Water buffer management, 3R – Retention, Recharge and Reuse Francesco Sambalino Introduction The water buffer The 3R formula Examples Planning

1. Kajiado, Kenya 31th of October2012
Water buffer
management
3R – Retention,
Recharge and Reuse

2. Content
• Introduction
• The water buffer
• The 3R formula
• Examples
• Planning

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. The water buffer is like an old bucket…
- The holes need to be closed (Retention)
- Filling of the bucket must be improved
(Recharge)
- The use of water must be improved
(Reuse)

7. 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

8. Key features
• Work at scale and not piecemeal

9. Key features
• Extend the chain of
water users
• Favor water re-
circulation
• Maximize the use of
water resources

10. Key features
Local planning at scale
Adaptation to local physical
and socio-economic conditions
Synergy with watershed
rehabilitation efforts

11. Key features
Learn from successful local
and international stories
Documentation
Dissemination

12. Abraha We Atsbeha, Tigray
• 5.000 people, 900
households
• Seasonal rainy
season ca 550 mm,
ET 1700 mm
• Agriculture and
livestock rearing

13. 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

14. 30 years ago..
• Really low crop productivity
• Degradation of natural resources
• Food deficiency for 7
months/yearMost of the
communities under food aid
programs

15. Approach change
• Rehabilitation efforts started
• By government
• By World Food Program
• Community is the beneficiary but
also the key decision maker

16. Approach change
• Community and GO planned jointly
for watershed management
• Planning committee in each village
• 38 development teams of 25 people
each

17. Hillsides treatment
• Steep areas treated with:
• Area exclosure
• Hillside Terracing, and micro-
basins
• Trenches and the foothill
• Gully control
• Vegetative measures

18. Area Exclosure
and cut and carry
system

19. Trenches
and
planting
pits

20. Flat areas
• Treated with:
• Soil and Water Conserrvation
• Ponds
• Check-dams

21. Gully treatment
• Erosion control in upper areas
• First check-dams to trap sediment
• Following check-dams to retain water
and boost recharge
• In series

22. Checkdam
Gully treatment

23. Checkdam
Gully treatment

24. Checkdam
Gully treatment

25. Hand dug
Gully treatment
well

26. Vegetable garden
Gully treatment

27. 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

28. Benefits
• Income increased by 50%
• Fodder productivity increased by
100%
• Diversified crop production
• The life conditions generally
improved
• Only few households still need aid

29. 1975
2007

30. 1975
2007

31. 1975
2007

32. Success factors
• Precarious situation with few
alternatives
• Strong, enlightened leadership
• Community led, sense of
ownership
• Proper bio-physical
characteristics

33. Success factors

34. Success factors
In your opinion:
•What are the main differences between
Tigray and Kajiado?

35. Planning
• Context is changing
• Bio-physical
• Topography
• Social
• Institutional
• To reach scale a participatory approach
is required from planning to
implementation and management

36. 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

37. 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

38. Planning (2)
In your opinion:
•What are the main challenges in
Kajiado - Elangata Waus?

39. 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

40. Planning
• Calendar development
• Budget
• Community contribution
• Financing
• Need for extra training

41. 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

42. Planning
• Understand the needs
• What are the main concerns, needs and
priorities of the local communities?
• How can 3R techniques improve the
situation?

43. Visualize – Read the
landscape
• To understand water dynamics:
• Where is runoff generated?
• Where does the water flow?

44. 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

46. …IT CAN CHANGE TO THIS! Bee hives
trenches & closure
eyebrows
Closure - revegetation
Cutoff drains
waterway bunds
compost
Stabilization
checks
Micropond-
horticulture
Herring bones & fruit
trees

48. Plateau treated with stone faced bunds SS dams in series + closure of
with runoff-runon system using C/CA catchment area (plantation of
1:1 – tie ridging and stabilization along crops on SS dam based upon
bunds with legume trees/shrubs + sedimentation rate – start with
control grazing. ring cultivation).
Escarpment under
closure + checkdams
on small gullies
Hillsides with trenches
and eyebrow basins C/CA
3-5:1 for trees +/- cash
crops in lower slopes.
Streambank
plantation and
stabilisation.
Farm dam for
livestock uses, fish,
etc.
Large water pond based on
Stone bunds on upper parts flooded area using percolation
and stone faced soil bunds on dam (earth dam + gabion flow
medium and lower slopes + Irrigated perimeters using hand- structure). Cultivation during
lateral spillways and gully dug wells (each for 0.1-0.25 ha the dry season on residual
control. Bunds also stabilised plots) – horticulture. Microponds moisture.
with legume shrubs. also possible, including in villages.

49. Useful references
www.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

50. Asante Sana!
Questions to the speaker:
fsambalino@metameta.nl
www.metameta.nl