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sc.qa
Doha
The first instalments of grass grown at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy's (SC) ground-breaking Turf Nursery have been planted around Al Bayt Stadium Al Khor City.
The nursery built to provide turf and trees for the 2022 FIFA World Cup venues is the first of its kind in the region, and forms part of the SC's commitment to ensuring the tournament leaves a lasting sustainable and environmental legacy for Qatar.
More than 350,000 square metres of grass is being transported and transplanted from the nursery to the area surrounding Al Bayt Stadium, a proposed 60,000 capacity semi-final venue, in an intricate process that will conclude in 2019. The seeds were originally imported from the United States and later harvested in Qatar.
"This is a very exciting time for us as we prepare to plant the turf on the first pitch of one of the new stadiums for 2022. The grass surrounding Al Wakrah and Al Rayyan stadiums will follow closely next November," said Yasser al Mulla, the SC's Landscape and Sport Turf Management Senior Manager.
"The grass is first planted on what we call a motherland, which is the term used to describe the land that was selected and tested to plant the turf and measure its suitability in the atmosphere and weather conditions in Qatar.
"First, we planted an area of 22,000 square metres and, upon the successful testing, this was increased to 423,000 square metres, cultivated with the same turf. It was harvested three times per year with the total amount being 1,200,000 square metres," Mulla added
The SC Tree Nursery spans an area of more than 880,000 square metres, equal to the size of Aspire Park. It's located in the Umm Slal Muhammad area north of Doha, and contains more than 16,000 trees and 679,000 shrubs. It boasts 60 different types of trees and shrubs, originating from Qatar, Thailand and Spain, making it one of the largest and most diverse nurseries in the region, and the biggest landscape turf farm in the world.
Another unique aspect of the project is that its irrigation system uses recycled water fed from the nearby Doha North Sewage Treatment Works Plant, helping ensure that this is a sustainable project in every aspect.
After the tournament, the facility will continue to benefit the community by transforming into a public park, further contributing to the SC's efforts to ensure the 2022 FIFA World Cup leaves a lasting environmental and social legacy to benefit generations to come.
