Egypt makes her wilderness forests wastewater

The hand of man tries to challenge nature with the Egyptian government's initiative to irrigate the desert areas of waste water and convert forest and whose surface is equivalent to the territory of Panama.
The difference after human intervention is dramatic: the landscape was once a barren, inhospitable and now there's hot spots covered with green trees of high economic value such as poplar, eucalyptus and papyrus. And this thanks to the water they use, pollute and dispose of 80 million Egyptians every day and, ironically, is best for these so-called forest 'handmade' and the egiptian Forest in desert.

"The waste water can make you infertile, like the desert, into something rich and containing nitrogen, micronutrients and organic substances to the land rich," said the professor of 'Research Institute of Soil, Water and Environment' Nabil Kandil dedicated to the analysis of desert land suitable for afforestation.

Forest in desert

So does the teacher of the 'Department of Water Pollution Research' the Awady Hamdy, who also point out the superiority of the plants irrigated with wastewater. "The waste water has many more nutrients than normal water, so it's an extra source of nutrition that can make plants resistant to harsh climates grow faster and even with green leaves egiptian Forest in desert.

Green Egypt

Both Kandil and El Awady know well the value of matching demand with supply in a country which produces 7 million cubic meters of wastewater per year and at the same time, holds 95% of its territory covered by deserts or barren with little vegetation.

So far, there are 34 forests throughout the country, with a total of 71,400 square kilometers, equivalent to the total area of Panama or Ireland. Furthermore, in accordance with the Egyptian government, there are ten others under construction in an area that adds another 18,600 square kilometers egiptian Forest in desert.
According to Kandil, "The aim is afforested one million square kilometers, which means greening the entire country, but warns that if successful, will be" when all they have now proposed the dead. "
Most plants are now grown up trees such as poplar wood, papyrus, casuarina and eucalyptus trees, planted to meet the country's timber needs, but they have also successfully grown grains to produce biofuels such as jatropha and jojoba , or for making oils such as rapeseed, soybean and sunflower.

Wilderness forests wastewater

Get water from primary treatment plants, where solid contaminants are removed, has been the cheapest, especially as irrigation systems and pump the liquid transport are the same as Egyptian farmers have used for years egiptian Forest in desert.

Although this water requires caution because it contains pollutants and is unaware of the impacts of ecosystem change for biodiversity, the project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs, appears to be an entire business egiptian Forest in desert..
These hand-made forests are not only fighting the drought, desertification and erosion, said Kandil. "But also draw water from waste, maximize the benefit to farmers and meet the timber needs of Egypt generating economic benefits for the country," he adds.