JEDDAH: The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs inaugurated 41 public parks and gardens in Makkah, Jeddah and the Eastern Province in an effort to serve citizens and protect the environment.

With a total cost of SR208 million, the parks were designed to include recreational activities, squares designated for sports, as well as other services for visitors.

The projects included a large number of walking trails, neighborhood gardens as well as projects to beautify neighborhoods and planting trees along streets, including 20 public parks in Makkah with a total cost of more than SR110 million.

In the holy capital, there are plans to establish seven gardens, each with an area of 3,500 square meters. The gardens will have children’s playgrounds and use solar energy for lighting. This will bring the total of Makkah gardens to more than 3,000 scattered in different residential areas.

The recently inaugurated gardens included three in Jeddah, the latest of which was Tiba 1, which was established in a 9,754 square meter area. The garden will be added to 74 new gardens that were inaugurated last year with a total area of 370,000 square meters.

The ministry rehabilitated and inaugurated 11 municipal gardens at a total cost of SR60 million. The gardens include children’s play areas and green spaces. The gardens were designed to meet the needs and requirements of neighborhoods and the different age groups.

The ministry explained that these projects come as a part of an ambitious plan to enhance the vegetation cover, provide the best services for citizens and increase the green squares in the Kingdom.