A planned nature reserve in the west of Bahrain is being fenced off to prevent further fly-tipping after thousands of tonnes of rubbish were dumped on the site.

Fencing work at Al Louzy, where 160,000 sq m has been set aside for a natural habitat and park, will continue for the next six months at a cost of BD288,000 ($763,521), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It comes after the Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry received the deeds for the reserve from the Royal Court, following a three-year delay arising from conflicts with the Housing Ministry over available space.

In August last year, the Housing Ministry was given the green light to take 40 per cent of the land originally allocated for the nature reserve and build new homes on it.

Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi said work on the reserve project was now back on track.

“A contractor has started work to fence available space and it is expected to be complete within six months before real work begins on turning the habitat into a reserve,” he said.

“We would like to thank Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty King Hamad and Supreme Council for Women president, for her support in ensuring that this project sees the light after being kept on hold for a while.

Meanwhile, Northern Municipality director-general Yousif Al Ghatam said restoration plans for the site were being prepared.

“The place will not just be a haven for birds, but also an attractive park, where people can enjoy beautiful recreational, family and sports day out,” he said.

“We are incorporating everything into the plans and now with the place getting fenced, our dispute with the Housing Ministry over available space is over, and I believe that 160,000 sq m is acceptable.”

He said that the municipality wanted to turn the place into something similar to Arad Bay in Muharraq.

“We will have a bird sanctuary as well as recreational facilities, including a walkway '“ it has been limited in scope, but is better than nothing,” he said.

“We have cleared around 5,000 tonnes of building refuse and garbage from the site.

“Some cleaning still remains, but we have managed successfully to disinfect the spring filled with mosquitoes and other insects.”

The Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry initially announced a BD10 million proposal to preserve the water spring at Al Louzy and turn it into a bird sanctuary.

But the Northern Municipality was forced to drastically cut the scale of the project to clean up, rehabilitate, grow trees and build a walkway around what is left of the habitat and reduce the budget to BD1 million. - TradeArabia News Service