Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

Egyptian researchers discover a way to grow forests in the desert with sewage

Desertification is a major issue throughout Africa, but there’s a simple way to stop the spread of deserts into fertile land: planting forests. The problem is that in the regions hardest hit by the phenomenon, there simply isn’t enough clean water to properly nurture the trees and keep them healthy. But an innovative project in Egypt proves that it can be done using repurposed wastewaterinstead of tapping into the sparse fresh water supply. The trees grown in the forest are thriving, and in fact, the eucalyptus trees have been found to produce wood at four times the rate of pine plantations in Germany.

Located about two hours from Cairo, the Serapium forest is part of a program initiated by the Egyptian government in the 90s. The 200-hectare plantation is home to a variety of native and non-native trees, including commercially valuable species like eucalyptus and mahogany. Though the soil in this area would normally be too devoid of nutrients to support new tree growth, researchers have found that by watering the trees with sewage effluent, the plants are able to flourish. The wastewater provides so many nutrients that additional fertilizer isn’t even necessary.

Related: The Great Green Wall of Africa could fight desertification and poverty

The sewage used to water these trees is at stage two in the treatment process. In the first stage, mechanical filters are used to remove dirt and garbage from the water. In the second stage, oxygen and microbes are added to decompose the organic material in the water. This leaves a fluid rich in phosphates and nitrogen, a mixture similar to that found in commercial fertilizers.

Normally, this wouldn’t be used to water crops – the amount of fertilizers in the water would be excessive for some plants, and the bacteria in the water could potentially contaminate fruits and vegetables. However, in areas where nothing is grown for human consumption, it’s perfectly safe to use.

In as few as 15 years, the trees in the plantation are ready to harvest with a production of 350 cubic meters of wood per hectare. By contrast, German pines would take around 60 years to reach the same level of production. So not only are the plantations helping Egypt retain its fertile land, but they’re also producing a valuable natural resource which would otherwise need to be imported from other nations.

Related: South African insurance company backs tree-planting effort to reduce effects of drought

It’s estimated that a whopping 650,000 hectares of the Egyptian desert could be converted to wood production if the country were to use 80% of its effluent for the cause. Right now, however, Egypt isn’t even close – and that’s primarily due to a lack of funding. However, it’s possible the nation might be able to use money from the UN’s Green Climate Fund or through private forestry companies.

(inhabitat.com)

September 7, 2016
Distillerie ZOTTOS: A Greek Family Affair

In 1984 I rented an apartment in the Cairo district of Mounira, just off Kasr el Aini Street in the center of the city. There was a small grocery store near my flat called Blue Nile. Today a Coptic family owns the store, but back then I believe it was still owned by its original Greek proprietors. I used to go there often because the store reminded me of my time in Greece. Blue Nile sold Greek Feta cheese, yoghurt, dolmades, pita bread and other Greek specialties. Beside food they sold beer, wine and spirits, some which still had the original Greek labels. Gianaclis, Bolanachi and Zottos were just a few brand names that were reminiscent of a once thriving beverage industry dominated by Egypt’s Greek community.

The Greeks have had a long and vibrant history in Egypt. The first wave came during antiquity and, since then, the community has maintained a presence, though not always a great one. The largest influx in modern times came at the beginning of the nineteenth century, during the rise of the Mohammed Ali dynasty. Mohammed Ali Pasha’s obsession with turning Egypt into a modern country in European standards opened the doors to Greeks and other foreigners. Since the Egyptian proletariat was largely made up of farmers, it was unable to meet the sudden need for skilled labor, managers, entrepreneurs and merchants. A large number of people from across the Ottoman Empire and Europe flocked to Egypt seeking to fill these new work opportunities. It was only natural for the Greeks to settle in Alexandria, the port city named after their most famous compatriot.

The following exhibition is taken from a photo album created to showcase the Zottos distillery in the 1930s. Studio Ververis in Alexandria, Egypt, photographed the album.

The exhibition: www.photorientalist.org/exhibitions/distillerie-zottos-a-greek-family-affair/photographs

(www.photorientalist.org)

September 7, 2016
Pakistan unearths the city defeated by Alexander the Great

Pakistan has unearthed the city defeated by Alexander the Great.

The ruins that Italian archaeologists have unearthed in modern-day Barikot, in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, once belonged to Bazira, the city conquered by Alexander the Great.

In short, Italian archaeologists working in the Italian-Pakistani excavations in the Swat valley did not go on vacation this summer.

Bazira is mentioned in classical sources as having been put under siege and conquered by the Macedonians led by Alexander the Great towards the end of the 4th Century BC. Up to now there had been no trace of this ancient city. Archaeologists had dated the city at the Indo-Greek period of King Menander, the Greek King of Buddhist faith who ruled almost two centuries after Alexander and whose coins were found in the excavation site.

