Top Sustainability Trends in Europe

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Sustainability is a global issue, but ecosystems, economies and other factors vary from place to place. While trends that prove successful in one area will likely eventually spread to others, different regions may be at different places at different times.

In this post, we’ll focus on Europe. What trends are taking hold there? And which will spread to the Middle East?

sustainability

Sustainability Driving Revenue Growth

While sustainability was at first often seen as a corporate responsibility and PR move, today it’s an integral part of business plans. It serves as a major competitive advantage and drives increases in revenue. In a recent survey, 56 percent of executives said that sustainability is leading to revenue growth for their company.

Sustainable products attracts more customers and can lead to reduced expenses through savings on energy, packaging and other commodities.

Focus on Customer Behavior

After years of focusing on their supply chains, companies in Europe are now taking their sustainability efforts further by focusing on their customers. Businesses are realizing that if they want to reduce their footprint, they need to involve their customers.

This has led to various customer outreach initiatives such as Sainsbury’s Waste Less, Save More campaign, which aims to reduce food waste.

Resources the Environment Provides

Continuing the trend of focusing on the smaller stuff rather than the big picture, language around climate change is shifting from saving the planet to protecting ecosystems. Europe is also putting more of an emphasis the resources we lose out, such as clean water and timber, on when we damage our environment.

While climate change impacts both the smaller parts of the environment and the environment as a whole, this way of talking about the issue can make it feel a bit closer to home. This helps inspire people to take action because rather than seeming far-off and ambiguous, it’s specific and communicates the direct impacts that environmental damage can cause.

Alternative Renewables

Solar and wind energy have had the renewable energy spotlight for some time. Now, other renewable resources such as geothermal and biomass energy, are having their turn at bat. Solar and wind still play a huge and ever-expanding role, of course, but energy companies, government and individuals are starting to explore other options as well.

Smart Everything

The role of smart technology is continuing expand in Europe, as it is elsewhere. More and more devices are now equipped with sensors and internet connectivity, enabling them to collect data and share it with other devices. Artificial intelligence can then help derive useful insights from this information.

Smart cities run on renewable energy, microgrids and energy efficiency. Internet of Things technology can help grid operators to better understand energy demand, making it easier to match production to consumption and distribute energy optimally. Smart buildings and appliances also play a role in using energy more efficiently. Many of these buildings are also equipped with solar panels.

Marine Conservation

Protecting the oceans is expected to be a major focus in 2018. Biodegradable alternatives to plastic will likely become more common, and we’ll see fewer disposable plastic products. The use of natural ingredients will become even more prominent.

Smart technology, especially IoT, driving sustainability in Europe

Some of the new consumer outreach campaigns from companies will focus on their recycling efforts, their reduced use of plastic and how customers can properly dispose of or recycle packaging and products.

More emphasis will also be placed on recycling plastics and using products made from recycled plastics, especially recycled ocean plastics. Almost half of consumers in the UK say they have an interest in purchasing fashion items made with recycled plastic.

These six trends are expected to be among the biggest sustainability trends in Europe this year. Which do you think will spread to Middle East, and which will remain for the most part in Europe?

How Can You Pick the Ideal Moissanite Bracelet for Your Style?

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One of the most popular and adaptable categories of accessories is bracelets. It’s impossible to say when or how this accessory gained such a following, but it’s safe to say that its significance grows with each passing day and season. However, premium moissanite requires a magnifying microscope to see the inclusions. Selecting the highest clarity option will ensure that your moissanite will shine. They range from basic leather bands and metal cuffs to bold bead Moissanite tennis bracelets and copper chains.

how to choose moissanite bracelet

Sorting through all these choices could seem like a challenging undertaking, but don’t worry! Only pricey metals and stones will work for this accessory when worn as part of a grand wedding ensemble. Moissanite, one of the royal stones, has gained popularity recently. Here is a guide explaining the rationale behind selecting the ideal moissanite band based on your requirements.

Select the appropriate size

Like diamonds, the unit of measurement for moissanite is carats. Nevertheless, moissanite is typically less costly than diamonds, allowing you to purchase a larger stone for the same amount. Consider the recipient’s preferred style and finger size when selecting the carat size.

Seek excellence

Not all moissanites get created equal because it’s a lab-grown gemstone. Seek for moissanite stones of superior quality that exhibit outstanding clarity, colour, and cut. The brilliance and sparkle of premium moissanite stones will be at their highest.

Verification and Validation

Make sure an authenticity certificate gets included with the moissanite gem. Reputable jewellers offer proof of origin and quality of the stone through documentation. It guarantees that you will get a moissanite of the calibre.

Think About Layering Jewellery

You can have fun with your look by layering various bracelet kinds. To start the trend of stacking bracelets, pick one that goes well with the ones you already own. Consider whether you can wear the Moissanite tennis bracelets with other items. These days, stacked bracelets are incredibly fashionable and provide a distinctive style that any woman would love to try with her existing jewellery.

Determine patterns and colour options

Everybody always needs diamond bracelets to show off their style and go well with the rest of their outfit. However, as we already discussed, always make design decisions based on your personality. Choose to play around with colours, materials, and designs if you’re adventurous and fun. Seek out that which will fulfil you more than anything else. The most crucial element is that it must be completely comfortable.

Observe how long the sleeve is

Wearing personalised jewellery is pointless if all you do is hide it under your sleeve. Your sleeve should be approximately three-quarters of its length. A longer one will affect the elegance and style of your ensemble. Recall that long sleeves may get tucked under the bracelet, which would be uncomfortable.

Steer clear of over-analyzing

While layering bracelets is a great idea, don’t go overboard with the accessories. Overaccessorizing can ruin any look by making it seem careless and uninspired. You can pair your bracelets, though how you choose to layer them is up to you. It is best to forgo wearing additional accessories if you intend to wear multiple bracelets. When in doubt, adhere to fundamental guidelines to maintain a simple style. Trustworthy jewellers can offer advice on how to put together an eye-catching look for any situation.

Lucidity

Moissanite’s inclusions or flaws determine how clear it is. There are flaws of some kind in every gemstone. However, a magnifying microscope is required to view the inclusions in premium bracelets. Selecting the highest clarity available will guarantee that your moissanite jewellery will sparkle for a long time.

Shapes of gemstones

After going over the essentials, how should one select a gemstone shape? It is a matter of preference, with a brilliant round cut shape being the most traditional and widely used. Perfectly proportioned stone that is symmetrically cut and faceted to maximise incoming light, with each facet reflecting against the others to intensify that unique sparkle.

Client support

Pick a jeweller with top-notch customer support. They ought to be able to respond to any inquiries you might have and be informed about the bracelet. They should also be easy to get along with and respond quickly.

