Saudi Arabia: NCVC Plans to Rehabilitate 1,000 Floodplains, Meadows with 5 Royal Reserves

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
TT
20

Saudi Arabia: NCVC Plans to Rehabilitate 1,000 Floodplains, Meadows with 5 Royal Reserves

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves
The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of five reserves

The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development at Combating Desertification (NCVC) has organized a workshop to introduce the implementation plan to rehabilitate the floodplains and Meadows in partnership with five royal reserves.

The CNVC has signed several agreements with the development authorities of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, Imam Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Royal Reserve and King Khalid Royal Reserve to rehabilitate more than 1,000 floodplains and Meadows across the Kingdom.

The workshop discussed several main aspects about the goals of the initiative,

and the evaluation criteria for the techniques used in the rehabilitation process, the most important evaluation methods for the outcomes of the rehabilitation implementation’s, prominent areas of cooperation and partnership between the CNVC and the royal reserves, targeted development and community partnership.

The CEO of the National Center, Dr- Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Abdul-Qadir, explained that the implementation of the first phase involves rehabilitating 100 floodplains and meadows by planting 12 million trees and shrubs and scattering seeds, and the use of rainwater harvesting techniques.

The area targeted for the rehabilitation exceeds 225,000 hectares of degraded lands within a single area with a total size that exceeds 1.9 million hectares of floodplains and meadows, which contributes to enhancing environmental sustainability, improving living quality and to achieve the Kingdom’s vision 2030 and the Saudi green initiative to plant 10 billion trees.

It also comes as a contribution of work on a rehabilitation initiative of floodplains and meadows which was launched by the minister of environment, water and culture last October, to rehabilitate 1000 floodplains and meadows across the Kingdom.



Report: California Governor Requests $40 Billion for Fire Aid

An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP)
An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP)
TT
20

Report: California Governor Requests $40 Billion for Fire Aid

An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP)
An aerial view shows the devastation from the Palisades Fire on beachfront homes Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP)

California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking Congress for nearly $40 billion in disaster funding to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, the Washington Post reported on Friday citing a letter.

"It's going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to rebuild from the devastating fires in LA," Newsom said in a post on social media platform X that tagged the report.

"I'm asking Congress to have the back of the American people and provide disaster funding to help Californians recover and rebuild as soon as possible," he said, confirming the letter first reported by the Washington Post.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and Altadena on the eastern flank of the metropolis were the sites of the worst of the January blazes. At least 29 people died in the fires that damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

"The total impact on California's economy will take years to fully quantify," Newsom wrote in the letter to congressional leaders according to the newspaper report.

Newsom also said in the letter that California may request more funds in the future, but that the dollars requested "will directly support these communities in both the immediate and long-term recovery work needed to rebuild lives and properties."

The biggest part of the funding request includes $16.8 billion to cover fire response costs, debris removal, and the repair of roads, bridges, public buildings and utilities, according to the report.

Newsom also asked for an additional $9.9 billion to help rebuild housing and infrastructure, the report said.

In a meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier this month, the California Governor urged him to support federal disaster relief for his state.

Private forecaster AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses from the wildfires at more than $250 billion, which would make them the costliest natural disaster in US history.