Abu Dhabi to save millions of cubic metres of water annually by banning Rhodes grass Grass ban to save huge amount of water
Posted by Zawya
Gulf News
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010


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 move is significant as the government is concerned about “unplanned and uncontrolled ground water withdrawals” of more than two billion cubic metres annually, especially in the agriculture and forestry sector.

The withdrawals are causing a decline in ground water levels and water quality in many areas.

The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), which is responsible for the agriculture sector in the emirate, yesterday revealed a plan to phase out the cultivation of rhodes grass, a principal animal feed in the region and a water-intensive crop.

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.

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

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