Park life needs an urgent injection of love, care and protection if play areas are to continue to thrive and serve their communities as intended, say frustrated councillors.
Significant concerns over park and garden maintenance have emerged across several constituencies in the Southern Governorate, highlighted during a Southern Municipal Council meeting.
Councillors have raised pressing concerns regarding delays, deteriorating facilities and the urgent need for enhanced services and infrastructure.
Members across all areas echoed a triple shared sentiment:
* Greater co-ordination between municipal authorities
* Faster execution of approved maintenance
* And, an adequate allocation of resources.
Mr Faraj
Council member Mubarak Faraj, representing the Second Constituency (southern Isa Town), voiced frustration over long waits for maintenance work and the slow installation of rides in parks within Isa Town.
“Minor maintenance issues that should take days are being stretched into months. We’ve had to apply consistent pressure on the Parks Department just to see basic work completed,” Mr Faraj said.
“The residents of Isa Town deserve properly maintained parks where children can play safely and families can gather.”
Mr Faraj emphasised the importance of addressing bureaucratic inefficiencies he claims are causing unnecessary delays in executing approved requests.
Chairman of the Southern Municipal Council and Third Constituency (Buhair) Councillor, Abdulla Abdullatif, announced progress on two critical issues in the area: the ongoing development of Al Ehsan Pitch in Block 935, and the transfer of ownership for two public parks in Block 937 (Buhair) from the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry to the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry.
Mr Abdullatif
“We’re closely monitoring the pitch’s development to ensure it meets community needs,” Mr Abdullatif stated. “As for the parks, transferring ownership to the appropriate authority will expedite maintenance, security and community programmes. These parks must be under municipal jurisdiction to serve residents properly.”
Mr Abdullatif said parks remain ‘vital’ public spaces. “We will continue pressing for reform, transparency and the timely delivery of services that our residents rightly expect,” he added.
Mr Al Abdulla
The council’s technical committee chairman Councillor Ahmed Al Abdulla outlined a series of interventions targeting worn-out park infrastructure and general safety concerns in the Sixth Constituency (Bukawara).
Repairing work has started on Bukawara Park
“We’ve removed brokendown rides and artificial turf from Bukawara Park, and we’re pushing to reactivate lighting across all parks,” said Mr Al Abdulla, adding that there are also plans in process to replace a worker with a qualified security guard for better oversight in Noon Park.
Mr Al Abdulla also noted the council’s recommendation to allocate part of Khalifa AlKubra Garden for public parking, as well as the urgent need to restore irrigation systems to prevent plant loss.
Mr Bubshait
Vice Chairman of the Council and Seventh Constituency (Wadi Al Sail, West Riffa and Jari Al Shaikh) representative, Abdulla Bubshait, called for immediate action in multiple parks across West Riffa.
“We need urgent repairs to the fence of Umm Ghuwaifa Park, and the lighting issue in Wadi Al Sail Park must be resolved without delay,” Mr Bubshait stressed.
“Playground rides and rest areas in the Jari Al Shaikh area also need urgent attention, especially the irrigation of grass and plants. These parks are lifelines for local families.”
Mr Bubshait also demanded the provision of security guards in all local parks to ensure safety and prevent vandalism.
Councillor Hamad Al Zoubi, representing the Ninth Constituency (Zallaq, Sakhir and Safra), reported mixed progress. While steps have been made toward obtaining a building permit and initiating electrical work for Eskan Park in Zallaq (Block 1056), challenges remain.
“We’ve submitted all required correspondence for the building permit and electricity connection – but we need faster execution,” said Mr Al Zoubi.
Mr Al Zoubi
“In Safra Park (Block 944), we’ve installed some new rides, but recent afforestation efforts failed due to a lack of irrigation. Damaged plants must be removed, the area replanted, and a permanent irrigation system established.”
The council has now submitted a consolidated report to the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture outlining current gaps and requesting budgetary and administrative support for expedited action.
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