Abu Dhabi: With the advent of winter, hundreds of residents are expected to visit parks and gardens across the UAE to enjoy the pleasant weather. It is no surprise, therefore, that public parks often struggle to cope with the increase in visitor numbers. An awareness campaign has therefore been launched by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to educate children and families about how to preserve and enjoy park facilities.
The four-month campaign discourages habits like littering and picking flowers while seeking to increase awareness about parks’ working hours and entry fees, Mariam Al Ali, supervisor for public facilities at the municipality, told Gulf News.
“Millions of dirhams need to be spent each year on park clean-up and maintenance. Residents can however help the municipality protect our beautiful gardens while also deriving the maximum enjoyment from them,” the official said. Abu Dhabi city boasts over 80 parks including large public gardens and pocket parks equipped with swings and play equipment, she added.
Morning awareness sessions catering to schoolchildren enrolled in Grades 1 to 6 across public and private schools are being organised in Old Airport Garden. These sessions include activities like tree planting. In the evening, municipality officials hope to reach out to visitors of all ages in parks across the city.
The first day of the campaign on Tuesday saw nearly 100 children from the Creative Kids Academy in attendance.
“I love coming to gardens with my family, and we learnt today that we should keep the parks clean and always throw waste into the garbage bins,” said Joorai Mansour, a four-year-old enrolled at the Academy.
“The children were taught about the importance of planting trees, protecting the environment and being considerate of others’ needs when they visit parks. Because they also participated in various activities, they are likely to better remember what they have learnt today,” said Mirfat Barkho, an activity coordinator at the Academy.
