Fahd Bin Jleid
Al-Jazirah
Our barren, gloomy streets are making motorists unhappy and short tempered. They don’t see anything but bridges, concrete barriers, advertisement billboards, traffic signals, the flashes of speed cameras, and detours for the metro project.
On top of all of this, work is still going on to cover the exposed soil on both sides of the road with reinforced iron and cement. This is a strange phenomenon that does not occur anywhere but in the Kingdom’s streets. Is it due to surplus funds that must be spent with the state budget drawing near? These are questions that require an answer.
I don’t know the wisdom behind pouring more concrete on the exposed soil around Riyadh’s bridges instead of planting trees to protect the environment, change the climate, and convert the areas into green zones. Surely they would make the weather more bearable, and reduce pollution and the formation of dust. They would also be pleasant to look at, similar to the green areas in the rest of the countries of the world, even the desert countries like the Kingdom. Instead, we increase the aridity of our streets and negatively affecting motorists’ mood.
The afforestation projects of streets have disappeared under many pretexts, beginning with the cultivation of toxic trees hazardous to health. They cause allergies and asthma, among other diseases. There is also the fear of wasting water, despite the fact that we possess vast reserves of groundwater, apart from desalinated water. The water from these sources would be sufficient to wash our streets and irrigate green areas that would enhance the beauty of Riyadh and its streets.
In previous years, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs would announce plans and controls for the afforestation of the Kingdom’s cities, streets, roadsides and squares. We believed that green areas were important and beneficial. When you read such a guidebook, and the controls, you would have slept and awoken to find your city’s streets competing with those of European cities.
The painful reality is that we wake each morning find more trees have been cleared, and more soil has been covered with concrete. The matter may reach the point of installing synthetic turf on squares, or painting major squares with green paint so that passers-by believe that they are covered with natural grass. As if we are in need of more fake feelings in our lives!
I was greatly impressed by a group of young Saudis which has volunteered to set up green areas in Qassim, Zulfi and Riyadh. These Saudis started with parks, streets and recreation areas. It was an ambitious project carried out by the youth, and it will contribute to restoring life to our streets after the municipalities have abandoned some of them and converted others to fake green areas!
