A floating shield on the river will remind humanity of the problem of ecology and help to purify water

In East Asia, volunteers, not indifferent to the problem of ecology, have applied a creative approach to recall the importance of preserving nature. For these purposes, a kind of floating shield with an inscription that was laid out of the grass was created, which is both a method for cleaning polluted water bodies and a sample of memorable social advertising.

In the Filipino capital of Manila in the Pasig River there is a rather high level of pollution. After the Great Patriotic War, a significant increase in the population, construction of new enterprises, which often dropped industrial rubbish directly into the river, led to the fact that the ecology of the river began to deteriorate rapidly. Since the 80s of the last century, the authorities have banned fishing in the river, and the last decades the Pasig River was officially recognized as biologically dead.

But recently people who were not indifferent to this problem decided to revive the river. At the end of the winter of this year, a floating billboard in the form of advertising (a barge with a special kind of grass) was created on the Pasig rivers in the part of the city, thanks to the joint efforts of several indifferent to the ecology of volunteers, designers, and advertising agencies.

Developers of social advertising have chosen a special kind of grass - vetiver, a perennial plant of the family of cereals. Ecologists have high hopes for this plant, in addition, vetiver is the main component of the project.

The plant grows quite high - a meter and a half in height, but the main thing in this plant is its roots, as they form a carpet-like turf and go to a depth of more than two meters. It is because of this that vetiver is called a "nail of soil", as the roots of the plant reliably protect the soil from destruction and erosion during the rainy season.

In addition, the plant repels insects well, incl. Termites, which easily gnaw their way through the metal. Vetiver contains a compound that is not tolerated by insects - nootcaton. The fragrant root of the plant was used for medicinal purposes even in ancient times. The plant has a calming and antidepressant effect. At present, scientists are not able to create an analogue, since the plant has a rather complex chemical composition.

But the main advantage of the root of vetiver is its ability to clear large amounts of water from toxic compounds. Vetiver is often used as a wastewater purifier and landfill stabilization due to the fact that the cereal can withstand high doses of heavy metals and nitrates. The developers of the unique device decided that it is with the vetiver that you can reduce the level of pollution in the river.

The creation of such a shield was not at all complicated, since vetiver is grown in India, China, Reunion, Brazil, Japan, Haiti, in addition, the plant does not need special care, can grow in sand, clay, marshes and even in deserts.

Developers of the shield made a pallet of wood, in which the vetiver also perfectly started. As noted by environmentalists, a floating 27-meter "vegetable garden" is capable of cleaning up to eight thousand water daily (depending on the strength of the current).

But apart from cleansing the river, the shield is called to remind humanity that it is impossible to pollute rivers and to dump both industrial and domestic garbage in them. For these purposes, the design group group laid out from the plant blocks an inscription - "Clean River Soon" (a clean river soon).

Now environmentalists plan to hold similar projects in a number of other states.

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