The cut of moissanite

Different methods grade gemstones. Checking the kind and calibre of their cut is one method used to achieve this. Most notably, the bracelet comes in many shapes, sizes, and cuts. Its brilliance and fire come from the cut. You might be unsure about your options due to the wide variety of moissanite shapes and cuts available on the market. Nonetheless, the round moissanite cut is the most popular and appealing choice for many brides. The princess cut, oval, marquise, triangle, and so forth are more shapes.

Lifetime Promise

Selecting Moissanite engagement bracelets with a lifetime guarantee has certain advantages. First of all, they last a lifetime. You want her to adore your engagement bracelets as much as you do. And they are meant to be worn. As one of the few gemstones that never fades, moissanite bracelets will safeguard her investment thanks to the guarantee.

Freshwater Management Outlook for UAE

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Per capita water consumption of freshwater in the United Arab Emirates is the highest in the world. Over the last several decades, the demand on municipal water supply has increased significantly in the UAE. This is mainly due to increase in population growth, economic development and changes in lifestyle of the people. Though water is used by many sectors such as manufacturing industries, agriculture and domestic purposes, residential  and commercial uses of water during the operational phase of the building is one of the biggest contributing factors that puts a strain on freshwater supply in the country.

desalination-jebel-ali

Desalination and Sustainability

Due to lack of existing freshwater sources in the UAE, limited annual rainfall, high water evaporation rate, the only source of potable water in the region is the desalinated of sea water. The desalinated water contains huge amount of embedded energy due to the process involved in producing it. Apart from energy use, there are many other environmental and socio-economic issues associated with desalinated water. To name a few, there are multiple issues associated with the disposal of brine, salt intrusion, and the high costs of its production.

Forecasts show that the demand for desalinated water is expected to double by 2030. Not only the potable water production creates the problem, but also the resulting wastewater generated by the users poses many sustainability challenges such as putting strain on treatment facilities, land and surface water contamination due to overflow of untreated water, disposal of treatment sludge and expensive to production method. Hence, the management of water is considered as one of the most important challenges for the United Arab Emirates.

To deal with freshwater management challenges in UAE, it is important to bring a balance between water supply and demand side. This can be done by employing strategies to increase water efficiency and conservation. These strategies include reduce the use of potable water where possible, find alternative source of water for various water usage and increase the water efficiency of fixtures and equipment. Efficient strategies along with water monitoring that tracks water consumption and identifies problems can significantly reduce both indoor and outdoor water consumption.

Ways to Implement Water Efficiency Strategies

The best way to implement water efficiency in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah etc is to develop a comprehensive water strategy at the early stage of project design for both indoor and outdoor water use reduction. The indoor comprehensive water strategy must include the baseline building interior water consumption information based on number of occupants in the building and the flow fixtures and other strategies used.

It is required to do calculations for the both baseline water use and projected indoor potable water use based on the fixture and flow rates. The water use reduction targets can be achieved by using water efficient fixtures and appliances and by using recycled water where possible.

To achieve the targets of exterior water use efficiency and reduction, the project team has to develop water reduction strategies for outdoors at the early stage of the design. The strategies should include provision of metering facilities on all exterior water use and provision of easily accessible and clearly labelled water meters that are capable of monitoring water consumption for water uses in heat rejection, external hose bibs, irrigation system, swimming pools, water features etc.

drip-irrigation-gcc

Similarly, at the early stage of design, develop a Landscaping and Irrigation Operation and Maintenance plan. This should contain information on plant species, irrigation strategies to be used and strategies to use recycled water. The low water-use landscaping strategies include carrying out the baseline and design case calculation of building water use, developing a site plan showing the landscape areas, areas of hardscape and softscape along with their irrigation requirements.

Strategies to minimise landscaping water demands should be done through appropriate plant selection, irrigation system and recycled water use. Similarly, develop strategies to reduce potable water use for heat rejection and exterior water features.

Conclusion

Use of large volume of water for building operation not only puts strain on municipal water supply and causes negative impacts on the environment but also increases the maintenance and life cycle costs of the building operations. It also increases the consumer’s costs for additional municipal water supply and treatment facilities. Hence, various water efficiency measures can reduce water use in average buildings by 20% or more.

Many of the water conservation strategies have no additional cost implication or provide rapid payback while other strategies such as wastewater treatment systems and greywater plumbing system often require substantial investment. The main strategies that should be considered for water use reduction in United Arab Emirates are installation of efficient plumbing fixtures, use of non-potable water, installation of submeters, use of native adaptive plant species, xeriscaping, mulching and efficient irrigation systems.

My Little Paper Recycling Project

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Paper industry is considered as one of the world’s largest consumers of fossil fuels and biggest industrial polluter. The industry is criticized by environmental groups for being responsible for massive deforestation around the world. With the use of modern technology such as the printing press and the highly mechanised harvesting of wood, paper has become a cheap commodity. This has led to a high level of consumption and waste. Worldwide consumption of paper has risen by 400% in the past 40 years, with 35% of harvested trees being used for paper manufacture.

paper recycling project for schools

Paper wastes constitute as much as one-fourth of the solid wastes stream in the Middle East. Infact the percentage of paper wastes in municipal solid waste is around 28 percent in GCC countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. These grim statistics are a major wake-up call for all concerned stakeholders to cut down on paper consumption and adopt paper recycling in a big way. High paper consumption and waste generation rate in the Middle East makes it imperative on regional countries to embrace the sustainable waste management strategy involving Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Why Recycling?

Material recycling process is one of the best ways to protect the environment. Waste management can be initiated in private households and organizations by minimizing the consumption of electricity, water, food, paper etc.

Recycling is processing used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for “conventional” waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Use of 3Rs of waste management can also reduce dependence on landfills, protect environment, conserve natural resources and also generate revenues.

How to Make Pencils from Paper Wastes

I started this project last year in my college to encourage and motivate students to recycle papers. Like other educational institutions, paper consumption is very high in our college and I devised a simple cost-effective method to transform old papers and magazines into a high-quality quality pencil which can be used at school or at work. The following materials are required to start your paper recycling project.

