We need space for kids to play

Living on Al Rigga Road in Deira, Dubai, I used to take my child in the evenings to our building's tiny driveway. It is barely 2m by 20m, but it is filled with at least 10 children playing every day.

These children are residents of our building — which has 20 apartments.

But when I would look around, while my daughter plays, at all the high-rise buildings around our home, I wonder how children in all those apartments get any exercise at all.

Children will be children. They can flock together in any available space for some play. This is why most parking spaces around Deira turn into small cricket or football grounds during the evening, despite the risks it poses to children's safety.

While some prefer that, there are many others who are compelled to glue themselves to their televisions or computers, posing even greater health risks of life-long illnesses such as diabetes, obesity and something as common as myopia, or short-sightedness.

We need to have some breathing space for children, with a little bit of greenery, especially in Deira. The benefit of this would not only be felt with the younger generation but even for adults, for whom a brisk walk would be perfect.

— The reader lives in Dubai

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