Karbala: The Holy Abbasid Shrine has begun implementing a project to create a 90-kilometer-long green belt, which includes planting one million trees, in the Al-Awali farm in Karbala Governorate, as part of its efforts to combat desertification and enhance green spaces.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Secretary-General of the Shrine, Mustafa Murtadha Al-Dhiaa Al-Din, stated, "After the conclusion of the Arba'een pilgrimage of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), we began planting green belts in the Al-Awali farm, which covers an area of 50,000 dunams."

He added that the project's first phase includes planting a 90-kilometer-long green belt with one million trees. These plants were propagated in the Al-Kafeel nurseries affiliated with the Shrine, and the planting of these belts commenced today in this blessed location.

Al-Dhiaa Al-Din emphasized that "all of Iraq is fertile land, and the legal custodian has stressed the necessity of focusing on agriculture and preserving the country's water resources. All of Iraq's desert can be cultivated, as evidenced by the experience of the holy shrines in reclaiming desert areas. Today, there are large palm oases in the Al-Saqi and Al-Firdaws farms, in addition to other crops besides dates."

He urged all involved in agriculture to utilize the available land in the country effectively and transform these crops into food industries and other products, highlighting the potential of Iraq's fertile lands.