  • White Glue
  • Lead from any stationary store
  • Old newspapers
  • Pencil for drawing lines
  • Ruler
  • Scissor

Step 1

Use 4 to 5 pages of the newspaper and measure the right size for the lead which is about 18 cm length x 10cm width. You can also draw with the pencil to make sure it fits the right size of the lead.

pencil from old newspaper

Step 2

Cut the newspaper following the lines you have drawn and it will look like a rectangle shape.

pencil from paper waste

Step 3

Apply glue at the edge of the rectangle shaped-paper and place the lead to start the rolling process.

pencil from newspaper

Step 4

Carefully roll the paper with lead inside by using glue at fixed intervals.

how to make pencil from paper waste

Step 5

After finishing the rolling process, let it dry for few minutes. Re-start the rolling process with another piece of newspaper until the pencil is of the same size as a regular wood pencil. Finally, your pencil, which will be same as a normal wooden pencil, is ready for use.

pencil from waste paper

What Can You Do?

Be an active part of your local environmental community by participating and organizing paper recycling campaigns at your school, college or organizations. This also works when you are at home by sending reminders and emails through social networks and building global communities by sharing recycling ideas and activities that people can adapt while they are moving on their daily activities.

Please propagate this environmental message among your friends and co-workers. These 5 simple steps have the potential to make a big impact on the environment. Don’t forget that recycling a ton of paper saves 17 trees and 3.3 cubic yards in landfill space!

ما هي الفوائد البيئية للسيارات الكهربائية؟

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يبتعد الناس عن قيادة المركبات التي تعمل بالغاز بمعدل هائل لأسباب مالية وبيئية. لقد نظرنا في بعض المجالات الرئيسية حيث سيفيدنا استخدام السيارات الكهربائية في المناطق التي نعيش فيها ومن ناحية مادية. بالنظر إلى أن أول سيارة تسلا توفرت على الطريق قبل أقل من عشرين عامًا (2003)، فقد شهدنا تحولًا جذريًا نحو السيارات الكهربائية من الشركات المصنعة الصغيرة وصولًا إلى كبرى شركات إنتاج السيارات. هذا التحول له فوائد بيئية هائلة لنا جميعًا وسيستمر في القيام بذلك للأجيال القادمة.

electric-car

  1. الهواء النقي في أحيائنا

إذا كنت قد عشت أو زرت مدينة أو بلدة رئيسية، فستلاحظ نوعية الهواء الرديئة التي تسببها السيارات والشاحنات التقليدية التي تعمل بالغاز. من خلال التحول إلى المركبات التي تعمل بالكهرباء، نقوم على الفور بتحسين جودة الهواء في أحيائنا. لتشغيل سياراتنا الكهربائية، ما زلنا بحاجة إلى الوقود، ولكن باستخدام الشبكة الرئيسية للحصول على هذا الوقود، نساعد في جعل الهواء أنظف بالقرب من منازلنا ومكاتبنا.

وفقًا لمؤشر جودة الهواء في العالم، تأتي جميع الأرقام المرتفعة من المناطق الحضرية، مثل بكين ومومباي، حيث يتم قيادة ملايين المركبات القياسية. لحسن الحظ، بالنسبة لكل من الصين والهند، يدرك كلا البلدين الفوائد الاقتصادية والبيئية للكهرباء في المستقبل المنظور.

  1. ارتفاع الشعبية

السيارات الكهربائية ليست اختراعًا جديدًا، لكن التكنولوجيا التي تقف وراءها (خاصة البطاريات) جعلت منها خيارًا قابلاً للتطبيق للسائقين العاديين فقط مؤخرًا. يوجد لدى العديد من البلدان حوافز لجعل امتلاك سيارة كهربائية أكثر جاذبية، وقد ساعد ذلك في زيادة عدد الأشخاص الذين يختارون السيارات الكهربائية بدلاً من السيارة التي تعمل بالغاز. في مسح أسترالي حديث، وجد أن 54.1٪ سيختارون الكهرباء لأسباب بيئية، بينما صوت البقية لسهولة الاستخدام والتكلفة الإجمالية الأرخص.

نمت مبيعات السيارات الكهربائية بشكل كبير في دول مثل النرويج التي تقدم العديد من الحوافز لتشجيع المستخدمين على التبديل. ما يقرب من نصف مبيعات السيارات في النرويج العام الماضي كانت للسيارات الكهربائية. بالنظر إلى أن النرويج لديها احتياطيات ضخمة من النفط والغاز، فإن هذا يوضح مدى تصميمها على التحول إلى الكهرباء.

  1. وفورات في التكاليف

لا تزال السيارات الكهربائية أكثر تكلفة للشراء مقارنة بالسيارات التي تعمل بالغاز، ولكن هذا التناقض يقل كل عام. التكلفة الرئيسية للسيارات الكهربائية هي البطاريات التي تشغلها، ومع تحسن التكنولوجيا، تنخفض هذه التكاليف بشكل طبيعي. في الولايات المتحدة، وفقًا لدراسة أجريت في جامعة ميشيغان، كشفت تكلفة الوقود للكهرباء مقابل البنزين عن توفير أكثر من خمسين بالمائة لصالح الكهرباء.

علاوة على فواتير الوقود السنوية، يجب أيضًا مراعاة أن السيارات الكهربائية لا تحتاج إلى نفس القدر من الصيانة السنوية، وذلك بفضل عدد أقل من الأجزاء المتحركة. لا نزال بحاجة إلى نفس الصيانة للإطارات، والمكابح، والتعليق، ولكن لا شيء للمحرك نفسه حيث لا يوجد سوى جزء متحرك واحد. نظرًا لأن العديد من مصنعي السيارات يقدمون ضمانات طويلة للغاية على حزم البطاريات، يمكنك القيادة بأمان لسنوات قبل أن تحتاج إلى الاستثمار في الصيانة لإبقاء السيارة على الطريق.

  1. تحسين البيئة

نحن نعلم بالفعل أن استخدام السيارات الكهربائية سيؤدي على الفور إلى تحسين جودة الهواء في المناطق الحضرية. ينصب التركيز الأكبر على كيفية تحسين السيارات التي لا تعمل بالغاز على البيئة ككل. في المناطق التي يكون فيها ذلك ممكنًا، نرى الآن الحكومات تستثمر في بدائل الطاقة المتجددة مثل الطاقة الشمسية وطاقة الرياح والمد والجزر. مع اعتمادنا المتزايد على الكهرباء، نرى العديد من الشركات والبلدان تتطلع إلى إيجاد طرق أنظف لتوليد الطاقة.

يمكن أن تكون الطاقة النووية مصدرًا نظيفًا جدًا للطاقة، لكن لها عيوبها، كما شوهد بعد كارثة تسونامي في فوكوشيما، وهو الحدث الذي أدى إلى كارثة نووية. إن أفضل حل لتوليد الطاقة الكهربائية هو أن يكون لديك شبكة واسعة من المصادر المتجددة، والتي يمكنها التعامل مع الطلبات الهائلة المفروضة على شبكاتنا الوطنية. من خلال استخدام الطاقة النظيفة، سنقلل من اعتمادنا على الوقود الأحفوري، والذي بدوره سيقلل من عدد الغازات الضارة التي يتم إطلاقها في الغلاف الجوي كل عام.

