Ghouta

A satellite view of Damascus showing the surrounding Ghouta.

Ghouta (Arabic: غوطة دمشق‎ / ALA-LC: Ghūṭat Dimashq), is a collection of farms in Rif Dimashq close to the eastern part of Damascus, Syria.

The Damascus Ghouta is a green agricultural belt surrounding the city of Damascus in the South and East. Separating the city from the Syrian Steppe, it has provided its inhabitants with a variety of cereals, vegetables and fruits for thousands of years. While human settlements in the area date back to ancient times, an uncontrolled development of the area took place throughout the past decades. The increasing food demand by the rapidly growing population of the capital, urbanization and industrial development have increased the pressure on the agricultural lands.

This Oasis has been a very popular resort for the city dwellers particularly in spring.

Crops

Plum, poplar and walnut trees, and cotton

Forage crops include: maize, alfalfa, green barley, and green wheat

Resources & Hazards

This area includes a large variety of environmental problems including water scarcity due to the extremely small annual precipitation. The water is so scarce that there has been a rapid decline of groundwater level in large parts of the Ghouta. Also there has been a large increase in pollutants from Damascus' traffic, industry, waste and sewage which have pathways to the Ghouta. In fact the future of water supply for the Syrian Capital depends on the environmental situation of this area.

See also

Water resources management in Syria

External links

• Al-Ghūṭah, Rīf Dimashq, Syria
• The Damascus Ghouta Pilot Area