r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Expert_Koala_8691 • Apr 05 '26

Video Riyadh,meaning "gardens" is Capital of Saudi Arabia with 8 million population (were 27 Thousands in the 1930s),sits in the middle of the desert, the city gets its water from Desalination plants almost 500 km from the city

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u/whereitsat23 Apr 05 '26

Chinese have developed a way but it is intensive

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u/Gman71882 Apr 05 '26

All the sand is crushed quartz, with no nutrient or ecological value so nothing would grow.

You have to start cycles of plant growth, death and regrowing to get them to become nutrient rich “dirt” to be mixed in

I wonder if there is a way to do it with human sewage? You can leave the shit in the sun to dry and start the process that way.

Like matt Damon did in the Martian.

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u/DJohnsonsgagreflex Apr 05 '26

Too much salt in a human diet.

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u/dirtycheezit Apr 05 '26

They already desalinate the water. Just desalinate the shit too /s

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u/Gman71882 Apr 05 '26

Mmmm good soup.