  1. خلق اقتصاد جديد

أدت الحاجة إلى الطاقة النظيفة إلى خلق اقتصاد جديد كان وسيستمر في النمو لتلبية الطلب. كانت آخر مرة رأينا فيها اقتصادًا جديدًا عندما بدأ الإنترنت كأداة أساسية للأعمال التجارية. يستثمر العديد من منتجي البترول الآن بكثافة في الطاقة المتجددة، بما في ذلك الطاقة الشمسية والمد والجزر وطاقة الرياح والطاقة الحرارية الأرضية، للبقاء في قمة سوق إنتاج الطاقة. أدى الاستثمار المستمر في مصادر الطاقة المتجددة إلى خلق العديد من الوظائف للمهندسين ومصانع الإنتاج لتكون قادرة على خدمة السوق الآخذة في التوسع.

  1. التحول للأخضر

لا يتعلق الأمر بما إذا كنت ستشتري سيارة كهربائية، ولكن الأمر يتعلق بموعد ذلك. مع توفر العديد من الحوافز لأولئك الذين يختارون شراء سيارة كهربائية اليوم، أصبح سبب عدم إجراء التغيير أقل وضوحًا. تحقق مع ولايتك المحلية لمعرفة التخفيضات الضريبية والحوافز المتاحة لديهم. قد يكون شراء الكهرباء أرخص مما كنت تعتقد، والأهم من ذلك، إذا قررت اتخاذ القرار، يمكنك أن تطمئن إلى أنك ستساهم في مستقبل أنظف وأكثر اخضرارًا لنا جميعًا.

ترجمه:

بلال رجب استشاري في مجال الطاقة. لديه خبرة في أسواق الطاقة الدولية، وتقنيات تحويل الطاقة المستدامة، وأبحاث الأطر التنظيمية ذات الصلة. بالإضافة إلى كفاءة الطاقة وأنظمة إدارة الطاقة. وهو حاصل على درجة البكالوريوس مع مرتبة الشرف في هندسة الطاقة المستدامة والمتجددة وماجستير في علوم وهندسة المواد من معهد مصدر في أبوظبي، وهي جامعة موجهة نحو الأبحاث وتركز على الطاقات البديلة والاستدامة والبحوث البيئية، في برنامج مصمم بالتعاون مع معهد ماساتشوستس للتكنولوجيا (MIT) في الولايات المتحدة. وهو مدير طاقة معتمد (CEM) وخبير معتمد في القياس والتحقق (CMVP) من جمعية مهندسي الطاقة. كما أنه حاصل على شهادة (LEED Green Associate) لإتقان مبادئ المباني الخضراء.

5 Common Types of Mental Disorders

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Mental disorders are on the upswing around the world and many people feel stigmatized and isolated due to lack of awareness and understanding about this important health issue. To simplify, a mental disorder is the disturbance in an individual’s thinking, feeling, or behavior which causes distress in social, work, or family life and prevents you from living a normal life.

Like other physical health issues, mental disorders also need specialized treatment through therapeutic techniques and/or medication. It is essential to know the common types of mental disorders as different kinds of mental illness have different impact of the individual, besides variation in symptoms from person-to-person.

There are more than 200 types of mental disorders officially recognized by the healthcare community which can be categorized into 5 groups. Read on to know more about the common types of mental illnesses:

1. Anxiety Disorders

Excessive worrying and frequent bouts of fear/apprehension are the characteristic features of all anxiety disorders. The main types of anxiety disorders include panic disorder and phobias. Many people experience panic attacks when doing usually common things like a stage appearance or a job interview. The major fallout of excessive anxiety is the avoidance of school, workplace and social get-togethers situations and, if left untreated, the symptoms may worsen leading to frequent panic attacks, nightmares, obsessive thinking, headaches, nausea etc.

anxiety-disorder

The common diagnosis of anxiety disorders includes panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Social phobia (social anxiety disorder), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

2. Mood Disorders

Mood swings are quite common in our society but people afflicted by mood disorders experience serious symptoms and disruption which impacts both mental and psychological well-being on a day-to-day basis. Almost 10 percent of the world’s population – children, teens and adults – suffer from some kind of mood disorder with the most common conditions being depression, dysthymia, substance-induced mood disorder and bipolar disorder.

In the long run, mood disorders have a negative impact on role functioning, quality of life and may also precipitate chronic physical health issues, such as heart disease. Cognitive psychotherapy is an effective technique to treat mood disorders, such as anger.

3. Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness in which people interpret reality abnormally.  Due to disruption in both cognitive and emotional function, people with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking leading to impaired everyday functioning. The common symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, hearing voices, social withdrawal, incoherent speech, abnormal reasoning and delusions.

talk-therapy

Usually, people with schizophrenia need lifelong treatment, though treatment in early stages may keep symptoms under control. It is important to note that suicidal tendencies are common in people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

4. Dementia

Dementia is a common mental disorder among elders marked by degradation in cognitive function, beyond what expected from the normal ageing process. It is caused by a range of diseases and injuries that affect the brain, such as paralysis, head trauma, CJD disease, Parkinson’s disease, or Alzheimer’s disease and leads to severe disruption of consciousness, learning capacity, language, memory loss and motor skills.

Usually, dementia induced by a particular disease is irreversible and the treatment is primarily supportive with extra efforts required from the family and care-givers.

5. Eating disorders

Eating disorders include an array of psychological, chronic conditions that can be life-threatening. The common causes of eating disorders are obsession with food or addiction of a particular food item, body weight, or body shape, which is usually experienced during adolescence, especially in females.

This kind of mental disorder is marked by reduction in food intake, excessive eating and obsessive concern about body weight, body shape or poor self-image. The common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

Conclusion

There are different types of mental disorders, with different symptoms and effects. Mental disorders lead to abnormal thoughts, and changes in perceptions, emotions, behaviour and social relationships. Mental disorder is no longer a stigma and there are effective therapies and medications available to cure mental illnesses.

Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Gaza: Perspectives

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There are multiple constraints which limit the development of more sustainable and resilient urban agriculture in the Gaza Strip (and the West Bank). Current urban development policies, land use classification systems and planning have ignored to recognise urban agriculture as a land use category and urban development strategy.

