Aug 24 2010 |
more articles from
|
Abu Dhabi to save millions of cubic metres of water annually by banning Rhodes grass Grass ban to save huge amount of water
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010
Gulf News
Rhodes grass consumes 24,000 cubic metres of water annually
Abu Dhabi to phase out cultivation of crop used as principal animal feed in region
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is set to save an estimated millions of cubic metres of water annually by banning the cultivation of a water-intensive grass used as a principal animal feed, Gulf News has learnt.
The withdrawals are causing a decline in ground water levels and water quality in many areas.
The phase-out will eventually lead to a ban, Gulf News has learnt.
“We are considering the phasing out of the cultivation of rhodes grass which consumes a whopping 24000 cubic metres of water per hectare annually,” a ADFCA spokesman told Gulf News yesterday.
ADFCA Communication and Community Service director Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa said this was the first time ADFCA had phased out a crop to save water.
Al Reyaysa said there were 16,000 rhodes grass farms in the emirate. However the exact area of land being cultivated with rhodes grass, and the amount of water which might be saved by the phase-out, was not readily available.
In lieu of rhodes grass, the authority said it would supply four other types of high quality animal feed, to be imported from various countries, the official said.
Full report on www.gulfnews.com
Box story
Huge amount of water for agriculture
Abu Dhabi
More than 65 percent of water is consumed by the agriculture and forestry sectors alone; in comparison 23 per cent consumed by the domestic sector, according to a report produced by the Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in 2006, as Gulf News reported earlier.
“Unplanned and uncontrolled ground water withdrawals, especially in the agriculture and forestry sectors, now total over 2 billion cubic meters per year and have resulted in declining ground water levels and quality in many areas,” the 2006 report said.
With ground water is being pumped 24 times faster than the rate of natural replenishment and desalination being an unsustainable option, conservation is the only solution, officials said.
By Binsal Abdul Kader?Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
Zawya Comment Policy
-
Zawya encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You agree that when you add content to this discussion your comments will not:
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse. - The content posted on www.zawya.com is created by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Zawya. Zawya reserves the right to review all comments prior to posting and edit or delete any contribution, but Zawya is not responsible for and can not be held liable for any content posted by members of the public on www.zawya.com.
- Zawya is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party sites that are accessible through www.zawya.com. Any links to third party websites from www.zawya.com do not amount to any endorsement of that site by Zawya and any use of that site by you is at your own risk.
- By submitting your comment, you hereby give Zawya the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comments worldwide, in perpetuity.
Copyright © 2012 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved. |
provided by www.zawya.com |
Post Your Comment