Read at :
http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/05/aflaj-ancient-channels-keep-water-flowing-in-the-desert/
Aflaj: Ancient Channels Keep Water Flowing In The Desert
Arwa Aburawa
Gulf States such as the UAE may now depend on expensive desalination technology for their water, but in the past they relied on more sustainable forms of water conservation
In the arid landscapes of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, water has always been a huge issue. Whilst desalination which removes salt from water may have offered a temporary (and very expensive) solution to this age-old problem, in the past, drought and a dwindling supply of naturally available water meant that waste wasn’t tolerated and conservation was the order of the day. Nothing attests to this more than the two and half thousand year old architectural water wonder that is the ‘Aflaj‘ system.
The aflaj water system (falaj in singular) is an ancient technique by which underground tunnels are dug to channel water from distant sources to villages where it was needed. It’s a tried and tested method which helps conserve water and is still used around the world today in places such as the Sahara desert and Oman.
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