The Trust endeavours to find projects and develop them in a way that protects the natural environment. Many of its projects relate to the conservation of water and all wells in the Sinai desert and mountains will require a lifting device to raise the water in the well to a nearby storage tank. For many years a bucket and pulley system called a ‘shadoof’ was used, but this was later abandoned in favour of petrol-driven pumps. These machines are environmentally unfriendly, polluting and disturb the beauty and tranquillity of their surroundings.
We intend to explore and then promote other methods of raising the water, for example by solar or wind power. We are also investigating a simple system, based on centuries-old Chinese engineering: the Elephant Pump, which may be a suitable alternative.