Question 64
Imagine you are part of a team responsible for managing a large community vegetable garden. Despite your efforts, the plants are struggling to thrive due to the use of dirty and salty borehole water for irrigation. Leftover water in the irrigation pipes also evaporates on hot days and leaves salt residue in the irrigation pipes. Over time, this blocks many of the irrigation holes. Some salts help in plant growth, so filtering out all the salts will not be useful. In this STEM activity, your task is to design a system that addresses these issues, ensuring the health and productivity of the garden.
Work in groups to design a system that effectively reduces the effect of high salinity, or high amounts of salts, in borehole water. Consider the following questions when coming up with your design.
- How can you determine the salinity of the water in the borehole?
- The salinity changes from time to time. How can you monitor this?
- What processes could you use to reduce the salinity?
- What other materials will you need?
- How can your design be applied on a large scale? Describe or make a drawing.
Share your design with another group. Suggest improvements to your design based on their feedback.
Work in groups to design a system that effectively reduces the effect of high salinity, or high amounts of salts, in borehole water. Consider the following questions when coming up with your design.
- How can you determine the salinity of the water in the borehole?
- The salinity changes from time to time. How can you monitor this?
- What processes could you use to reduce the salinity?
- What other materials will you need?
- How can your design be applied on a large scale? Describe or make a drawing.
Share your design with another group. Suggest improvements to your design based on their feedback.
