A push to repurpose solar-powered lighting poles from the Ramli District and instal them in public parks of Howrat A’ali Housing has been approved by the Northern Municipal Council.
The proposal by four councillors, spearheaded by Dr Salman Abdulla, highlighted the urgent need for lighting in public parks, especially in Howrat A’ali, Block 714, where parks built more than 13 years ago remained without the service.
“The lack of lighting constitutes an obstacle to using the park and raises concerns related to public safety,” said Dr Abdulla, who is also the chairman of the financial, administrative and legislative.
“We must act now.”
The four councillors stressed the importance of reusing resources instead of discarding them.
“These lights would be thrown out and we could use them in the parks,” said Dr Abdulla, underlining the practicality and sustainability of the proposal.
Dr Abdulla
The lighting poles are set to be replaced in the Ramli District, which is transitioning back to conventional lighting following complaints about the dimness of the current solar-powered units. This has created an opportunity to repurpose them for the community’s benefit.
Housing and Urban Planning Ministry Under-Secretary Fatima Al Mannai confirmed the situation in Ramli. “We don’t mind transferring the lights since they are not required anymore,” she told the council.
Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry Under-Secretary Shaikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa also expressed willingness to support the plan. “We don’t mind taking up the lights for public parks,” he said, but pointed out that the budget to cover transportation, maintenance,and installation was currently unavailable.
Ms Al Fadhala
Northern Municipality Director-General Lamya Al Fadhala suggested a practical next step. “We could contact the contractor to move and instal the lights in parks,” she said, but requested time to evaluate all available options before proceeding.
While the project is not listed under the fourth package of municipal works for 2025, councillors are hopeful that urgent action can be taken, particularly considering the minimal cost involved in reusing existing infrastructure.
The matter has been officially submitted to Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Minister Wael Al Mubarak for urgent review.
The GDN reported earlier this week that the tender for Bahrain’s first solar power plant was launched by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA).
EWA president Kamal Ahmed said the 150 megawatts (MW) solar plant, to be built in co-operation with the private sector, will be located near Bilaj Al Jazayer.
The solar plant is expected to provide electricity for around 6,300 homes and cut carbon emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes annually.
The 1.2sqkm facility will employ state-of-the-art technology to meet the growing demand for energy in the country.
Commercial operations are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
The project is part of national efforts to expand the use of renewable energy and promote environmental sustainability, in line with the kingdom’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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