14km Al Ain green barrier aims to reduce drifting sand by up to 90 per cent

Al Ain: Al Ain City Municipality has completed a 14-kilometre windbreak project along Tahnoun bin Mohammed Road, planting 1,807 ghaf trees in an effort to curb drifting sand and improve protection for motorists and nearby communities.

The project is designed to create a natural green barrier capable of reducing wind speeds and limiting the movement of sand across the road, while also expanding vegetation and supporting environmental sustainability.

Al Yazia Rashid Al Neyadi, the project manager, said the initiative is part of the municipality’s efforts to establish green belts that act as natural windbreaks, helping to protect road users, infrastructure and neighbouring residential areas.

The project relies on ghaf trees because of their ability to withstand harsh desert conditions. The trees are supported by a modern, high-efficiency irrigation system intended to optimise water consumption, alongside maintenance programmes designed to preserve the density and long-term sustainability of the vegetation.

Technical studies indicate that the windbreaks could reduce sand encroachment by between 70 and 90 per cent in areas behind them, depending on the density of vegetation and prevailing wind direction, Al Neyadi said.

By slowing wind and restricting the movement of sand, the green barriers are expected to reduce the amount of sand accumulating on the road and lessen the effects of sandstorms on surrounding areas.

The municipality said the project could also help reduce noise levels, adding another environmental benefit to the new green corridor.

The development combines road protection with the expansion of native vegetation, using the ghaf, the UAE’s national tree, as a natural defence against one of the challenges posed by the desert environment.