Workers unite to fly the flag to celebrate National Day

Dubai Municipality horticulture workers create form up to create a large, ‘living’ UAE flag at Zabeel Park. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // More than 600 municipal workers stood shoulder to shoulder to create the UAE national flag in a Dubai park as part of celebrations leading up to National Day next week.

The workers, from the horticulture section of Dubai Municipality, wore red, green, white and black T-shirts and sang the UAE national anthem on Sunday at Zabeel Park.

“The idea is that we wanted all employees to join together and to make everyone feel that we are one team and one family,” said Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality.

“We want to show how we work together towards our goal of keeping the city of Dubai clean and green. The idea is that we want to show that workers are not alone, their work is also important work and we want them also to participate in the start of celebrations for National Day. We wanted to celebrate along with the workers.”

Apart from the flag formation, the municipality has functions planned in various departments this week.

Scarves with the UAE colours were also distributed, and morning joggers stopped and clapped as 43 red, green, white and black balloons were released.

Forty-three flags from flowers have been created in Dubai by the public parks and horticulture department, said director Abdul Rahman Al Awadi.

The biggest flower flag is located at the fifth intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road, planted over 6,500 square metres using 105,000 flower seedlings, he said.

Thirty-five flower flags were planted in the Bur Dubai area, six in Deira, and two in parks.

“It feels very good to participate in an event like this,” said Mohammed Bishi, 59, a Pakistani worker in the horticulture department for the past 32 years.

Iqbal Shah, 50, also from Pakistan, added: “It feels like we are also involved in all the celebrations of the UAE by being part of this big flag. Even if we do small jobs, our work is appreciated, so it makes me happy.”