The Italian Archaeological Mission (renamed ISMEO), founded by Giuseppe Tucci in the Swat District in 1955, has been excavating in Barikot since 1984. Since 2011 the excavations at Barikot, the ancient Bazira (12 hectares including the acropolis) have concentrated on approximately one hectare in the south-western quadrant of the city.

During the last few weeks, an analysis of the materials conducted with the help of the CIRCE team headed by Prof Filippo Terrasi (Napoli2 University, Department of Mathematics and Physics) revealed that the pre Indo-Greek city levels can be dated with absolute certainty at the middle of the 3rd Century BC, one century prior to the city walls, which means in the middle of the Mauryan period. And that’s not all: the protohistoric village unveiled by the trench foundations outside the city walls dates back to 1100-1000 BC.

“Today it is clear that the Indo-Greeks fortified a city that already existed and that, in order to build the city walls, they destroyed most of the stratigraphy and exposed extremely ancient structures through extended and deep terracing work. We used to think that the city lays on nothing more than a late protohistoric settlement. Today we know that it was already a city and that the ruins at the foot of the walls are 800 years older than we had originally thought,” said the Mission Director, Luca M. Olivieri. This means that the city reveals an amazing sequence of occupation.

(www.pakistantoday.com.pk)

September 4, 2016
We should give the Olympics back to Greece, permanently

In a spirit of international cooperation and common sense I think we should promote the idea of just giving the Summer Olympics to Greece. Permanently. By all accounts they made a reasonable fist of it when they last had them and could do so time and time again. It has a nice historical touch … returning them to their birthplace.

Let’s face it, Greece has its back to the wall. They are not blessed with enormous wealth from natural resources nor, to be frank, anything like a Germanic work ethic. There’s no easy road, much to their horror.

Being the permanent host for the Olympics would give them a great lift. Basic infrastructure would improve, which, aside from servicing the Olympics, would help people who wanted to work and make money do just that.

Tourism would increase, providing jobs. There are other reasons why it’s a good idea. For a start it would end the ridiculous competition associated with countries vying to win the hearts and minds of the IOC.

You can kid yourself it doesn’t happen if you like but I think it’s a fair bet corruption is in there disguised in myriad ways. Maybe straight cash, maybe some scholarships here, a consulting job there, a touch of aid … who knows?

More to the point, it would stop the crazy re-allocation of capital towards Olympic infrastructure that might be better put to use elsewhere. This is true of wealthy countries but even more so of those not as economically lucky.

While we revel in our athletes winning medals there are families and kids in Brazil that are wondering why so much money has been spent on the Olympics when there are hospitals, schools and roads that are needed.

Australian Olympic chief John Coates has described Rio as being difficult in part because the economic circumstances have changed so dramatically from the time when they were chosen. No doubt that’s true. In current times security will always be high at big events.

Nonetheless, the necessary security in Rio is also related to a general lawlessness amongst a certain element of the population. Then there’s the doping issue. There may be all sorts of good reasons the IOC has made the decisions it has.

To mums and dads from the outside and clearly to a lot of athletes it seems that drug cheats get off lightly. In this area the Games have been a disaster. Clean athletes are clearly angry that the rules just don’t seem to cut it. The publicity flowing around the question of doping adds a certain smear and tarnish to what was once an image of excellence and competition. It can’t go on like this. Hopefully the IOC will recognise that doing just enough to muddle through would be unwise.

The better course would be to recognise the cancer and put every bit of energy they can into stamping it out. Drugs are not a new problem,they are the problem with which the IOC has failed to deal.

As custodians of the Olympic image they must step up to the plate. It’s also the right thing to do for all the athletes who train so hard for so long and keep clean.

I recall attending the IOC in Geneva a few times as minister when WADA was being set up. As we went up in one of those glass lifts, my chief of staff lent forward and whispered something quite prophetic in my ear. “This is the most transparent thing you’ll see today.”

At one of the dinners, after everyone else’s meal had been served, a young woman with the appearance of a very expensive chocolate wheel spinner walked somewhat ostentatiously to the side of then president Juan Antonio Samaranch and placed his meal, different from ours, in front of him. Now we could commence eating. He was the emperor. Rumour had it that when Samaranch travelled the whole floor of a hotel would be booked. No doubt some rooms for an entourage.

Rumours have a way of expanding and exaggerating but I think we can be sure that the purpose of this rumour was to pass on an essential truth, that the IOC is a law unto itself and a gravy train of the highest order. We are all delighted to see our athletes win medals. We are treated to great stories of determination, commitment and finally triumph. No doubt there are stories with not so happy endings.

In reality just getting to the Olympics and participating is an enormous achievement but we can’t help but focus on the medal count.

It may seem churlish but some have suggested that for those who do strike gold in terms of medals and subsequent sponsorship a little nod to the taxpayers who funded their journey would be a good thing. I know they couldn’t get there without years of gruelling training and personal commitment … but those medals cost us millions of dollars each. Some contribution over and above normal taxation wouldn’t seem unfair to me.

(www.smh.com.au)

September 4, 2016