Saudi scientist and inventor, Ibrahim Al-Alalim, has signed a contract with a large government firm to plant 6,200 trees in Qurais in the Eastern Province, as a means to help reduce the effects of global warming in the area.

“We are now preparing the proposed tree-planting area, and the planting process is expected to commence very soon. We’ll nurture each tree with 100 liters of water every two weeks, and maintain them for two years,” Al-Alalim told Arab News.

He said that aside from reducing the effect of global warming, the Estefan Group (the government firm with which he signed the contract) wishes to create a good working environment that has a strong “green” component for its staff, and their well-being.

Al-Alalim, who did not mention the amount of funds involved in the project, said that the amount of water being used by the Estefan Group will gradually decrease.

“By the time watering the plants stops, the rains will have come. We’ll also set up a mechanism to ensure that the trees will continue to get the water they need with the use of a pure absorbent polymer that I invented,” he said.

He added that the polymer will store water about 600 times its own weight in water to nurture the trees.

“The project is indeed ambitious, but it is a noble project, not only in terms of reducing the adverse effect of climate change but also productivity of the staff who love to work against a backdrop of green scenery,” he said.

He added that the length of area to be planted with trees is approximately five kilometers, noting that he was optimistic that if and when the project proves to be successful, other contracts for similar projects could be signed.