IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i11p5905-d561090.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water Storage in Dry Riverbeds of Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: Overview, Challenges, and Prospects of Sand Dam Technology

Author

Listed:
  • Bisrat Ayalew Yifru

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
    Department of Land, Water and Environment Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Korea)

  • Min-Gyu Kim

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea)

  • Jeong-Woo Lee

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea)

  • Il-Hwan Kim

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea)

  • Sun-Woo Chang

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
    Department of Land, Water and Environment Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Korea)

  • Il-Moon Chung

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
    Department of Land, Water and Environment Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Goyang 10223, Korea)

Abstract

Augmenting water availability using water-harvesting structures is of importance in arid and semi-arid regions (ASARs). This paper provides an overview and examines challenges and prospects of the sand dam application in dry riverbeds of ASARs. The technology filters and protects water from contamination and evaporation with low to no maintenance cost. Sand dams improve the socio-economy of the community and help to cope with drought and climate change. However, success depends on the site selection, design, and construction. The ideal site for a sand dam is at a transition between mountains and plains, with no bend, intermediate slope, and impermeable riverbed in a catchment with a slope greater than 2°. The spillway dimensioning considers the flow velocity, sediment properties, and storage target, and the construction is in multi-stages. Recently, the failure of several sand dams because of incorrect siting, evaporation loss, and one-stage construction were reported. Revision of practitioners’ manuals by considering catchment scale hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics, spillway height, and sediment transport are recommended. Research shows that protected wells have better water quality than open wells and scoop holes. Therefore, the community should avoid open defecation, pit latrines, tethering of animals, and applying pesticides near the sand dam.

