Overview of micro-dam reservoirs (MDR) in Tigray (northern Ethiopia): Challenges and benefits

Berhane, Gebremedhin; Gebreyohannes, Tesfamichael; Martens, Kristine; Walraevens, Kristine

doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2016.07.022

Cited by 46 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The estimated storage and computed evaporation losses of small reservoirs in the semi-arid water storage region (SAWS, blue and red area in figure 1(f) Note: the mean rainfall and evaporative demand (ET 0 ) is the annual average for the whole semi-arid region in each continent. The estimations are computed using equations (2), (5) for reservoir sizes between 300 and 100 000 m 2 , and the cumulative evaporation losses are represented (i) as percentage of the estimated storage per continent and (ii) as volume per dry season.…”

Section: Estimated Evaporation Losses From Small Water Reservoirsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Small seasonal reservoirs have been used in different regions of the world for centuries, especially in semi-arid regions (known under different local names [2,3], see figures 1(a)-(e)). In these regions, dry-season water shortages for agricultural livelihood are common and water storage remains a feasible mitigation measure, while more recently, additional off-grid electric power supply was facilitated by means of micro-dams [4,5]. In contrast with well-studied large reservoirs and dams, small-sized and seasonal freshwater storage systems have relatively low environmental impact [6], yet their distribution and function during dry seasons plays a critical role in promoting the sustainability of rural communities and farmers, and reduce societal inequality gaps [7] for 15% of the world's population inhabiting semi-arid regions [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Distribution of small seasonal reservoirs in semi-arid regions and associated evaporative losses

Mady

Lehmann

Gorelick

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Commun.

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To support the increasing demand of a growing population for freshwater, small-sized (<0.1 km 2 ) water reservoirs are necessary in areas with limited infrastructure, especially in water-stressed regions having seasonal and variable precipitation. Seasonal storage in small reservoirs is often overlooked in present inventories. Accordingly, we assessed the current state in semi-arid regions using highly resolved Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Globally, about 3 million small reservoirs are in operation in semi-arid regions having a total water surface area of 17 800 km 2 and seasonal storage of 37 km 3 , supporting 15% of the world's population in semi-arid regions. Estimated upper-bound of evaporative losses represent 38% (14 km 3 ) of storage during dry season. The study estimates the evaporation suppression using floating covers and lays foundation to assess the feasibility of this technical solution to increase water savings. Significance and originality statementThis study provides new insights into the distribution of seasonal freshwater storage in water stressed regions that support large rural population. We provide the first baseline dataset of this distributed freshwater resource to better assess the sustainability of communities in semi-arid regions with chronic water shortages. Water storage in semi-arid regions is subject to potential evaporative losses of nearly 40% of the stored water. We analyzed conditions where evaporative losses could be significantly reduced using floating covers, a simple and scalable solution suitable for regions with underdeveloped economies. The study as well ranks regions with highest potential benefits from evaporation suppression measures.

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Section: Estimated Evaporation Losses From Small Water Reservoirsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of small seasonal reservoirs in semi-arid regions and associated evaporative losses

Mady

Lehmann

Gorelick

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Commun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Similarly, Haregeweyn et al (2017), in a comprehensive assessment of the soil erosion risk in the upper Blue Nile basin, reported a continued increase in erosion and sedimentation despite decades of soil and water conservation efforts. Berhane et al (2016) showed that more than 61% of 92 micro dams, mainly located in the subcatchment of the Tekeze basin, suffer from sedimentation.…”

Section: Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 11mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multicriteria decision-support system to assess the potential of exclosure-based conservation in Ethiopia

