Solution for worn-out tires, gully erosions, forests and dengue fever in Brazil

Rehabilitation of large gully erosions was improved in Piracicaba (Brazil) by using worn-out tires. Two procedures were evaluated in different case st udies, the "ditch technique" (DT) and the "fill-up technique" (FT). In both , worn-out tires were placed at the bottom of the gullies, covered (natural ly or artificially) with soil and reforested. In the DT the tires were plac ed in small pyramidal barriers perpendicular to the gully along its bottom and in the FT they were used as filling material occupying the lower part o f the whole gully. The benefits of the suggested methods are an adequate di sposal of worn-out tires, restoration of forest resources and the control o f the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, whose larvae develop extremely well i n the clean water accumulated in open-air stored tires. This mosquito speci es is vector of the tropical epidemic disease dengue fever. The paper repor ts on two case studies substantiating the practicability of the methods. Th e multiple advantages and the need of none or little capital investments fo r the adoption of the technologies contribute for its acceptance by decisio n makers, politicians and society.