# Sprinkler smell



## braun (Feb 23, 2012)

I've been living here in Dubai for a few years now and I've always wondered about the awful sewage smell coming from the sprinklers that they use everywhere.

Do you use raw sewage for watering the grass? It certainly smells like it. How about the health effects if one where to accidentally get sprayed or inhale it?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

braun said:


> I've been living here in Dubai for a few years now and I've always wondered about the awful sewage smell coming from the sprinklers that they use everywhere.
> 
> Do you use raw sewage for watering the grass? It certainly smells like it. How about the health effects if one where to accidentally get sprayed or inhale it?


Highly unlikely to use raw sewage - possible that they use tertiary treated sewage or grey water recycled - but neither of these would smell of sewage.

You would not really want to drink either of these but otherwise fairly harmless in normal intended use (gardening, toilet flushing etc).

Raw sewage would block the sprinkler system anyway!!

Cheers
Steve


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## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)

It's not the water, would be too complicated for many reasons.
However, grass and plants don't just grow out of sand without some $hit to help 'em out. Literally...


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## braun (Feb 23, 2012)

Well the smell only comes when they turn on the sprinklers, and goes away soon after they turn them back off... so I don't think the smell is due to manure or ''$hit'' !! It has to be due to the water coming out of the sprinklers.

Steve, thanks for the reply. I meant to say that it could be filtered sewage, not raw, as obviously having bits still in there would clog up the sprinklers!!


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## ode17366 (Nov 29, 2010)

The water for irrigation in Dubai is treated sewerage. So it goes through a clean up process first all solids and nasty stuff is taken away. It may have a slight odour to it but certainly shouldn't smell. Now when I lived in china the fields really did smell


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## chestnut (Apr 1, 2013)

Article in gulf news about this Sewage stench fills air in Discovery Gardens in Dubai | GulfNews.com


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

it's grey water.
It is actually a fairly sensible and environmentally sound solution, given the climate here.

Don't let the kids play in the sprinklers............!

treated sewage is not as toxic as it sounds. It is used all over the world, and is a valuable resource from 1st to 3rd world

All the crap from those of you that live in London-village is shipped out to East Anglia and spread over the bread-basket of England, so while you don't 'see' it, it is a valuable resource.
You should see the amazing crops of tomatoes that bloom on the big heaps of partially treated crap before it is spread!

Vantage
farm boy


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

The smell might be from the fertilizer getting wet when the the sprinklers are turned on...


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

saraswat said:


> The smell might be from the fertilizer getting wet when the the sprinklers are turned on...


no. It is grey water.


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## saraswat (Apr 28, 2012)

vantage said:


> no. It is grey water.


I stand corrected


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

saraswat said:


> I stand corrected


the sewage-based smell is unmistakable.

The fertilizer smell has a different nose. A richer smell, reminiscent of urea and chicken farms (or seriously over-worn socks) with an acidic tang.


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## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)




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## XDoodlebugger (Jan 24, 2012)

I was riding my bike around the Marina this morning and at one location there was a ton of water coming out of a storm sewer pouring into the marina, smelled like ****, literally.

Not sure what that was about but I slowed down to a crawl so as not to spray myself with it


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