Furthermore, there is still a lack of research on participatory urban agricultural development, improved production techniques, urban policies and strategies related to agricultural land use. Policy and institutional reform initiatives will be significant to enhance the potential of urban agriculture for food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable urbanisation.

urban-agriculture

Agricultural Land Availability and Access in Gaza

In recent years, there has been a steady decline in the area of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip to currently about 100,000 Dunum, for many reasons. The most important include accelerated population growth (3.5%), urban sprawl and increasing conversion of agricultural land for housing. This coupled to restricted access resulting from the Israeli occupation, including the establishment of the buffer zone of about 17,000 Dunum along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, comprising ca. 15% of the –generally very fertile- agricultural land in the Gaza Strip.

This buffer zone is classified as “Access Restricted Area (ARA)” and runs from Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip to Rafah in the south, making access to agricultural land in this area, traditionally famous for the cultivation of tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons and onions amongst others, unsafe and a danger to the farmers.

In addition, fragmentation of agricultural property (1 to 3 Dunum per farmer) implies that (urban) agriculture in Gaza is – to a large extent – is often being done on small land areas. In combination with the poverty of the majority of the producers, scarcity and low quality of available inputs and water, this leads to low investments in the land and low productivity.

Water Availability and Quality

The rapid population growth during the last two decades has also led to the increase in water consumption for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. Estimated current annual water consumption of 160 million cubic meters surpasses twice the 80 million cubic meters feeding the Gaza aquifer.  This has resulted in increased intrusion of salt water into the aquifer, rendering this unsuitable for human consumption and agricultural use. Lack of adequate wastewater disposal and treatment, threatens further environmental contamination and human health risks.

In this situation of scarcity of fresh drinking water, which are far less than the international standards of 500 cubic meters per capita per year, the large proportion of citizens (about 70%) are forced to buy water for drinking and domestic use, which increases the economic burden for thousands of families.

Current limited government, institutional and local community initiatives for rain water harvesting projects (for example from the roofs of greenhouses) and treatment of greywater and sewage water for agricultural uses, should be intensified; next to other strategies for drinking water supply (e.g. desalinisation of sea water).

Fisheries

There are about 3,600 fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Being confined by a fishing area of ​​not more than 3 nautical miles, the annual output of the fishing sector in Gaza ranges from 2,000 to 2,500 tons, compared to the actual annual consumption of more than 8,000 tons per year. Some encouraging alternatives to marine fishing are being developed in form of private aquaculture farming projects.

Future of Agriculture in Gaza

Restricted access to (quality) land, sea and water, coupled to limited availability of good quality seeds and breeds, has resulted in a decline in the percentage of self-sufficiency for some agricultural products to about 50%. There is also a decline in livestock production on which the Bedouin life in the Gaza Strip traditionally relied on.

Generally, donor agencies have prioritised “more food imports” and programmes for “food assistance” and “free donations” as a response to food insecurity and poverty in the Gaza Strip and also in the West Bank. These programmes have often been leading to more dependency on direct household assistance and on international markets and increasing vulnerability for food price fluctuations (especially for Gaza with border closures; export restrictions; high import taxes and with an urban population spending a large part of their income on food).

Urban agriculture can mitigate food security concerns in Gaza (Photo by entrepreneur entrepreneur Feras Bakri)

Most projects aiming at strengthening agricultural value chains also had a focus on cash crops and export. Again export restrictions in Gaza hamper development of such export chains; while focus on cash crops, resulted in a shift from local to foreign markets; and an increase in use of scarce quality water resources, fertilisers and pesticides (increasing expenses for producers and with negative environmental and health impacts; soil and water pollution).

The shift from food crops (vegetables, fruits, field crops) to cash crops (strawberries, ornamental flowers) also led Gaza to now needing to import certain field crops, vegetables and fruits (with resulting price increases, increasing vulnerability to price hikes and deteriorating local food security).

There is a need to re-focus on food crops (field crops, vegetables, fruits, animal products, honey, fish) and strengthening of the local food system to ensure less dependency on international markets, lower ecological foot/food print, lower vulnerability to shocks due to climate change and military and other occupational measures that affect urban agriculture production and hence could alleviate the actual economic crisis in Gaza.

Everything You Need To Know About Green Roofs

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Green roofs are emerging technologies that can provide a wide range of tangible and intangible benefits to communities interested in enhancement of their environment. Green roof development involves the construction of a vegetative layer on top of a building adding green space to areas that would otherwise be unused.

The major benefits of green roofs are reducing energy use as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing stormwater management and water quality, decreasing urban heat island effect by regulating temperature for the roof and the surrounding areas and providing aesthetic value and habitats for many species.

green-roof

What are Green Roofs?

Green roofs mainly consist of a vegetation layer consisting of trees, plants, and other shrubs, a substrate layer where water is retained and in which the vegetation is secured, and a drainage layer which helps to evacuate excess water. The depth of the substrate layer is how the two main types of green roofs are differentiated. Green roofs can be intensive or extensive.

Types of Green Roofs

Intensive green roofs are thicker, more than 15 cm deep, which allows for the growth of a wider variety of plants including trees and shrubs.  However these roofs are heavier, more expensive and require more maintenance and irrigation.  Extensive roofs, on the other hand, are covered in only a light layer of vegetation, less than 15 cm, and are primarily made up of shrubs, low-growing sedums, and herbs. Unlike the plants on an intensive green roof, the extensive vegetation is typically self-sustaining apart from the bi-yearly maintenance when the beds need to be weeded and fertilized.

Because of their weight and function intensive roofs are usually used on commercial buildings.  Commercial buildings tend to be made out of concrete and can support heavier weight loads than traditional homes.  Once the plants are installed and the soil is moist these rooftop green spaces can weigh as much as 150 pounds per square foot. They also tend to have more room to include benches, tables, greenhouses, fountains and walkways that travel between different features of the green roof and provide space where people can interact with the natural surroundings. Intensive roofs tend to be more attractive than extensive roofs and can offer people a place to relax, eat or work in park-like settings.

Extensive roofs on the other hand because of their low weight tend to be more often suitable for residential type buildings or sheds and barns.  Extensive green roofs are the simplest to install and are very often added to existing roofs. Depending on the source you look at these roofs may add 10 to 35 pounds per square foot to a roof’s load.  Drought-tolerant plants and grass are the most common used vegetation on an extensive green roof due to their low water requirements and the shallowness of their roots.

Benefits of Green Roofs

Green roofs can be placed on both old and new buildings. The green roof system can either be modular, with drainage layers, guttering, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, often interlocking grids, or loose laid/ built-up where each component of the system may be installed separately.

green-roof

Reports vary on installation costs but on average extensive green roof range between $8 and $20 per square foot and intensive green roofs range between $15 and $50 per square foot.  This compared to a traditional roof installation which averages about $16 dollars per square foot the green roof installation costs tend to be much higher. Although a higher installation cost is required, the green roof undoubtedly offers more benefits than a traditional roof may offer.

