As a result, the Arriyadh Development Authority commissioned the Canadian architecture and planning firm Moriyama & Teshima and Buro Happold – a UK engineering firm – to submit a Master Plan and Restoration Program to restore the area’s ecological health. One decade later and the Wadi is once again a thriving desert oasis.

This massive reclamation project involved various stages. First it was necessary to clean up the river waste, which involved removing 1.5 million cubic meters of debris ranging from construction waste to dead animals.

The riverbed hand to be cleared and a nearby tannery that was releasing toxic chemicals into the river was shut down.

Water mains, sewage lines, and even overhead power lines were relocated, and stone walls were erected to demarcate the boundaries between public and private land.

Meanwhile, 35,000 indigenous shade trees were cultivated in greenhouses along with native grasses. Although the local people resisted the re-introduction of these species, believing them to be weeds, the design team prevailed by creating 150 shaped clusters of plants that were actually very beautiful.

Using native species to re-vegetate the wadi was essential for two reasons: first, they have adapted to extreme weather conditions such as low rainfall (just 100mm a year) and high temperatures, and they have provided flood control for centuries. Prone to flooding, the wadi could no longer cope as asphalt replaced wetland plants that can retain moisture and sediment.

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