Water buffer management 3R – Retention, Recharge and Reuse 31 th of October2012 Kajiado, Kenya
Jun 20, 2015
Water buffer management
3R – Retention, Recharge and
Reuse
31th of October2012Kajiado, Kenya
Content
• Introduction
• The water buffer
• The 3R formula
• Examples
• Planning
Fresh Water supply
• Water and food security are determined by the availability of fresh water resources
• Need for affordable locally available solutions to meet the goals (MDG, national, etc)
• Climate change and increased populations bring extra stress on natural resources
3R vision
• Create a more resilient environment to stress factors such as drought
• Enhance the availability of fresh water throughout the year
• Boost smart water management practices adoption
What is the water buffer?
• All natural and artificial water storage components in the landscape.
• Shallow and deep aquifers
• Green water (soil moisture)
• Blue water reservoirs (natural and artificial)
- The holes need to be closed (Retention)
- Filling of the bucket must be improved (Recharge)
- The use of water must be improved (Reuse)
The water buffer is like an old bucket…
What is water buffer management?
• Ensure better storage of water in the landscape; as shallow groundwater, as soil moisture or in local surface reservoirs
• Watershed management with 3R measures is seen as necessary to create a healthy water buffer
Key features• Work at scale and not piecemeal
Key features
• Extend the chain of water users
• Favor water re-circulation
• Maximize the use of water resources
Key features
Local planning at scale
Adaptation to local physical and socio-economic conditions
Synergy with watershed rehabilitation efforts
Key features
Learn from successful local and international stories
Documentation
Dissemination
Abraha We Atsbeha, Tigray
• 5.000 people, 900 households
• Seasonal rainy season ca 550 mm, ET 1700 mm
• Agriculture and livestock rearing
30 years ago..
• Runoff from the hills flooded the farmland
• Eroded landscape, siltation of ponds
• Most of the water lost as runoff water
• Soil moisture deficiency and erratic streams
30 years ago..
• Really low crop productivity
• Degradation of natural resources
• Food deficiency for 7 months/yearMost of the communities under food aid programs
Approach change
• Rehabilitation efforts started
• By government
• By World Food Program
• Community is the beneficiary but also the key decision maker
Approach change
• Community and GO planned jointly for watershed management
• Planning committee in each village
• 38 development teams of 25 people each
Hillsides treatment
• Steep areas treated with:
• Area exclosure
• Hillside Terracing, and micro-basins
• Trenches and the foothill
• Gully control
• Vegetative measures
Area Exclosure and cut and carry system
Trenches and
planting pits
Flat areas
• Treated with:
• Soil and Water Conserrvation
• Ponds
• Check-dams
Gully treatment
• Erosion control in upper areas
• First check-dams to trap sediment
• Following check-dams to retain water and boost recharge
• In series
Gully treatmentCheckda
m
Gully treatmentCheckda
m
Gully treatmentCheckda
m
Gully treatmentHand dug
well
Gully treatmentVegetable
garden
Benefits
• Increased recharge
• From none to 600 hand-dug wells
• Hillsides covered by grass and indigenous tree species
• Reduced runoff and less flooding of lower areas
Benefits• Income increased by 50%
• Fodder productivity increased by 100%
• Diversified crop production
• The life conditions generally improved
• Only few households still need aid
1975
2007
1975
2007
1975
2007
Success factors• Precarious situation with few
alternatives
• Strong, enlightened leadership
• Community led, sense of ownership
• Proper bio-physical characteristics
Success factors
Success factors
In your opinion:
•What are the main differences between Tigray and Kajiado?
Planning
• Context is changing
• Bio-physical
• Topography
• Social
• Institutional
• To reach scale a participatory approach is required from planning to implementation and management
Planning
• Stakeholder analysis
• Who are the main water users?
• Who affects the water resources?
• Who is affected by the change in water resources?
• Creation of local stakeholder platforms
• Example: Water Resource Users Association or WT
• Build up awareness and knowledge
Planning (2)
• Catchment analysis
• Water cycle, vegetation, soil erosion processes
• Land-use mapping
• Problem identification, analysis and prioritization
• Identification of local solutions and gaps for 3R innovations
Planning (2)
In your opinion:
•What are the main challenges in Kajiado - Elangata Waus?
Planning• Development of 3R sub-catchment plan
(Where)
• Groundwater storage
• Open and closed reservoirs
• Soil moisture improvement
• Development of plan (who does what)
• Measures to create storage
• Catchment rehabilitation
• Income generating activities
• Management
Planning
• Calendar development
• Budget
• Community contribution
• Financing
• Need for extra training
Planning• Understand the landscape
• What are the main land-use and needs for each of them?
• What are the conditions of the rangeland?
• What are the conditions of the inhabited areas?
• Characterize the slopes
• Estimate the slopes gradient
• Are the slopes suffering from high erosion rates
Planning
• Understand the needs
• What are the main concerns, needs and priorities of the local communities?
• How can 3R techniques improve the situation?
Visualize – Read the landscape
• To understand water dynamics:• Where is runoff generated?• Where does the water flow?
Visualize – Read the landscape
• To seek 3R potential spots and areas• Can the runoff stored?• How and where?• How can be reused• How measures connect to each
other?• Can the technology be adapted to
the local context• Field assessment of potential 3r
measures
bunds
Herring bones & fruit trees
waterway
Closure - revegetation
trenches & closure
Micropond-horticulture
eyebrows
checks
Bee hives
Stabilization
Cutoff drains
compost
…IT CAN CHANGE TO THIS!
Plateau treated with stone faced bundswith runoff-runon system using C/CA1:1 – tie ridging and stabilization alongbunds with legume trees/shrubs +control grazing.
Escarpment underclosure + checkdamson small gullies
Hillsides with trenchesand eyebrow basins C/CA3-5:1 for trees +/- cashcrops in lower slopes.
SS dams in series + closure ofcatchment area (plantation ofcrops on SS dam based uponsedimentation rate – start withring cultivation).
Farm dam forlivestock uses, fish,etc.
Irrigated perimeters using hand-dug wells (each for 0.1-0.25 haplots) – horticulture. Micropondsalso possible, including in villages.
Large water pond based onflooded area using percolationdam (earth dam + gabion flowstructure). Cultivation duringthe dry season on residualmoisture.
Stone bunds on upper partsand stone faced soil bunds onmedium and lower slopes +lateral spillways and gullycontrol. Bunds also stabilisedwith legume shrubs.
Streambankplantation andstabilisation.
Useful referenceswww.bebuffered.com
3R website rich in resources and contacts
www.samsamwater.com
Website rich of reference material, tools and data sources
www.thewaterchannel.tv
web-based video portal with many videos on water related topics
Asante Sana!
Questions to the speaker:
www.metameta.nl