Green roofs have the potential to reduce energy demands two ways: absorbing heat and acting as insulators for buildings.  Adding a layer of soil and plants to a roof adds insulation to the building it covers.  Since roofs are the site of the greatest heat loss in the winter and the hottest temperatures in the summer, the greater insulation offered by green roofs can decrease the amount of energy required to moderate the temperature of a building.

Furthermore, reducing the demand for energy consequently reduces air pollution. By lowering air conditioning demand, green roofs can decrease the production of associated air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2, coming from power plants.  Additionally, because plants through photosynthesis convert atmospheric CO2 into oxygen, the plants on green roofs can help filter harmful noxious gases in the air and reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.

لماذا السيارات الصديقة للبيئة مهمة؟

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يعد قطاع النقل أكبر مصدر لانبعاثات غازات الدفيئة في العديد من البلدان، يرجع السبب الأكبر إلى السيارة التقليدية، حيث تمثل المركبات أكثر من نصف الانبعاثات من قطاع النقل. السيارة النموذجية ينبعث منها غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون والعديد من المواد الكيميائية الضارة الأخرى التي تضر بالبيئة وصحة الإنسان. وهذا يجعل من قيادة السيارة المناسبة ضرورة ملحّة الآن أكثر من أي وقت مضى.

تعد قيادة سيارة صديقة للبيئة وسيلة رائعة لمساعدة صحة الإنسان والبيئة. حيث تطلق السيارات الخضراء مواد كيميائية أقل ضرراً في الهواء، حيث أنه تنبعث منها مركبات كربونية منخفضة عند التشغيل. الفقرة التالة تساعد في معرفة الأسباب المختلفة التي تجعل السيارات الصديقة للبيئة مهمة جدا، وكيف يمكن أن تساعد في منع المزيد من الأضرار التي تلحق بالبيئة.

electric-car

أثر التلوث على البيئة

يعد تلوث السيارات أحد الأسباب الرئيسية للاحتباس الحراري. غازات الاحتباس الحراري وثاني أكسيد الكربون التي تنبعث من السيارات ينتهي بها الأمر محاصرة ومحبوسة في الغلاف الجوي. وقد يسبب هذا في ارتفاع درجات الحرارة ومستويات سطح البحر في جميع أنحاء العالم على مر السنين. مع استمرار تأثير تلوث السيارات في ظاهرة الاحتباس الحراري، يمكنك أيضًا توقع زيادة حدة العواصف والفيضانات والجفاف.

تسبب ارتفاع درجة الحرارة في ذوبان القمم الجليدية والأنهار الجليدية، ولم يؤدي ذلك إلى ارتفاع مستوى سطح البحر فحسب، بل أدى أيضًا إلى ارتفاع درجات الحرارة. سيكون له تأثير على الأعاصير أيضًا، حيث تزداد قوة العواصف مع ارتفاع درجات حرارة سطح المحيط.

تؤثر المواد الكيميائية التي تنبعث من المركبات أيضًا على جودة الهواء والتربة والمياه. حيث تسببت المواد الكيميائية المختلفة في إضعاف طبقة الأوزون وفي هطول أمطار حمضية. علاوة على ذلك، فإن ضعف طبقة الأوزون يعرض الأرض للأشعة فوق البنفسجية الضارة من الشمس. تتسبب الأمطار الحمضية في مزيد من الضرر، مما يؤثر سلبًا على المحاصيل والغابات وجميع البيئات المائية حيث يطلق الألومنيوم إلى التربة ويجعل المياه في البيئات المائية حمضية.

كيف يضر التلوث بمنطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا

إذا كنت تريد مثالاً على كيفية تأثير التلوث الناتج عن المركبات على البيئة، فانظر إلى منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. لقد عانت المنطقة من موجات حرارة أكثر حدة، وموجات جفاف أطول، وعواصف ترابية أكثر من أي وقت مضى. كما شهد الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا مواسم أطول وأكثر جفافاً وهذا يجعل من زراعة المحاصيل أمرًا صعبًا على المزارعين.

المنطقة العربية من بين أسوأ البلدان أداءً في نوعية الهواء

إذا ما استمرت السيارات التقليدية في أن تكون وسيلة النقل الأكثر شيوعا، فإن البيئة سوف تصبح أسوأ. فسوف تزداد منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا حرارة وجفافاً وقد لا تسمح هذه الظروف للمزارعين بزراعة أي محاصيل، مما يعني أن عدداً أكبر بكثير من الناس سيكونون بلا عمل. على الرغم من أنها واحدة من أكثر المناطق سخونة في العالم، إلا أن درجات الحرارة سوف تستمر في الارتفاع.

التلوث وصحة الإنسان

المواد المختلفة للمركبات التي يتم إطلاقها في الهواء لا تؤثر فقط على البيئة، ولكن أيضا صحتك. أول أكسيد الكربون والمواد الكيميائية الأخرى التي تنبعث من سيارتك النموذجية يمكن أن تضر بك شخصياً. حيث تؤثر المواد الكيميائية على جودة الهواء الذي تتنفسه.

عدم وجود هواء نقي كالذي من المفترض أن تتنفسه يسبب أضرار بالجهاز التنفسي، وخاصة إذا كنت تعاني من الربو. ويمكن أيضا أن تكون هذه الغازات سرطانية. هناك العديد من أنواع السرطان الناجمة عن تلوث الهواء في الهواء الطلق، والمركبات تلعب دورا كبيرا في هذا الوضع.

electric-car

فوائد المركبات الصديقة للبيئة

مع ارتفاع درجة حرارة الأرض والمخاوف الصحية بسبب المواد الكيميائية التي تنتجها السيارات، من المهم شراء السيارة المناسبة وبيع سيارة الخردة الخاصة بك. شراء سيارة صديقة للبيئة هو الطريق الصحيح. إنها موجودة بأسعار معقولة أكثر مما كانت عليه في الماضي، وهذا الاستثمار هو وسيلة لمساعدة صحتك والعالم الذي تعيش فيه.

السيارات الهجينة والمركبات الكهربائية “صديقة للبيئة” لسبب ما. السيارات الكهربائية لا تحرق أي وقود. تعمل بالكهرباء فقط، مما يعني أنها لا تطلق أي مواد كيميائية ضارة في الهواء الذي تتنفسه. من ناحية أخرى، تختلف السيارات الهجينة عن السيارات التقليدية والكهربائية. حيث تمتلك السيارات الهجينة محركًا كهربائيًا ومحرك للاحتراق الداخلي، وهو ما تعمل عليه السيارة التقليدية. حقيقة أن السيارات الهجينة تمتلك محركين وتعتمد على الكهرباء في كثير من الأحيان تعني أنها تحرق وقودًا أقل من متوسط ​​سيارتك.