Suggested Citation

  • Bisrat Ayalew Yifru & Min-Gyu Kim & Jeong-Woo Lee & Il-Hwan Kim & Sun-Woo Chang & Il-Moon Chung, 2021. "Water Storage in Dry Riverbeds of Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: Overview, Challenges, and Prospects of Sand Dam Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:5905-:d:561090
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/5905/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/5905/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johan Rockström & Malin Falkenmark, 2015. "Agriculture: Increase water harvesting in Africa," Nature, Nature, vol. 519(7543), pages 283-285, March.
    2. Ralph Lasage & Jeroen Aerts & Peter Verburg & Alemu Sileshi, 2015. "The role of small scale sand dams in securing water supply under climate change in Ethiopia," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 317-339, February.
    3. Ayami Hayashi & Keigo Akimoto & Toshimasa Tomoda & Masanobu Kii, 2013. "Global evaluation of the effects of agriculture and water management adaptations on the water-stressed population," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 18(5), pages 591-618, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kamal Abdelrahim Mohamed Shuka & Wang Ke & Mohammad Sohail Nazar & Ghali Abdullahi Abubakar & AmirReza Shahtahamssebi, 2022. "Impact of Hydrological Infrastructure Projects on Land Use/Cover and Socioeconomic Development in Arid Regions—Evidence from the Upper Atbara and Setit Dam Complex, Kassala, Eastern Sudan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Zekâi Şen, 2021. "Reservoirs for Water Supply Under Climate Change Impact—A Review," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(11), pages 3827-3843, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Wendi & Straffelini, Eugenio & Tarolli, Paolo, 2023. "Steep-slope viticulture: The effectiveness of micro-water storage in improving the resilience to weather extremes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    2. Kristina Lindvall & John Kinsman & Atakelti Abraha & Abdirisak Dalmar & Mohamed Farah Abdullahi & Hagos Godefay & Lelekoitien Lerenten Thomas & Mohamed Osman Mohamoud & Bile Khalif Mohamud & Jairus Mu, 2020. "Health Status and Health Care Needs of Drought-Related Migrants in the Horn of Africa—A Qualitative Investigation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Anantha, K.H. & Garg, Kaushal K. & Barron, Jennie & Dixit, Sreenath & Venkataradha, A. & Singh, Ramesh & Whitbread, Anthony M., 2021. "Impact of best management practices on sustainable crop production and climate resilience in smallholder farming systems of South Asia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    4. Chen, Ji & Shi, Haiyun & Sivakumar, Bellie & Peart, Mervyn R., 2016. "Population, water, food, energy and dams," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 18-28.
    5. Francis Oremo & Richard Mulwa & Nicholas Oguge, 2021. "Sustainable water access and willingness of smallholder irrigators to pay for on-farm water storage systems in Tsavo sub-catchment, Kenya," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 1371-1391, February.
    6. Namakando, Namakando, 2020. "Stakeholder perceptions of raw water quality and its management in Fetakgomo and Maruleng municipalities of Limpopo Province," Research Theses 334769, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    7. Udinart Prata Rabelo & Alexandre C. Costa & Jörg Dietrich & Elahe Fallah-Mehdipour & Pieter Van Oel & Iran Eduardo Lima Neto, 2022. "Impact of Dense Networks of Reservoirs on Streamflows at Dryland Catchments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, October.
    8. Ayyad, Saher & Karimi, Poolad & Langensiepen, Matthias & Ribbe, Lars & Rebelo, Lisa-Maria & Becker, Mathias, 2022. "Remote sensing assessment of available green water to increase crop production in seasonal floodplain wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    9. Ayami Hayashi & Fuminori Sano & Yasuhide Nakagami & Keigo Akimoto, 2018. "Changes in terrestrial water stress and contributions of major factors under temperature rise constraint scenarios," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 1179-1205, December.
    10. Žiga Malek & Peter H. Verburg, 2018. "Adaptation of land management in the Mediterranean under scenarios of irrigation water use and availability," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 821-837, August.
    11. Meron Lakew Tefera & Giovanna Seddaiu & Alberto Carletti, 2024. "Traditional In Situ Water Harvesting Practices and Agricultural Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa—A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-21, July.
    12. Jie Yang & Xiaohong Chen, 2019. "Quantification of the Driving Factors of Water Use in the Productive Sector Change Using Various Decomposition Methods," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(12), pages 4105-4121, September.
    13. Siddig, Khalid & Stepanyan, Davit & Wiebelt, Manfred & Grethe, Harald & Zhu, Tingju, 2020. "Climate change and agriculture in the Sudan: Impact pathways beyond changes in mean rainfall and temperature," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    14. Jaime Martínez-Valderrama & Jorge Olcina & Gonzalo Delacámara & Emilio Guirado & Fernando T. Maestre, 2023. "Complex Policy Mixes are Needed to Cope with Agricultural Water Demands Under Climate Change," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 37(6), pages 2805-2834, May.
    15. Delaney, R.G. & Blackburn, G.A. & Whyatt, J.D. & Folkard, A.M., 2022. "SiteFinder: A geospatial scoping tool to assist the siting of external water harvesting structures," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    16. Francis Oremo & Richard Mulwa & Nicholas Oguge, 2019. "Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Water Resources Management among Smallholder Irrigators in the Tsavo Sub-Catchment, Kenya," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-17, July.
    17. Ritwick Ghosh & Adrien Baut & Giorgio Belleri & Michael Kappl & Hans-Jürgen Butt & Thomas M. Schutzius, 2023. "Photocatalytically reactive surfaces for simultaneous water harvesting and treatment," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(12), pages 1663-1672, December.
    18. Jiaxin Zhang & Tao Yang & Mingjiang Deng, 2024. "Ecosystem Services’ Supply–Demand Assessment and Ecological Management Zoning in Northwest China: A Perspective of the Water–Food–Ecology Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-25, August.
    19. Patrick W. Keys & Malin Falkenmark, 2018. "Green water and African sustainability," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(3), pages 537-548, June.
    20. Nechifor, Victor, 2018. "Global economic and food security impacts of demand-driven water scarcity," Conference papers 332931, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:5905-:d:561090. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.