12 new public gardens set to open this year

As many as 60 new public gardens will be opened across the country during 2016-2017, a senior official at the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) has said.“The focus will be on the areas that have few gardens and parks. The aim is to increase the green areas around the country and the public recreation places,” said Khalid Ahmed al-Sindi, head, projects section at the public gardens department, MMUP.A total of 12 public gardens are scheduled to be opened this year. During the five year plan (2010-2015) a total of 40 new public gardens were opened around the country, the official added.Al-Sindi pointed out that the department has started to implement the theme park concept in its gardens, where every garden will have a general shape of a snail, a painting brush or a leaf, while adequate play area and games will be planned in harmony.“The department is set to introduce water games in two of the new 12 gardens as an experiment with special focus on maintaining family privacy,” the official revealed. The closure that takes place at some parks is often meant for introducing more improvements and enhancing safety and security requirements, he added.