In the Sultanate Of Oman, two GOLBE schools from Al Buraimi Governorate collaborated to implement an environmental study. Both schools are in Al Buraimi state and the distance between them is small which helped the GLOBE students to design and implement their study collaboratively. One of the two schools is a female school (Hafsa bint Sirin School) while the other is a male (Al Khawarizmi School). The GLOBE students discussed some parents’ complaints about the unpleasant smell and taste of tankers' drinking water which made the most of Al Buraimi people to stop using the tankers’ water for drinking. According to this problem, the GLOBE students worked together throughout their project, for instance, they chose their study aims, questions and methods after an open discussion between them. Their study aimed to determine the tankers' water quality and validity in Al Buraimi state by attempting to answer the following questions:
What is the extent of artesian wells' water quality before bottling tankers?
What is the extent of the water quality after bottling tankers?
What is the extent of the water quality after arriving the houses’ tanks of and it’s suitability for drinking?
For the purpose to collect data, four GLOBE students interviewed the head of water quality department which belong to the Public Authority of Electricity and Water in Al Buraimi. Furthermore, the same Public Authority provided the GLOBE team a permission to implement the GLOBE water protocol in order to measure the salinity, conductivity, transparency, temperature and acidity as well as the proportion of chlorine. With the Public Authority staff cooperation, the GLOBE students evaluated the water in four different locations which were: (1) artesian wells, (2) reservoir synthesis, (3) water tankers and (4) and houses’ tanks. The GLOBE team divided themselves to three groups. The first group conducted the water protocol for artesian wells and reservoir synthesis. The second group drove the same protocol on nine tankers and 17 houses’ tanks while the third group employed this protocol on seven tankers and 20 houses’ tanks. All GLOBE students participated to analyze the collected data in order to gain the findings of the study.
The GLOBE students concluded their study with some recommendations. Firstly, the Public Authority of Electricity and Water should increase the consumers and students awareness about the importance of checking the tanks at house to ensure their safety and lack of pollution. Secondly, they should distribute posters to illustrate the suitable ways for cleaning these tanks. Thirdly, the Public Authority should collaborate with the media (TV channels, radio channels, newspapers and magazines) to provide an intensive awareness for the whole Omani community about the importance of monitoring and cleaning the water tanks. Fourthly, consumers should be educated how to check the water network in their houses because a very old or ruined network could change the water quality.
In conclusion, this study shows an example of success collaboration in investigating an environmental issue. The main factor of this success collaboration was having a clear path of communication because both schools were in the geographical region (Al Buraimi). Moreover, all GLOBE students were in grades (5-10) which aided them to work together productively.
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