Question

evaluate the measures taken by UAE government to transform the desert area into a green heaven

Answer 1

Sheikh Jayed was the principal driving force behind the formation of United Arab Emirates. He charted a course to return the desert to its greener origins by increasing number of trees, farms and palm orchards. Sheikh Jayed's primary motive was to offset the effects of desertification, which studies revealed were dramatically affecting Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Jayed developed extensive projects to level the sand dunes and sand hills and cover surface areas with mud.
He set up green belts around farms to protect them against wind and to stabilize the soil. Additionally he worked to protect the cities against the sandstorms and restrict humidity ratio by ensuring that forests were set up around city borders.
In 1946, Sheikh Jayed launched a pioneering project for the development of a water resources management system that centered in Al Ain. By using both the traditional 'aflaj' or underground canal system of irrigation and modern technology, he was able to raise productivity in existing agricultural lands and introduce new varieties of produce in farmlands.
Water was the most precious natural resource of UAE. Sheikh Jayed encouraged finding new mechanism for effectively conserving water and was always looking for ways to boost ground water reserves.
However the visionary leader knew that all efforts to expand greenery would be rendered useless if the desert continued to encroach on productive land.
he encouraged the introduction of indispensable measures, by erecting dams, taking care of ground water, using fertilizers, building fertilizer factories and growing salt-tolerant plants.
One of the most visible and enduring results of Sheikh Jayed's efforts can be seen on both sides of the road between Abu dhabi and Al Ain. A tree planting project that began at the end of the 1960s, continues to prosper even today, with more than 100 million trees currently existing within the borders of the UAE.
What began as a vision has now transformed into a reality.

Answer 2

Long before the need for sustainable development became widely recognised, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was achieving an environmental miracle: he was transforming the desert into a green haven.

Dubai: Long before the need for sustainable development became widely recognised, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was achieving an environmental miracle: he was transforming the desert into a green haven.

Hamdi Tammam, in his book Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan: The Leader and the March, wrote that the former president devoted much of his time making enquiries about the topography of the region.

After much research, Shaikh Zayed discovered that 15,000 years ago, the Arabian Peninsula was a very different place. Enveloped in thick forests and full of greenery, the land got transformed to a desert only after it was exposed to a long spell of drought that also forced its inhabitants to move in search of water. In time, the forests were buried and gradually transformed into the region’s black gold or oil.

Shaikh Zayed charted a course to return the desert to its greener origins by increasing the number of trees, farms and palm orchards.