D I S. S E R T a T 1 0 N Making the Sahara Desert Green Sustainable

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D I S. S E R T a T 1 0 N Making the Sahara Desert Green Sustainable Die approbierte Originalversion dieser Dissertation ist in der Hauptbibliothek der Technischen Universität Wien aufgestellt und zugänglich. TECHNISCHE http://www.ub.tuwien.ac.at UNIVERSITÄT The approved original version of this thesis is available at the main library of the Vienna WIEN University of Technology. http://www.ub.tuwien.ac.at/eng D I S. S E R T A T 1 0 N Making the Sahara Desert Green Sustainable transport of bottom lake sediments via pipelines to produce new agriculture land from desert ausgeführt zum Zwecke der Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Doktorin der Technischen Wissenschaften und Wirtschaftswissenschaften Architektur/Raumplanung und Raumordnung unter der Leitung von Ao. Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Georg Hauger Department für Raumentwicklung, Infrastruktur und Umweltplanung Fachbereich Verkehrssystemplanung E280/5 Begutachtung durch Priv. Doz. DI Dr. Hans Peter Rauch Prof. Dr. Reda Ragab Mohamed Shahin eingereicht an der Technischen Universität Wien Fakultät für Architektur und Raumplanung von Dipl. Eng.Arch. Vesela Tanaskovic Matrikelnummer: 1129327 Wallrissstrasse 68/33 1180 Vienna Wien, am ·g_ Dec 2018 � - ------- Abstract In a world which will be home to 9 billion people by the middle of this century, it will undoubtedly be a substantial challenge for humanity to produce enough food and other vital resources. Today there are tens of millions of hungry living in Africa. These people are missing not just food and potable water but also tap water, sewage, electricity, jobs and other living amenities. This research focused on addressing these issues. One of the main problems identified for the mid-21st century will be the availability of fresh water. Currently, appx. 20% of the world's fresh water is stored in manmade reservoirs. However, these reservoirs sediment over time. This “sediment phenomena” adversely affects the water volume in reservoirs and their sustainable maintenance, potentially jeopardizing the fresh water supply. To answer the “sediment phenomena”, this dissertation developed a whole new approach to a no less devastating problem: the increasing desertification and land degradation. In arid regions, sediments are mostly composed of alluvial soil, decomposing organic matter and sands, making them indeed a perfect soil amendment. This dissertation developed a patented “methodology for desert greening” that utilises the bottom lake sediments to preserve existing fresh water reservoirs. Sediments are transported away from the bottom of the reservoirs in order to use them as a soil kick-starter for surrounding dry areas. This approach does not only solve the sedimentation issues, but also the problem of food supply and unemployment, since a completely new ecosystem is developing around now fertile grounds, where there was only desolate land before. The research was focused on Egypt and transforming the ecosystem in the New Valley parallel to the Nile Valley using Aswan High Dam Reservoir sediments, one of the largest man-made reservoirs. The research results show that the methodology can be applied on all continents and in the most diverse climate zones, being useful in moderate climate zones for the maintenance of dams, reservoirs and river basin control. Egypt was predestined for the research region, as one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The current population in Egypt is hovering around 100 million people, most of whom live on the banks of the River Nile. International organisations estimate Egypt's population will increase to 113 million by 2050. Other estimates from local media approach 200 million people. As most of the country’s landmass is desert (with less than 4% being agricultural land) and coupled with increasing mass migration towards the cities along the Nile Valley - which, in turn, comes at the expense of arable land – is underlining the urgency and importance of finding new solutions to deal with the overpopulated Nile Valley. The Aswan High Dam retains the alluvium that has served Egypt as a natural fertiliser for millennias while leading to the "sediment phenomenon" within the dam itself. At the same time, Egypt is one of the largest users of fertilisers among developing countries. With high levels of poverty, especially in terms of food and arable land, there would be significant benefits if the ‘sediment phenomenon’ could be used, as Egypt is in dire need of new arable land. This dissertation offers a scientific and practical solution for this. Part of this approach is also the right selection and combination of native and naturalised plants, which on the one hand are able to cope with adversities of the environment and on the other