ترجمه:

بلال رجب استشاري في مجال الطاقة. لديه خبرة في أسواق الطاقة الدولية، وتقنيات تحويل الطاقة المستدامة، وأبحاث الأطر التنظيمية ذات الصلة. بالإضافة إلى كفاءة الطاقة وأنظمة إدارة الطاقة. وهو حاصل على درجة البكالوريوس مع مرتبة الشرف في هندسة الطاقة المستدامة والمتجددة وماجستير في علوم وهندسة المواد من معهد مصدر في أبوظبي، وهي جامعة موجهة نحو الأبحاث وتركز على الطاقات البديلة والاستدامة والبحوث البيئية، في برنامج مصمم بالتعاون مع معهد ماساتشوستس للتكنولوجيا (MIT) في الولايات المتحدة. وهو مدير طاقة معتمد (CEM) وخبير معتمد في القياس والتحقق (CMVP) من جمعية مهندسي الطاقة. كما أنه حاصل على شهادة (LEED Green Associate) لإتقان مبادئ المباني الخضراء.

Waste Management in Jeddah

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Jeddah, a major commercial hub in the Middle East, is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. Solid waste management is a big problem in Jeddah as the city’s population is increasing at a rapid pace and has now touched 3.5 million. More than 5,000 tons of solid waste is produced every day and Jeddah municipal authorities are finding it increasingly hard to cope with the problem of urban waste.

Jeddah_WasteManagement

The management of solid waste in Jeddah begins with collection of wastes from bins scattered across residential and commercial areas. Wastes is collected and sent to transfer stations from where it ultimately goes to the dumping site. Most of the MSW is disposed in the landfill facility at Buraiman which receives approximately 1.5 million tons of waste per year and has an expected lifespan of between 30 and 40 years.

Buraiman or (Almusk) Lake, has been the dumping site of Jeddah’s sewage wastewater for more than a decade. Wastewater accumulates in underground cesspools and then transported by truck tankers to the sewage lake. The lake lies in east of Jeddah within the catchment of Wadi Bani Malek at about 130m above mean sea level. It contains more than 10 million cubic meters of sewage water spread over an area of 2.88 km2.

The sewage lake has caused some wells in Jeddah to become poisoned due to raw sewage leaking into aquifers. Some studies have reported that water table under Jeddah is rising at 50cm per year which is attributed to the inflow of untreated sewage. As the only dumpsite for municipal sewage and industrial waste, Buraiman Lake is continuously increasing in size, constantly moving towards the south, and is now reported to be only three kilometres away from city houses.

Buraiman_Lake

Sewage trucks being emptied at the Buraiman Lake

The lake was created as a stopgap measure to deal with the increasing amounts of wastewater in the growing city. Jeddah’s residents use an estimated 200 litres of water per capita per day. The lake was to be used for depositing this water until a functioning sewage system was created. But plans were delayed because of inadequate funding. As 70 percent of Jeddah households are not connected to sewerage pipelines, wastewater accumulates in underground cesspools and later transported by lorries to Buraiman Lake.

About 50,000 cubic metres of water are transported to the 2.5 million square-metre lake each day. Only a small percentage of the wastewater from the remaining 30 per cent of Jeddah households goes to treatment plants for purification before being dumped in the Red Sea. Most of the waste water that is accumulated through pipes is dumped directly into the sea without purification.

Keeping in view the prevalent waste management scenario, Jeddah municipality is continuously seeking ways to develop city’s sewage treatment infrastructure. However, the current infrastructure is incapable of handling the present generation of raw sewage, leading to the continued storing untreated sewage at Buraiman Lake and dumping the remaining portion directly into the Red Sea.

How Agricultural Sector Can Help the Renewable Energy Sector?

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The continuous rise in fossil energy prices, combined with climate change concerns and progress in renewable energy sector, has catalyzed interest in clean energy systems across the MENA region, especially in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean region has abundant renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and biomass, which makes it a fertile zone for renewable energy developments.

The agricultural sector has played a key role in the progress of renewable energy sector around the world as it provides large areas where renewable energy projects are built and is also the predominant feedstock source for biomass energy projects. For example, agricultural sector accounts for one-fifth of the total installed PV capacity in Germany.

Wind_Agriculture

The main objective of this article is to explore the role that Mediterranean agricultural sector can play in tapping tremendous renewable energy potential available across the region.

Wind Energy

In countries where there is a lack of available land to build wind turbines, the agricultural sector is playing a key role by providing enough spaces. For instance, in Denmark farmer cooperatives are diversifying their incomes by investing in wind energy. Almost a quarter of wind energy sourced from wind turbines are owned by the Danish farmers. The same trend is taking place in Germany where farmers have established private companies to develop wind energy projects. Wind farms can be built in farms without any harmful impact on agricultural activities.

Wind energy potential is abundant across the Mediterranean region due to geographical location marked by a long coastline. The integration of wind energy projects in the agricultural sector is an interesting economic opportunity for agricultural enterprises in the region. However, as wind energy projects demand heavy capital, there is a need to mobilize funds to develop such projects.

In addition, there is need to create attractive financing mechanisms for farmers and to build their capacities in developing and managing wind projects. The development of wind energy projects owned by farmers will help them to have an extra revenue stream. It will also lead to decentralization of electricity production, which will not only reduce transmission losses but also decrease reliance on the national grid.

Solar Energy

The Mediterranean region receives one of the highest solar radiation in the world. Large availability of unexploited lands in the region, especially in the Eastern and Southern countries, makes solar energy systems, especially photovoltaics an attractive proposition for regional countries.  Agricultural farms in the Mediterranean region can use PV systems for domestic as well as commercial power generation.  In addition, there are a handful of applications in agricultural sector such as water pumping and irrigation.

irrigation-rural-area

Solar power systems are increasingly becoming common in rural areas

Off-grid photovoltaic systems ensure a reliable and completely autonomous water supply at low cost – without fuel-powered generators, battery systems or long power lines. Solar energy can make irrigation independent of grid power. Low-pressure drip irrigation systems can be operated with any photovoltaic-powered pump, making them ideal for areas not connected to the grid. Photovoltaic projects require low capital investment and can be developed at small-to-medium scales.

