How native plants can save millions of gallons of water in the UAE

DUBAI // Cultivating indigenous desert plants and educating the public about them can help save millions of gallons of water, a Dubai-based scientist has said.

Perfectly adapted to the harsh desert climate, local plants offer cheap and water-efficient alternatives to the exotic ornamental greenery that still dominate public gardens, said Dr Nanduri Rao, plant genetic resources scientist at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

However, they suffer from a poor image with people unaware of their variety and beauty.

In addition, there is still a lack of knowledge on how to cultivate them, he said.

"Most of these plants are in the wild, so if you introduce them on a large scale, they may not look good," said Dr Rao, who was addressing an audience of architects, landscape designers and students at a seminar at the Canadian University of Dubai yesterday.

"We need to find new ways of managing them or treating them in a garden or landscape," he said.

Exotic ornamental plants predominate in public gardens, especially in the Northern Emirates where turf and colourful flower displays are the order of the day at most major city interchanges and in public parks.

However, these plants consume large amounts of water.

Dr Mohamed Al Mulla, director of the water resources department in the Ministry of Environment and Water, said that in 2008 the total water needs were estimated at 4.5 billion cubic metres per year. Of this amount, 11 per cent was used to irrigate landscaping. It is projected the country's total water needs will double by 2030.

"Designers need to consider these facts when doing their work," said Dr Al Mulla.

Since 2009, ICBA had collected seeds from local plants that have potential for use in agriculture or landscaping projects. The centre had 227 samples of 65 species, said Dr Rao.

Many of the native species that had potential for landscaping normally grow in the mountainous areas. This is the case with Moringa peregrina - a tree with white-pink flowers, or the Gladiolus italicus - a perennial grass with vibrant pink flowers.

Some local plants, mostly trees such as the ghaf or sidr, are already used in landscaping in the country with good results.

While a large exotic tree needs about 300 litres of water a day, the sidr or Ziziphus spina-christi requires only 60 to 80 litres a day, Dr Rao said.

Local trees are used successfully in Abu Dhabi where Dr Rao estimated they constitute about 35 per cent of landscaping. Abu Dhabi is also making efforts to reduce the amount of green grass used in landscaping.

In Dubai, developer Nakheel, opened a park with more than 60 species of indigenous trees and plants on The Palm Jumeirah. Located behind the Golden Mile residential development and running underneath the track for the Palm Jumeirah Monorail, Ittihad Park is 102,193 square metres large and will serve as inspiration for other landscaping projects.

Capable of withstanding heat and thriving on very little water, native plants will also be cheaper to maintain in landscapes, said Dr Rao. In Al Ain alone, municipal gardens cost Dh130 million a year, according to ICBA's research.

vtodorova@thenational.ae

How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

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Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km

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Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no

Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)

Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22

Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets

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Director: Siva

Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley

Rating: 2/5

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UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

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Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale

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Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)

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Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills