Scorchio, scorchio

We’ve just got back from a weekend in Madrid and are feeling revitalised and ready to solve all of Morocco’s problems in the remaining 5 weeks we have here. We popped across to Espagne as it is easier than trying to get our visa extended. After 2 and a half months in Morocco, Madrid seemed like unbelievable luxury and for the first afternoon we just wandered round in awe marvelling at the Museum of Ham, drinking thick hot chocolate and enjoying the glorious anonymity of a European city.

So now that we’re back we have a lot to do in 5 weeks. We’re hoping to build and test a prototype sand filter so see if it can effectively remove detergent from water. Hassan has bought us a 200l plastic barrel and we think we finally managed to explain to him that we need 3 different sized sieves to prepare the sand so we’re hoping they will have got these sorted by the time we get back to the village. As a bit of a side project we’re hoping to run sand filter workshops with the children as something to entertain them and to teach them a bit about what we’re doing in the hope that the information will get back to their parents. EWB already have workshops set up that they run in schools in the UK so we’ll just adapt them a bit for Morocco.

As well as sand filters we’re looking at other options for reusing or recycling the water from the wash area. The simplest, low cost option would be to use the untreated water on plants and trees that are more resistant to high salt levels. To avoid human contact with the grey water it would be best to apply the water directly to tree roots but finding a suitable area of well-established trees may be tricky so we’re looking at creating crop fields which can be rotated to reduce the build up of salts in the soil.

Another option for water purification which we’ve been looking at recently is constructed wetlands. We hadn’t really considered this option in depth as we thought the rate of evaporation would be a problem but then came across some research done by a professor at a university in Marrakech in which she tested reed beds and found them to be very effective even in an arid climate. We just found her contact details today so have e-mailed her for some more info.

This afternoon we’re going into the DPA office to discuss our ideas with Hassan and then back to the village tomorrow hopefully. Next weekend we have the festival of Eid Mqqurn to look forward to during which every family slaughters a ram. We’re really hoping we don’t get invited to watch this spectacle!