They dig into the earth and plant date palm saplings, flowers and fresh grass in the median of al-Jadriyah Street in southern Baghdad. Their work is part of a citywide effort to add greenery to Iraqis?EUR??,,????'??? lives.

?EUR??,,????'??One day, this will give Baghdad a beautiful look,?EUR??,,????'?? said Balboul, 64, who leads a team of 16 workers on greenery projects around the city. ?EUR??,,????'??The people who live around here will see the benefits some day.?EUR??,,????'??

Baghdad once had the look of a beautiful oasis city. A decade of sanctions and years of war have devastated the trees that once graced boulevards, parks and other parts of Baghdad, said Jaafar Hamid al-Ali, agricultural adviser to the Baghdad Municipality. In 2005, the city launched an initiative to plant about 250,000 trees per year, he said. The city also plans to build seven large parks at a cost of $50 million.

Completing city projects has been challenging. Gunmen have targeted government employees, al-Ali said. Workers on city streets are also exposed to car bombs. This year, 400 city workers, from trash collectors to landscape workers, have been killed around Baghdad, al-Ali said. ?EUR??,,????'??The terror is targeting everybody,?EUR??,,????'?? he says, ?EUR??,,????'??but we accept the challenge because we insist on bringing Baghdad back to its glamour.?EUR??,,????'??

Dawood Salim, 34 travels each morning from Salman Pak to work on al-Jadriyah Street, he said. The daily wage barely covers the cost of his commute, he said, but it?EUR??,,????'???s better than not working at all. ?EUR??,,????'??The green trees have a positive effect on people,?EUR??,,????'?? Salim said, trimming a bush. ?EUR??,,????'??There is a big difference between brown places and green places.?EUR??,,????'??

Source: USA Today