Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH – A group of university students in Riyadh has launched a campaign to plant 300,000 trees in the city as part of a major drive to expand greeneries and prevent desertification.

The move comes in line with the initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to plant a million trees in Riyadh and four million trees across the Kingdom by 2020.

The group launched a Twitter campaign to mobilize public support as it drew the backing of a large number of people including government officials, celebrities and environmentalists.

The project was initiated by a group of 10 young Saudis, who are friends and love voluntary work, inspired by a Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which said: “If the Day of Judgment erupts while you are planting a tree, carry on and plant it.”

More than 3,000 volunteers have already registered with the project, including people of different age groups, men, women and children.

“Our campaign has received tremendous response,” said Ibrahim Al-Qaraawi, leader of the group. “It was the brainchild of our friend Khaled Al-Saif and aimed at planning 300,000 trees in Riyadh.”

“We have been receiving encouraging comments in support of the social media campaign. We coordinate with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh Municipality and private companies to implement the program,” he said.

He singled out the support of Dr. Khaled Al-Fehaid, former deputy minister for agriculture. “We are now in the process of implementing the project with the support of volunteers and officials,” Al-Qaraawi said while talking Al-Hayat Arabic daily.

The project will be implemented in September. “We intend to plant trees that are suitable to the Kingdom’s environment such as lote, acacia, siris and saxaul,” he explained.

He stressed the need to select suitable places to plant the trees. “We also need water to irrigate the trees in coordination with relevant government agencies.”

Al-Qaraawi expressed his happiness over the public support to the project that aims at protecting the city’s environment. “People are aware of the importance of planting trees.”

Ibrahim Al-Owais, a computer expert who prepared the link to register volunteers, said he has received requests from other cities including Hail, Tabuk and Al-Kharj to launch similar social media campaigns.

“When we launched the Riyadh campaign we received 1,000 volunteers on the first day,” Al-Owais said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli voiced his full support for the voluntary tree plantation project and urged the public to cooperate with the team.

In his Tweet, the minister called upon the public to interact with the agriculture department and participate in tree plantation during agricultural seasons.

Former deputy minister of agriculture Al-Fehaid also commended the campaign and called upon all public and private agencies to encourage the voluntary team.

“Such activities will give a glittering picture of Saudi Arabia and its people,” Al-Fehaid told Al-Hayat. The project will have long-term and short-term impact on the society, he added.

He wished every success for the program initiated by a group of enthusiastic Saudi youth, adding that it augurs well with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

“I will extend all my support and cooperation to make the project a big success,” he added.