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:

fsambalino@metameta.nl

www.metameta.nl