbolic participation in the planting of the “friendship tree” comes as an expression of Doha and Wilmington’s desire to develop and strengthen friendship and co-operation between them in various common fields. Earlier, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two cities, aimed at exchanging experiences in various fields. Qatar is making great efforts to expand and increase the number of green areas and plant trees, including the launch of the initiative to plant 1mn trees, as part of the country’s support for international efforts to enhance environmental sustainability and confront climate change, and to provide a healthy green environment for everyone in Qatar, the Ministry of Municipality said in a statement.