Mission (Im)possible: In Search of Water
When cultivating a Permaculture garden, keeping the ground hydrated is not as straightforward as merely turning on a hose. Because one is trying to establish an eco-system of sustainability, the ideal is to create various water catchment areas so that water is available all year round at source.
And so began the big challenge of harvesting water for Gan Eiden. The first step was to find a good source of water that could permanently fulfill GE’s water needs. After one failed attempt at locating a suitable borehole, we hit gold (or rather, water…) and located a borehole that yields 4,500 litres. And together with the old, repaired borehole the total amount of water is 7,000 litres – a very encouraging factor for the sustainability of the project.
Next up was finding a suitable lining for the reservoir that we had created. After debating the benefits and drawbacks of both a plastic liner and a fero-cement lining, we decided on the latter. Within a week, the builders had completed this delicate process of combining chicken wire with a particular type of cement, which would provide long-term durability. Rainwater can now be captured and stored for later use.
No Permaculture garden would be complete without a grey water harvesting system and setting this up at GE was indeed a priority. The source of this grey water comes from both the factory and the kitchen and because the factory’s waste contains excesses of sugars and oils, we’re conducting ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the water is of a good quality. Once it is fully functional, the grey water system is anticipated to yield 50,000 litres per week, which will go a long way towards ensuring a sustainable watering system.
For some, a project takes a turn for the best when profits finally exceed expenses. For others, the ‘tipping point’ of success is measured by a project’s sustainability. For all of us at GE, possibilities for success suddenly became a reality when we managed to solve our water challenges.
