Applying sand and dust management and water harvesting measures to restore degraded areas

Environmental and Life Sciences Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait

^* Corresponding author: mmahmed@kisr.edu.kw

Abstract

Dust storms in Kuwait’s deserts are greatly exacerbated by drought and land degradation. Due to its limited endowment of arable land and water resources, Kuwait confronts numerous hurdles in its effort to promote agriculture sustainably. These factors make it crucial to use soil and water resources sustainably. One approach to implementing water conservation and improving soil health is the development of sand and water harvesting techniques that enable the production of drought-resistant plants. These methods were experimented on a playa that had been degraded (2500 m²). Soil samples were taken from the control and restoration sites before and after treatments to evaluate the effects of the techniques such as mulching and micro-catchment. Over the mulched palm leaves, a new layer of soil emerged after a year with an average thickness of 26 cm; after five years, it had increased to 40 cm. When a drought-resistant plant Lycium shawii was first planted, the seedlings were between 30 and 40 cm long with 2-3 branches. One year later, they grew to be 100 cm long with 8 branches, and after five years, they had grown to be 200 cm.