Floral kaleidoscope

The first thing that strikes a visitor to Al Ain is the absence of intimidating sky-rises, bent on making one feel like a pygmy in the land of concrete giants. The burst of colour and abundant greenery acts as a balm to tired eyes. There is a spontaneous feeling of spaciousness and easy breathing, coaxing the body and mind to get down to the serious business of relaxing.

Meticulously developed and maintained, the Garden City of the Arabian Gulf recently won the second spot in the Nations in Bloom competition held in Washington DC on December 4. No mean feat this, considering the fact that Al Ain was competing against a large number of cities from around the world.

The objective of the competition is not akin to holding a beauty contest of cities but instead, to encourage public awareness of environmental management. Success in the contest meant an increased international profile for the participants and a chance to learn about the innovative environmental practices being used around the world.

There were five judging criteria – 'Enhancement of Landscape', 'Heritage Management', 'Environmentally Sensitive Practices', 'Community Involvement' and 'Planning for the Future'. Al Ain city scored high in all categories to be selected a winner.