Qatargas announces annual plantation initiative

Qatargas public relations manager Mansour Rashid al-Naimi (left) and Talal al-Naimi, director of Nature Reserves, at the press conference yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil

By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter

In an effort to join the green initiatives of the country, Qatargas has launched a desert plantation drive that is set to become an annual event. The drive will take place on the last Saturday of April every year.

The initiative is organised in collaboration with the General Directorate of Nature Reserves and aims to protect the biodiversity of Qatar for future generations.

Qatargas employees will travel next Saturday to the Umm Garn ‘Nature Reserve’ 30km north of Doha where they will plant the Wild Sidr, an indigenous plant found in Qatar, over a 1.5km stretch.

Qatargas public relations manager Mansour Rashid al-Naimi said the initiative is part of Qatargas corporate social responsibility programme. “It aims to promote sustainable development through the protection and preservation of our environment, which is crucial not only for us, but for our future generations as well. This initiative is aimed at enriching the desert meadows, which are an integral element of Qatar’s natural vegetation.”

He continued that it was also an effort to promote environmental responsibility and voluntary work among the staff of Qatargas.

Al- Naimi said that over the years, Qatargas had lead a number of important innovative environmental projects in Ras Laffan.  He said that Qatargas was totally committed to the responsible management of the environment in which it was operating.

“As a responsible energy operator, Qatargas is keen to promote pioneering environmental solutions to further improve the environmental performance of our LNG and other production facilities. Earlier this month, we launched our annual beach clean-up initiative, in which nearly 250 participated in cleaning the Al Fuwairit beach in the North of Qatar. We are  supporting the country’s  efforts in this regard, in alignment with the environmental development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030,” he added.

Talal al-Naimi, director of Nature Reserves, said: “Environmental protection and conservation is everyone’s responsibility and we appreciate and welcome the initiative of Qatargas for promoting a greener Qatar.  Conservation of plants is an essential component of efforts for biodiversity conservation.  As plants are at risk of extinction, in all parts of the world, their conservation is a priority.”

New technology for plantation drive

The desert plantation initiative launched by Qatargas will be using an innovative irrigation technology to ensure proper water supply for the plants. Called ‘Jelly Water’  irrigation system, the technology uses  water containers  which are deposited in the pits where the trees are planted.

Speaking to Gulf Times, Nature Reserves director Talal al -Naimi said that the  technology makes  use of a mixture of jelly and bacteria.

“Jelly is mixed with water and  bacteria and the same is stored in a plastic container. This will be deposited along with the plants in the pits. This will make the soil moisturised and wet for a very long period.” He said these containers last for a minimum of 40 days and ensure adequate water for the plant.

“As the water bags run empty, we will replace them. This will make sure that the water supply to the plants will never be lost and the plants will have the same supply of water every day all through the year.”

The director  also said that the new technology was initiated by the Ministry of Environment. He elaborated “ This is not only a cost effective irrigation system, but it is very much environment friendly. There are different technologies which are launched by various companies and this one has been found more effective and more environment friendly.”

Regarding  the plants used for the plantation campaign, he said that wild Sidra plants would be used presently. “We are getting small plants from the research centre in Al Khor.  We have chosen Sidra because it is an indigenous plant and it is very important for us to preserve such types of plants before they become extinct. They grow up to 3m and 4m in height.”  

As for making the desert greener on lines similar to Al Ain in the UAE by using different types of trees and plants, al-Naimi said that  there is a fundamental difference  between both the places.  “Al Ain and Qatar have different soil structure. Al Ain soil is very different from the sandy soil of Qatar and therefore such wider plantation would not be suitable for Qatar.”

He however added that there would be efforts to plant more trees in different areas in the coming years.