Kibret

Haileslassie

Bori

et al. 2020

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Land degradation is a global challenge that affects lives and livelihoods in many communities. Since 1950, about 65% of Africa's cropland, on which millions of people depend, has been affected by land degradation caused by mining, poor farming practices and illegal logging. One-quarter of the land area of Ethiopia is severely degraded. As part of interventions to restore ecosystem services, exclosures have been implemented in Ethiopia since the 1980s. But the lack of tools to support prioritization and more efficient targeting of areas for large-scale exclosure-based interventions remains a challenge. Within that perspective, the overarching objectives of the current study were: (i) to develop a Geographic Information System-based multicriteria decision-support tool that would help in the identification of suitable areas for exclosure initiatives; (ii) to provide spatially explicit information, aggregated by river basin and agroecology, on potential areas for exclosure interventions and (iii) to conduct ex-ante analysis of the potential of exclosure areas for improving ecosystem services in terms of increase in above-ground biomass (AGB) production and carbon storage. The results of this study demonstrated that as much as 10% of Ethiopia's land area is suitable for establishing exclosures. This amounts to 11 million hectares (ha) of land depending on the criteria used to define suitability for exclosure. Of this total, a significant proportion (0.5–0.6 million ha) is currently under agricultural land-use systems. In terms of propriety river basins, we found that the largest amount of suitable area for exclosures falls in the Abay (2.6 million ha) and Tekeze (2.2 million ha) river basins, which are hosts to water infrastructure such as hydropower dams and are threatened by siltation. Ex-ante analysis of ecosystem services indicated that about 418 million tons of carbon can be stored in the AGB through exclosure land use. Ethiopia has voluntarily committed to the Bonn Challenge to restore 15 million ha of degraded land by 2025. The decision-support tool developed by the current study and the information so generated go toward supporting the planning, implementation and monitoring of these kinds of local and regional initiatives.

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“…The major crops cultivated in the study area include barley (Hordeum vulgare), wheat (Triticum sativum), teff (Eragrostis teff) and millet (Eleusine coracana). Rainfall in most of the arid and semi-arid regions of Ethiopia, and in Tigray in particular, is not sufficient to support rain-fed agriculture especially with prolonged periods of drought that are recurrent in the last three decades (Berhane et al, 2016).…”

Section: Case Study Area In Ethiopiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Rural households access to water resources under climate impacts based on field evidence in Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Fagan¹,

Etongo²,

Zerihun³

et al. 2019

Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The climatic condition in Ethiopia is semi-arid and this has implications especially for rural communities in the country that are largely dependent on surface water. In water scarce areas across four districts in the Tigray region, a survey of 595 households was carried out, and two shared dialogue workshops was held. In this study, the following issues were examined: (i) Access to water in relation to sources, distances covered, gender and time taken; (ii) Local perceptions on current (2014-2017) and future (2018-2021) access to water, and (iii) The types of water conflicts encountered and their causes. Results indicate 50.8% of the surveyed households collected water from dugout ponds and 24% from rivers. Chi-square test showed a statistical significance at the 1 and 5% level, respectively for distance covered and time taken to water sources. Although gender was not significant statistically, females (N=440) were more involved than males (N=155) in fetching water. Immediate problems arise for householders and specifically women and girls that travelled more than 2 km to collect water. Climate change was mentioned as the key driver that reduced access to water resources whereas tanks with water brought in truck by the government was reported as reason for current increase in access to water. However, future access to water was perceived as unpredictable due to the impacts of climate change. At least 40% of households reported that a member had encountered conflict while accessing water, conflict that manifested itself as verbal accusation and physical fighting. The majority of such instances of conflict resulted from water shortage, followed by pollution from livestock droppings. Project interventions that promote watershed rehabilitation through different ecosystem-based adaptation approaches should be supported locally to restore nearby degraded water sources while improving the functionality of boreholes and existing taps to ensure access and sustainability of water infrastructures.

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Overview of micro-dam reservoirs (MDR) in Tigray (northern Ethiopia): Challenges and benefits

Cited by 46 publications

References 38 publications

Distribution of small seasonal reservoirs in semi-arid regions and associated evaporative losses

Distribution of small seasonal reservoirs in semi-arid regions and associated evaporative losses

Multicriteria decision-support system to assess the potential of exclosure-based conservation in Ethiopia

Rural households access to water resources under climate impacts based on field evidence in Tigray Region, Ethiopia

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