Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Coinciding with World Environment Day, the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad) continues implementing its plan to increase the green area in the Zone. Tremendous works are underway to plant several key locations in Sezad, including main and service streets, in addition to planting several parks where modern systems are used for irrigation, using treated water.
Ibrahim bin Zaher Al Rawahi, from the Afforestation and Landscaping Department in the Special Economic Zone Department of Duqm, confirmed, “Around 67 per cent of the project to plant 5,000 trees, intended to be planted by the end of 2023, has been completed in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm with more than 3,347 trees have been already planted. The current green spaces in Sezad cover about 26,000 sqm. It is expected that the green spaces in the Zone will be increased by the end of this year to cover an area of over 50,000 sqm of various special trees that are suitable for the climatic conditions in Sezad.”
Duqm Agricultural Nursery Project
Al Rawahi pointed out that the agricultural nursery in Duqm, which is stretching over an area of 5,000 sqm, is being operated to serve as a primary source for supplying plants that are compatible with the climate of Duqm. The nursery serves as the main incubator for the production of seeds and ornamental trees before planting them in the parks and on the streets, in addition to being a hub for agricultural experiments and new types of plants and trees. The Special Economic Zone at Duqm has allocated part of the nursery to be operated and managed by a small and medium enterprise, which is specialised in afforestation. This reflects Sezad’s efforts to involve and support the local community to contribute to the development of Duqm.”
Moreover, Sezad has allocated several investment lands to establish agricultural nurseries in the zone. This will contribute significantly to the production of plants suitable for the Zone’s environment and to increase the green spaces. The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, in cooperation with the Environment Authority, has allocated one of these lands for establishing a nursery for propagating wild plants and will be managed by the Environment Authority. This nursery will serve the initiative to plant 100,000 wild trees at Al Wusta Governorate and implement the national initiative to plant 10 million wild trees.
It is noteworthy that the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones has assigned, in the first quarter of 2022, a project to design and implement the first phase of landscaping and agricultural works in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm, with an estimated value of over OMR2.3 million. This project includes the afforestation of several locations in the Zone and many other main and service streets. In addition, the project will cover as well many parks with basic facilities, including green spaces, and other spaces for multi-use, including walkways and areas for public facilities and sports activities. Hence, such spaces can accommodate different events and activities of social and cultural activities, while modern systems will be used to irrigate trees and plants.
The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones had earlier launched several initiatives, some of which are the (Plant a Tree) initiative, the tree planting initiative in cooperation with workers in the Zone, distributing trees to companies operating in Duqm in cooperation with the Environment Authority, and planting tree seedlings in the nursery. Such initiatives are aimed at making Sezad a model for integrated economic cities that combine commercial, industrial and tourism projects with attention to the environmental and health aspects and providing various services for its residents.
