Why are many people so indifferent to collecting water and storing it in the soil? – Desertification

Photo credits: * Drum – Rainwater harvesting – Photo Vc Lim – 543009_339426419459768_100001772389418_778512_1937205101_n.jpg

Managing Groundwater – Aquifer Management

Originally published:

https://desertification.wordpress.com/2007/03/08/managing-groundwater-gestion-de-la-nappe-aquifere/

France Overview

The increasing number of boreholes in arid regions has led to a significant drop in aquifers. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the groundwater level effectively to avoid any major problems. Therefore, we recommend also focusing on rainwater harvesting and rainwater storage in the plant rooting zone (20-30 cm), for example using TerraCottem soil conditioner.

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I read an interesting article today (2007-03-08) on the topic of “Managing groundwater for dry season irrigation”Written by IM FAISAL, S. PARVEEN and MR KABIR. For the full text, please visit “id21 Natural Resources Highlights – Water – 2006” is an annual publication of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, which you can easily subscribe to.

The article mentioned above first tells us:

“For many years, using groundwater for dry-season irrigation has been the preferred strategy of the Bangladeshi government. For example, the privatization of irrigation in the 1990s led to a significant increase in the number of shallow tube wells. However, groundwater must be managed carefully: there is not enough information on groundwater resources across the country to understand or predict the long-term environmental impacts of continued groundwater use.“.

I myself have noticed a dramatic drop in groundwater levels in many African Sahel countries between 1975 and 2005, and I couldn’t agree more. Most likely, this drop is caused not only by the persistent droughts that the region is known for, but also by the increasing number of wells and pumps. It would be wise to sound the alarm and prevent any well-intentioned “Humanitarian“A project to drill more and deeper wells”Providing water for humans and animalsInstead, it would be wiser to better manage water collection and seek more efficient ways to use it, as these authors suggest. They also tell us:Most water projects in Bangladesh focus on flood control, drainage or irrigation. Social, economic and environmental factors are largely ignored and there is little monitoring or evaluation. The Balinder Multipurpose Development Project (BMDP) consciously attempts to overcome these issues by addressing the challenges of creating the physical and social infrastructure required for groundwater irrigation in a semi-arid region. For example, the project encourages maximum use of carefully placed deep tube wells (DTWs), thereby minimizing water wastage.

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The BMDP also continuously monitors the quality and quantity of groundwater and aquifer levels. Thousands of poorly maintained rainwater harvesting tanks have been renovated.”

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Several positive features of this approach were mentioned:

° Water use groups are composed of users from different social groups and institutions who provide feedback to the BMDP manager to improve project performance.

° A large-scale reforestation campaign and the distribution of medicinal plant seedlings are examples of the project’s environmental improvement activities.

According to the authors, they encountered several problems, the most serious of which was that hand wells used to collect drinking water began to dry up in the DTW target areas. This highlights the need to integrate the planning of irrigation projects with the supply of drinking water. This phenomenon is also common in semi-arid regions of Africa and probably in other continents.

This brings me to the following questions:

Why are many people so indifferent to soil water harvesting and storage?

Water that falls from the sky flows away, seeps into the ground or evaporates, and humans do nothing to stop it. Yes, we build dams (even small dikes – diguettes), install expensive tube wells and pumps. In other words, we do nothing at first, and then spend a lot of energy (and money) to bring the water back to where it belongs, in the root zone of the cultivated land.

It would be much more sensible and efficient to collect this free rainwater either mechanically (in barrels or larger reservoirs/tanks) or chemically (using water-holding materials that mix easily with the soil, say 20-30 cm/1 ft deep).

Have you heard of TerraCottem soil conditioner developed in my laboratory at Ghent University in Belgium? Visit the websitehttp://www.terracottem.com And learn something about the effective use of rainwater.

Vegetable garden in the Sahara Desert (Smara Refugee Camp, Algeria). The soil is pure desert sand, without any amendments. Drip irrigation every day. The yield is very low.

Vegetable garden in the Sahara Desert (Smara Refugee Camp, Algeria). Soil is pure desert sand, no modifications. Drip irrigation daily. Very poor yield.

Neighbor’s garden in the same Smara refugee camp. Desert sand mixed with 50g TerraCottem soil conditioner/25cm depth. Drip irrigation every two days. Amazing yields.

Neighbor’s garden in the same Smara camp. Desert sand mixed with 50g TerraCottem soil conditioner/25cm depth. Drip irrigation every 2 days. Beautifully made.

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Instead of letting all the rainwater go to groundwater, let’s use it to keep the fields moister longer. Don’t miss this important information: TerraCottem Soil Conditioner only needs to be applied once! It remains active in the soil for years.

Don’t believe it? Try it!