chuck89
Registered: February 2013
City/Town/Province: Ayer Itam, Penang
Posts: 3
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Vetiver Planting on Bare Sloppy Areas - Phase Two of Malaysian Youth Heroes Project
The remarkable domesticated plant – Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides), is central to a wide range of applications and has scientifically proven to have many side advantages besides able to remediate contaminated land.
Among a few of the advantages of applying Vetiver grass include use of the following:-
a) Prevention and treatment of contaminated water and land: Able to tolerate high levels of nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, agricultural chemicals and other source of contaminants. The Vetiver grass can be used for treating wastewater, rehabilitating mine tailings, stabilizing landfills and general rubbish dumps where it takes up toxic materials.
b) Soil erosion control: The narrow hedgerows of Vetiver grass will spread out rainfall runoff across the slope acting as a filter to trap erosion sediment, create natural terraces and reduces the velocity of rainfall runoff.
c) Agriculture improvement: Agricultural uses for soil and water conservation, soil moisture improvement, groundwater recharge, recycling soil nutrients, pest control, mulch, forage, clean up of agricultural contaminated waste water and protection of farm infrastructure.
d) Community quality of life and poverty reduction: In most developing countries, many of the Vetiver grass can be applied at minimum cost to poor rural communities to enhance quality of life through the protection of water supplies, improving soils and increasing farm benefits, cleaning up waste water and reduction of diseases, protection of rural infrastructure, and providing byproducts for handicrafts.
e) Landscaping: Applied for urban landscaping including beautification, slope stabilization, traffic dividers, demarcation of walkways, prevention of urban erosion and etc.
f) Handicrafts: Provides a source of excellent material for handicrafts (like shoes, hats, belts and etc.) particularly if the leaves are properly processed first.
And this time, our team members planted 400 Vetiver saplings on the bare sloppy sites of Kechara Forest Retreat in Bentong, Pahang (Malaysia). The task to plant Vetiver on the sloppy soil was never easy but the results of planting were indeed very rewarding.
Many thanks and bravo to all Malaysian Youth Heroes who have participated in planting Vetivers on the bare sloppy areas.
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