A view of a park in Abu Dhabi.

Emad Eddin Khalil, Staff Reporter

150 new parks will be opened in Abu Dhabi during the year 2024, in addition to renovating a number of existing parks, in commitment to the strategy launched by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) in the capital to enhance the quality of life of Abu Dhabi residents and achieve comprehensive well-being.

The DMT’s initiative to develop parks aims to enhance the healthy lifestyles of community members, as part of its ongoing efforts to develop all districts in Abu Dhabi.

It indicated that the design of the new parks would suit all the diverse needs and preferences of residents, as they will provide entertainment experiences, amenities, play areas for children, seating areas, barbecue areas, sports facilities, and special play areas for people of determination.

The new parks will provide facilities for a variety of outdoor activities, such as volleyball, badminton, cricket, parkour, basketball and football, as the DMT is keen to provide what suits the specific needs of each area.

It is worth noting that the DMT provided free internet service in 580 locations, including parks, beaches and public transport buses, and also transformed 6 parks in the emirate into smart parks equipped with modern technologies, with the aim of improving the quality of life in the emirate.

The locations where Internet service was provided include 478 locations in the city of Abu Dhabi, including 17 parks, two beaches, and 459 public transportation buses, besides 78 locations in the city of Al Ain, including 11 parks and 67 buses, in addition to 24 locations in Al Dhafra region, including 14 parks and 10 public transportation buses.

Internet service was provided via the free “Hala Wi-Fi” network, in cooperation with telecommunications service providers in the UAE, with the aim of improving the digital infrastructure and providing wide-ranging public coverage of WiFi in various locations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to enhance its classification as a smart city.

Last year, the Department had said that by the beginning of the next year 2024, it would complete transformation of six parks into smart parks, including three parks in Abu Dhabi city, two parks in Al Ain and one in Al Dhafra region. All parks in the emirate will be transformed into smart parks in subsequent phases, the Department added.

Each smart park is equipped with 600 smart sensors and cameras with modern technologies that help park visitors know number and places available for parking in the park, crowd proportion, and others.

In addition, they help the park management and decision-makers track all services in terms of following up the most groups visiting the park, measuring temperatures, scheduling irrigation and cleaning timings and other services supported by AI technologies to improve the visitor experience in Abu Dhabi Parks.