hand create a sustainable added value for the ecosystem as a whole. Choosing the right plants is important both from the perspective of rapid implementation as well as the perspective of job creation and retention in the region. Moringa Stenopetala and Moringa Oleifera are at the centre of the research results on the correct planting. The latter is listed as one of the key plants of the 21st century, by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), to combat undernutrition and malnutrition in developing countries. With a growth of 12 meters per year Moringa is one of the fastest growing trees/shrubs in the world. All parts of the Moringa tree - the bark, leaves, seeds, pods, fruits, tubers, flowers and root - are edible. The University of Lausanne, Switzerland is currently researching the ability of Moringa seeds to purify water. Preliminary results show that Moringa seeds can provide water quality which exceeds that of commercially treated one. Moringa has also been used successfully to produce biofuel. This research developed a sustainable approach to address the challenges humankind will face in this half of our century: food shortages, the decline of fertile land, water scarcity, unemployment, and an increasingly fragile ecosystem of our habitats. Kurzfassung In einer Welt, die bis zur Mitte dieses Jahrhunderts 9 Milliarden Menschen ihr Zuhause nennen, wird es zweifelsohne eine Herausforderung sein, ausreichend lebensnotwendige Ressourcen wie Nahrungsmittel und Wasser sicherzustellen. Bereits heute leiden Millionen Menschen in Afrika täglich Hunger. Neben mangelnden Zugang zu Trinkwasser und ausreichend Nahrung, sind diese Regionen auch ohne fließend Wasser, Abwassersystemen, Elektrizität, Arbeitsplätze oder sonstige Annehmlichkeiten die anderswo als selbstverständlich empfunden werden. Diese wissenschaftliche Arbeit ist diesen Herausforderungen gewidmet und konzentriert sich dabei auf die Frischwasser- und Nahrungsmittelversorgung. Eine der größten Herausforderungen des 21. Jahrhunderts wird die Versorgung mit Frischwasser sein. Aktuell werden etwa 20% des weltweiten Frischwassers in künstlichen Stauseen gespeichert. Diese Stauseen sedimentieren jedoch im Laufe der Zeit, was das Frischwasservolumen negativ beeinflusst und die Frischwasserversorgung gegebenenfalls potentiell gefährdet. Die wissenschaftliche Erforschung von Lösungsansätzen zu dieser Gefahr hat auch einen völlig neuen Lösungsansatz zu einem nicht weniger verheerenden Problem erzeugt: die zunehmende Wüstenbildung und Landverödung. In den betroffenen ariden Gebieten bestehen die Sedimente häufig aus Schlamm, organischen Stoffen und Sand. Aus perfektem Dünger also. Im Zuge dieser Dissertation wurde auf ihren Erkenntnissen basierend eine patentierte „Methodologie zur Begrünung von Wüstenlandschaften“ entwickelt, mit der diese Sedimente vom Grund der Stauseen im Sinne der Frischwasser- Erhaltung abtransportiert werden, um diese als Nährboden zur Begrünung umliegender Trockengebiete zu verwenden. Auf diese Weise wird nicht nur das Problem der Sedimentierung gelöst, sondern auch das Problem der Nahrungsmittelversorgung und Arbeitslosigkeit, da sich um das vormalige Trockengebiet nun ein völlig neues Ökosystem rund um das nunmehr fruchtbare Gebiet entwickelt. Die Forschungen konzentrieren sich auf die Begrünung des New Valleys parallel zum Niltal mit Sedimenten des Aswan High Dam Stausees in Ägypten, einer der größten von Menschenhand geschaffenen Stauseen. Das Forschungsergebnis zeigt, dass die Methodologie auf allen Kontinenten und in den verschiedensten Klimazonen Anwendung finden kann und auch in moderatem Klimazonen zur Aufrechterhaltung der Dämme, Stauseen und Stromgebiete sinn- und wertvoll ist. Ägypten ist als eines der bevölkerungsreichsten Länder Afrikas und des Mittleren Osten als Forschungsregion prädestiniert. Aktuell bewegt sich die Bevölkerungszahl in Ägypten um 100 Millionen Menschen, die zum größten Teil an den Ufern des Nils leben. Internationale Organisationen schätzen, dass sich die Bevölkerungszahl in Ägypten bis 2050 auf 113 Millionen erhöht. Andere Schätzungen lokaler Einrichtungen gehen sogar von 220 Millionen Menschen aus. Die Tatsache, dass das Land mit weniger als 4 % landwirtschaftlich nutzbarer Fläche größtenteils aus Wüste besteht und der Bevölkerungsanstieg somit auch mit einer stetig steigenden Migration in jene Städte einhergeht, die entlang des Niltals liegen – was wiederrum auf Kosten der landwirtschaftlichen Nutzflächen geht – unterstreicht die Dringlichkeit und Wichtigkeit neue Lösungsansätze zu dieser Herausforderung zu finden. Der Aswan High Dam hält die Schwemmstoffe zurück, die Ägypten jahrtausendelang als natürliche Dünger dienten, während sie beim Damm selbst zu dem „Sediment Phänomen“ führen. Gleichzeitig ist Ägypten der größten Abnehmer von künstlichen Düngemitteln
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