Desert water harvesting from takyr surfaces: assessing the potential of traditional and experimental technologies in the Karakum

Abstract

From historical times the traditionally nomadic people in desert environments of Turkmenistan have applied a range of innovative technologies to secure water supply for consumptive and productive purposes. These technologies make use of takyrs, flat or slightly sloping dense clay surfaces which act as natural catchment areas. In recent history, these technologies have been neglected, in part due to a booming water supply through irrigation development, and takyr surfaces have suffered various degradation processes. However, the limited scope for further extension of irrigation systems presents a challenge to reconsider these traditional technologies. In this paper, results of cost-benefit analysis are presented by which an assessment is made of the potential of both traditional and experimental takyr use technologies. It is shown that they bear considerable potential for the future at relatively low investment cost, that they may help limit degradation processes and provide for a sustainable development pathway for the inhabitants of the desert. A main challenge in order to benefit from this potential is to find an appropriate management structure for maintenance and resource use of these water-harvesting technologies.

Modern impacts on an ancient landscape, the piedmont plain in southwest Turkmenistan

“…These measures might have ranged from simple floodwater techniques with small canals or ditches and leveling, to larger scale techniques of dam building or water storage (cf. Refs ).…”

Transient Evolution of Inland Freshwater Lenses: Comparison of Numerical and Physical Experiments

“…As the demand for water resources in arid environments intensifies in conjunction with climate change, novel approaches for water resources development are needed [51][52][53][54][55]. Desert communities have historically used inland and coastal freshwater lenses combined with ancient irrigation techniques (e.g., runoff harvesting, subsurface canals) for access to freshwater because the methods were uncomplicated and technologically inexpensive [56][57][58]. Similar systems have been identified within the deserts of the Middle East, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa but have declined in use.…”

Irrigation in the Khorezm oasis, past and present: a political ecology perspective

“…Production practices at these sites included animal husbandry (Tsalkin 1952(Tsalkin , 1966 and the cultivation of drought-tolerant crops (Brite and Marston 2013), whose low labor demands were elsewhere compatible with rangeland grazing (Chang et al 2003;Motuzaite Motuzeviciute et al 2015;Spengler et al 2014:154-5). Other aspects of ancient Khorezmian agriculture, for example the cultivation of vineyards, melon patches, and fruit trees, similarly may suggest an emphasis on cropping strategies that made use of low intensity desert water harvesting techniques and would have allowed time for other production activities (Fleskens et al 2007). …”