Biomass Energy

A variety of fuels can be produced from agricultural biomass resources including liquid fuels, such as ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and gaseous fuels, such as biogas, methane, hydrogen and methane. The agricultural resources include animal manure and crop residues derived primarily from maize, corn and small grains. A variety of regionally significant crops, such as cotton, sugarcane, rice, and fruit and nut orchards can also be a source of crop residues.

Globally, biofuels are most commonly used to power vehicles, heat homes, and for cooking. Biofuels are generally considered as offering many priorities, including sustainability, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, regional development, rural development, social structure and agriculture, and security of supply.

Jatropha-Plantation-Deseart

Jatropha Plantation in Thar Desert (India)

One of the species that is cultivated and exploited for these purposes is Jatropha curcas which is widely cultivated in Brazil and India for producing biodiesel. Jatropha can be successfully grown in arid regions of the Mediterranean for biodiesel production. These energy crops are highly useful in preventing soil erosion and shifting of sand-dunes. Infact, Jatropha is already grown at limited scale in some Middle East countries, especially Egypt,  and tremendous potential exists for its commercial exploitation.

Conclusion

The time has come for industries in the Mediterranean region, especially the agricultural sector, to undertake the shift necessary to contribute to sustainable development of the MENA region by making the best use of latest technological developments in renewable energy sector.

The Amazing Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

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Rainwater harvesting, or collection of rainfall, is not a new concept.  It is simply the collection of water in regions of the globe where there is frequent and regular rainfall. The collected water is stored for use at a later date. Typically, rainwater runs across the rooftops of buildings and is collected in rainwater tanks. This is very common in rural areas for local consumption. Water can also be collected in dams and reservoirs for community usage on a long-term basis.

why rainwater harvesting

The collection of rainwater from the roofs of buildings can easily take place within our cities and towns. Initial steps to capture rainwater is to direct the flow of water from the rooftops to gutters, and then to rainwater storage tanks.  This can be designed for individual or domestic use and scaled up for larger applications such as industry or agriculture.

 

In regions of water scarcity, such as the Middle East, this is a viable option worthy of consideration. Depending on the intended use of the rainwater, water treatment and purification may be required. In this article, we will focus on the feasibility of rainwater harvesting.

The Future of Rainwater Harvesting

The fact that we are using too much water is a reality across the globe.  With the rapid growth in the global population coupled with the impact of climate change, we, individually as well as collectively, need to be more responsible when it comes to how much water we use (or waste).

Rainwater harvesting is now being reinvented, especially in the construction sector. There is a substantial focus towards green buildings and sustainable water usage in urban development plans.  We have grown very accustomed to being able to turn on the water faucet and out flows pure, drinkable water. The reality is that water is a precious commodity that is rapidly diminishing in terms of availability and quality.

The monitoring of water usage and rainfall measurements needs to be more aggressive in terms of long term demands and predictions of future demands. The management of water resources and capacity demands needs to address the volumetric capacity of rain events as these figures will be far more valuable for long term planning and management of our precious and limited water resources.

There is also a great need for innovative and creative ways to harvest rainfall such as permeable road and pavement surfaces that can feed directly into municipal grey water supplies or be diverted to reservoir storage areas. The perception of greywater needs to be improved and more widely disseminated that it is a viable and safe option of water for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation, toilet flushing, etc. With adequate treatment, it could also be used in industrial plant cooling processes.

The Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

The capture of rainwater, either directly or indirectly, can significantly reduce our dependence on tapping into groundwater supplies.  In addition, it could be an attractive source of rejuvenating underground aquifers that have already been deleted due to reckless water consumption in urban areas with rapidly growing populations. More importantly, it is a means of managing surface water flooding and being one method of storm water control.

The concept of rainwater harvesting

On the domestic front, collecting and using rainwater could significantly reduce your household water bills as rainwater can be used for watering of green spaces, and exterior surface cleaning. Some of the best identified advantages of rainwater collection include the following:

  • It is low cost.
  • It can be free from chemicals if occurring in natural, open areas free of industrial development.
  • It will lead to greater food security at lower costs when used to irrigate crops.
  • It will reduce the demands on infrastructure provided by governments and municipalities in terms of water supply.
  • It will aid farmers by generating income, favor irrigation of crops and subsidize farm expenditures.
  • It will reduce soil erosion by wind and subsequent depletion of soils from agricultural areas.
  • It will reduce the amount of overland flow (excess rainfall on land) and subsequent pollution of waterways with soil.
  • It will reduce the amount of water pollution from agricultural practices whereby chemicals such as fertilizers and insecticides make their way into the waterways and which can then result in eutrophication.

The biggest overall benefit of rainwater harvesting is that it can potentially reduce the extent of flooding (not the threat of flooding), especially during the rainy season, if there is adequate infrastructure in place to capture, divert and store rainfall water. Even if not in a region of the globe with high rainfall, severe rainfall can occur periodically at such a rate that it causes severe flooding.

Therefore, in volumetric terms, this is very significant especially in water scarce regions of the globe. One such place that is now considering the possibilities of rainfall harvesting is in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Rainwater Harvesting in Bahrain

This is a very ambitious investigation being undertaken in the Kingdom of Bahrain to assess the feasibility of rainfall harvesting with the possibility of recharging ground water reserve areas. The investigation is an important component of the National Water Strategy (NWS) initiated in 2017. The study will assess the viable options for capturing winter rainfall when it does occur on the island.  This is not a regular or annual occurrence as Bahrain is in an extremely arid, water scarce region of the globe.

A triggering factor for this investigation was the extreme rain event encountered in the winter of 2017 when extreme flooding was experienced all across the Kingdom. The NWS is a component of the regional strategy, a Unified GCC Water Strategy for the time period: 1996-2035.

The overall objective is to manage any available water, even though it is periodic in nature. This is an attempt to conserve and manage water as efficiently as feasibly possible knowing how precious water is and how limited the resource is. The urgency for an efficient rainwater management system is hastened by the expanding population in the region that is almost solely supplied by desalinated water supplies.

The investigation is being conducted by the NWS under the directorship of Dr Waleed Zubari. The rainfall on the island is highly variable and sporadic in spatial and temporal terms. The infrequency of rainfall in conjunction with a very high evaporation rate in the region is very challenging.  However, with more extreme rainfall events occurring as a result of the changing climate does pose a possibility for sustainable methods to be implemented.

If the results of the study are favorable, this would help ease the burden on the Municipalities and also reduce demands on seawater desalination plants. Another viable alternative would be to upgrade and intensify grey water recovery and utilization.

Conclusion

The driving forces for considering rainwater harvesting as an option are because of the rapid increase in human population across the globe, the growing need for desalination plants, food security concerns and the fast depleting freshwater resources.