Sewage will help grow trees in deserts
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Deforestation in Africa leads to the spread of deserts, which is a significant problem, and the planting of new forests can help in this case. But the main problem is that in arid areas there is not enough fresh water, which is necessary for watering and normal development of seedlings.
In Egypt, the experts proposed an innovative solution to the African problem, which confirms that for the growing of trees and other plants in regions where there is not enough water, there is no need to set up an expensive supply of fresh water, or an adapted wastewater system can be used.
In the 90s, the Egyptian government launched a program to grow various trees near Cairo. On a huge plantation grow both local and imported trees and shrubs, including rare and valuable species, but since the soil in this area is not rich in nutrients and there is a shortage of fresh water, the researchers suggested using wastewater for irrigation that , as studies have shown, provide seedlings with all the necessary nutrients, as a result of which, the need for additional fertilizing of trees is eliminated by fertilizers.
Sewage directed to irrigation passes through several stages of purification: at the initial stage, specialists run them through mechanical filters that remove various contaminants, and then water is saturated with microorganisms and oxygen, so that the decomposition of organic substances is more effective. At the end of the treatment, the wastewater is saturated with various nutrients present in specialized fertilizers, which allows them to be used both for irrigation and for soil fertilization.
Typically, this method is not suitable for all plant species, some require less or more nutrients, in addition, there is a risk of contamination of fruits and vegetables with dangerous bacteria. But in those regions where trees do not take root because of the arid climate, this kind of irrigation can be an excellent alternative to labor-intensive and expensive freshwater supplies.
A team of specialists from the Egyptian University for several years has been engaged in research related to the planting of green spaces in arid regions. According to Hani El Cateb, an employee of the University of Munich in Munich, from wood planted in Cairo, wood can be obtained several times faster than from pines grown in Germany. In Egypt, trees are quite large in size, with a hectare can get about 350 m 3 of wood for 15 years, in Germany, to get such a quantity of wood from the pines it will take 60 years. El Cateba cooperates with specialists from the University of Ain Shams and together with them conducts experiments on planting green plantations in arid regions.
It is worth noting that for Egypt such a method is the most acceptable option. According to specialists, 80% of waste water (which is about 7 billion m 3 per year), will help to plant more than 600 thousand hectares in the desert and in the future to use the trees for timber production.
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