​On Monday, 9th December 2019, the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’, represented by the Supervisory Committee of the Beautification of Roads and Public Places, has opened the Fereej Kulaib Plaza to the public. During the opening, students from Iqra English School participated in planting trees at the plaza in line with the Ashghal campaign “Qatar beautification and our kids planting trees” that aims to “plant million trees” in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME). Members of the Supervisory Committee of the Beautification of Roads and Public Places in Qatar, Mr. Badar Sultan Al-Rumaihi, member of Central Municipal Council - Fourth Constituency, some dignitaries in the area and representatives of Iqra English School were present at the event.

On this occasion, Eng. Hessa Al Kaabi, member of the Supervisory Committee of the Beautification of Roads and Public Places, Ashghal, shared some information about the Fereej Kulaib Plaza project. Eng. Hessa described the distinctive design featuring the heritage, where sharp corners are placed to facilitate pedestrian movement, as the plaza is located near to a public road, and as it links many commercial and residential destinations in the area.

Eng. Hessa added that the main works of the project have been finished, some of the remaining works are undergoing, and the works are executed in full swing to complete the project in two months.

Eng. Maryam Bader Al-Kuwari, a member of the committee, explained the features of Fereej Kulaib Plaza. The green areas, seating spaces and shading trees allow visitors to perform various activities.

Fereej Kulaib Plaza project is implemented using environment friendly materials and the works include construction of 760 meters of bicycle track, 1.4 km long pedestrian lanes, planting 125 trees and about 6,500 square meters of green areas.

On this occasion, Mr. Bader Sultan Al-Rumaihi, member of Central Municipal Council - Fourth constituency commented that such plazas are very important as it provide outing areas for the residents and visitors of the area, and it contribute to create a healthy culture that supports practicing sport.

Mr. Khalifa Al-Maliki, one of the dignitaries in the neighborhood, expressed his happiness for opening the Fereej Kulaib Plaza today for public and thanked Ashghal for its tireless efforts to increase green areas and trees in Qatar, and for encouraging children to participate in preserving the environment.

Another community leader in the area, Mr. Ateeq Al-Sulaiti, stressed on the importance of this campaign to support the culture of environmental protection and to provide a safe and healthy environment for existing and future generations. He also stressed the importance of establishing green yards to serve the residents and visitors.

Whereas Mr. Abdul Salam Al-Aji, one prominent person of the area commented that preserving environment is everyone's responsibility, and therefore our children must participate in such awareness campaigns. He also hoped that the Fereej Kulaib Plaza will contribute to encourage practicing sports.

For her part, Ms. Saima Samir, Director of Iqra English School said that she is proud to participate in the campaign for beautifying Qatar and planting trees. “I am glad to participate with our students in this campaign; it will contribute to boost their awareness on the importance of their role in preserving the environment.”

Through their participation in the event, the students expressed their delight as Student Jassim Mohammed said, “It is the first time that I plant a tree and I am happy to do it.” Another student Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al Mahmoud said, “I love green squares and I like to plant trees.”

It worth to mention that Ashghal continues the works of the Supervisory Committee of the Beautification of Roads and Public Places in the State. Several projects are being designed and implemented including construction of pedestrian and bicycle lanes, developing lively areas, adding artistic footprints in such spaces, creating and maintaining green spaces and trees in various parts of the country among others. All these projects are implemented in coordination with several ministries and government entities the State including Ministry of Transport and Communication, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Qatar Museum Authority, Qatar Rail, the Private Engineering Office, and others.

“Qatar Beautification and Our Kids Planting Trees” Campaign
The Supervisory Committee of the Beautification of Roads and Public Places in the State is implementing “Qatar Beautification and our Kids Plant Trees” campaign and it is planned until end of year 2021, through weekly activities to plant a million trees in Qatar with participation of students from different schools and educational stages, aiming at increasing young generation’s awareness on the importance of preserving the environment and motivating them to contribute to its prosperity.

It is worth mentioning that the committee is working on implementing five main tasks, namely, building central public parks, providing special lanes for pedestrians and cyclers, developing Doha Corniche, developing the central Doha area, in addition to tree plantation and increasing green spaces in the country. All these works are implemented in coordination with several ministries and government entities in the state.