Riyadh develops lakes to attract tourists

Saudi Arabia has decided to develop lakes in southern Riyadh in a bid to attract more tourists to the city. The project includes clearance of floodwater into the lakes, setting up of waste disposal, organization of irrigation channels and completion of local roads for farmers and visitors, the Saudi daily (Arab News) reported. It also includes coordination service and utility lines, environmental processing of lakes and erection of a dam base and rehabilitation of the whole area in line with the Wadi Hanifa development program. The lakes are to be the final repository of the Wadi Hanifa waters, which, in turn, has witnessed the largest development and rehabilitation process undertaken by the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh (HCDR) and it runs 80 km southward. The program will restore Wadi Hanifa area to its former position ecologically with its unique fauna and flora revived by rains. The valley, thanks to these ongoing developmental efforts, has been transferred into one of the key visiting parks for city dwellers.