23 Feb 2018 – 7:40
By Sachin Kumar / The Peninsula
DOHA: The Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, inaugurated the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) Tree Nursery, yesterday. The nursery, which is one of the region’s largest tree and turf nurseries, is growing the turf required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums and trees that will fill the green spaces surrounding them.
With turf spanning an area of 425,000 square metre, the Tree Nursery will also produce more than 1.2 million square metre of landscape grass per year, making it the biggest landscape turf farm in the world.
Spread over an area of more than 880,000 square metre, and located in Umm Salal Muhammad, the Nursery houses over 16,000 trees and 679,000 shrubs. This grass will be harvested two or three times per year. The trees and turf in the nursery, which is first of its kind in the region, will be grown using recycled water.
“This is a very important project for green areas around all the stadiums that we are going to build. We consider this project as very important investment for the world cup and Qatar as well. The size of this nursery is sufficient for what we will need for the world cup,” said Al Rumaihi talking to reporters after inaugurating the Nursery.
The 60 different types of trees and shrubs, originating from Qatar, Thailand and Spain, make it one of the largest and most diverse such nurseries in the region.
“The inauguration of the SC Tree Nursery is another example of how the State of Qatar is delivering on its promise to ensure that the 2022 FIFA World Cup leaves a lasting environmental legacy for the country. This project is also a great example of how the State is achieving self-sufficiency across various sectors and industries, as it will provide all the turf required for tournament stadiums and their surrounding precincts,” said Hassan AI Thawadi, Secretary General, SC. “In addition, the SC Tree Nursery promotes environmental sustainability by growing trees that have been recycled from different parts of the country. It is also introducing new types of trees to the ecological landscape in Qatar, thereby contributing to biological diversity. As such, it supports the realisation of the Environmental Development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030, focused on preserving and protecting the environment to ensure a cleaner future for the next generation,” he added.
President of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Dr Eng Saad Ahmed AI Mohannadi; Chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC, Eng Hilal AI Kuwari; Nasser AI Khater, Assistant Secretary General for Tournament Affairs at the SC; Eng Yasir AI Jamal, Assistant Secretary General for Technical Delivery at the SC; Sports Facility Management Executive Director at the SC, Eng Ghanim AI Kuwari, and Project Manager Eng Yasser AI Mulla were present during the event. “We are delighted to be opening one of the largest tree and turf nurseries in the region, which is growing the turf required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums and the trees that will fill the green spaces surrounding them. The turf being grown at the nursery is unique in that it has been developed in Qatar specifically to withstand both the country’s climate year-round and the rigours of a tournament as competitive as the FIFA World Cup,” said Eng Yasser AI Mulla. “Another unique aspect of the project is that its irrigation system uses recycled water fed from the nearby Doha North Sewage Treatment Works Plant, helping ensure that this is a sustainable project in every aspect,” he added. After the tournament, the facility will continue to benefit the community by transforming into a public park, further contributing to the SC’s efforts to ensure the 2022 FIFA World CupTM leaves a lasting environmental and social legacy for Qatar.
