{"id":"568","slug":"sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas","url":"https://devodubai.com/article/2026-09-23/sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas","json_url":"https://devodubai.com/api/article/sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas.json","title":"Sharjah approves Al Freish Lake plan for Kalba with waterfalls and walking areas","headline":"Sharjah approves Al Freish Lake plan for Kalba with waterfalls and walking areas","excerpt":"Sharjah has approved Al Freish Lake in Kalba: a 51,200-square-metre family destination with waterfalls, planted mountainsides and walking areas behind Al Marsh Square. No opening date yet.","body":"Sharjah has approved plans for Al Freish Lake in Kalba, a 51,200-square-metre family destination of green mountains, cascading waterfalls and walking areas on the emirate's east coast.\n\nSheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, signed off on the scheme. The lake will hold up to 28 million gallons of water and stretch about 750 metres behind Al Marsh Square.\n\n## What is planned\n\nVisitors will be able to park at ground level and explore the site on foot. Trees are already being planted on the mountainside, with waterfalls designed to run through the greenery. Khaleej Times reports that the Ruler has compared the planned experience with Al Rafisah Dam in Khorfakkan, a popular outdoor spot where families kayak, use pedal boats and linger at cafes overlooking the water.\n\nNo opening date has been announced for Al Freish itself.\n\n## Kalba's wider build-out\n\nAl Freish sits in a city that has been filling with nature attractions for several years. Kalba lies about 120km east of Sharjah city and roughly 12km south of Fujairah. Nearby draws already include the Hanging Gardens on the Sharjah-Kalba Road. Al Hefaiyah Lake is another large reservoir nearby, built to collect rain and valley runoff as well as give families trails and rest spots.\n\nEarlier in 2026 the Ruler said several Kalba projects were due to open in December, including work around Jebel Deem. Separate plans still in the mix include the Al Hiyar lake and rest area, a Kalba Heritage Museum framed as a \"living museum\", and the Shell Theatre, with an entrance approached through a passage beneath the water. Those are wider city projects, not part of the Al Freish lake brief.\n\n## Why it matters for residents\n\nEast-coast day trips already pull Dubai and Sharjah families toward Khorfakkan and Kalba on cooler weekends. Another walkable lake park behind Al Marsh Square would give them one more stop that does not depend on a theme-park ticket. Until an inauguration date lands, treat Al Freish as approved and under way rather than open.","category":"news","category_url":"https://devodubai.com/category/news","author":"Editorial Team","author_url":"https://devodubai.com/editor/editorial-team","published_at":"2026-09-23T22:02:09","updated_at":null,"reading_time_minutes":2,"cover_image":"https://cms.devo.co/assets/271126ae-cba7-4b56-a697-7b73d612d7b3","source_count":2,"sources":[{"title":"Sharjah's Al Freish Lake plan approved: Waterfalls, greenery to transform Kalba","source":"Khaleej Times","link":"https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sharjahs-al-freish-lake-plan-approved-waterfalls-greenery-to-transform-kalba","domain":"khaleejtimes.com"},{"title":"Kalba’s new lake will feature waterfalls, greenery and a family park","source":"What's On Dubai","link":"https://whatson.ae/2026/09/al-freish-lake-kalba-sharjah","domain":"whatson.ae"}],"citation":{"text":"Devo Dubai. \"Sharjah approves Al Freish Lake plan for Kalba with waterfalls and walking areas\". Published 23 September 2026. https://devodubai.com/article/2026-09-23/sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas","canonical_url":"https://devodubai.com/article/2026-09-23/sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas","json_url":"https://devodubai.com/api/article/sharjah-approves-al-freish-lake-plan-for-kalba-with-waterfalls-and-walking-areas.json","usage_info":"We encourage citation of this page, including by AI assistants and research tools — quote or summarize it freely, and we appreciate a link back to the canonical URL so readers can trace the source. Republishing it in full requires permission."},"seo":{"title":"Sharjah approves Al Freish Lake plan for Kalba with waterfalls and walking areas","description":"Sharjah has approved Al Freish Lake in Kalba: a 51,200-square-metre family destination with waterfalls, planted mountainsides and walking areas behind Al Marsh Square. No opening date yet."}}