Effects of sand storage dams on groundwater levels with examples from Kenya

Hut, Rolf; Ertsen, Maurits W.; Joeman, Naziema; Vergeer, Niels; Winsemius, Hessel; Giesen, Nick van de

doi:10.1016/j.pce.2007.04.006

Cited by 48 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The NDVI responses corroborate findings from research on groundwater flows around sand dams, as the effects observed in this research are consistent with our understanding of groundwater flows around sand dams from previous research where sand dams increase groundwater storage in river banks by up to 40 % which is maintained throughout the year (Borst and De Haas 2006;Jansen 2007;Hoogmoed 2007;Hut et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This creates higher upstream groundwater levels that subsequently infiltrate into the adjacent riverbanks, thus also raising groundwater levels in those riverbanks (Hoogmoed 2007). The C. Ryan, P. Elsner subsurface groundwater flows and seasonal rains recharge the groundwater aquifer (Hoogmoed 2007). Water can then be extracted by the local population by using wells, pumps or scoop holes in the riverbed or banks upstream of the dam (Quilis et al 2009).…”

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resilience to drought in drylands is key to the continuation of these services under climate change conditions. Hydro-geological models suggest sand dams are a way to increase groundwater due to a c. 40 % increase of storage in riverbanks (Borst and de Haas 2006;Jansen 2007;Hoogmoed 2007). Moreover, modelling suggests the sand reservoir fills within days of the first rains, remaining through the season and river banks then fill within a month of the first rains.…”

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The potential for sand dams to increase the adaptive capacity of East African drylands to climate change

Ryan

Elsner

2016

Reg Environ Change

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Drylands are home to more than two billion people and are characterised by frequent, severe droughts. Such extreme events are expected to be exacerbated in the near future by climate change. A potentially simple and cost-effective mitigation measure against drought periods is sand dams. This little-known technology aims to promote subsoil rainwater storage to support dryland agroecosystems. To date, there is little long-term empirical analysis that tests the effectiveness of this approach during droughts. This study addresses this shortcoming by utilising multi-year satellite imagery to monitor the effect of droughts at sand dam locations. A time series of satellite images was analysed to compare vegetation at sand dam sites and control sites over selected periods of drought, using the normalised difference vegetation index. The results show that vegetation biomass was consistently and significantly higher at sand dam sites during periods of extended droughts. It is also shown that vegetation at sand dam sites recovers more quickly from drought. The observed findings corroborate modelling-based research which identified related impacts on ground water, land cover, and socio-economic indicators. Using past periods of drought as an analogue to future climate change conditions, this study indicates that sand dams have potential to increase adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change in drylands. It therefore can be concluded that sand dams enhance the resilience of marginal environments and increase the adaptive capacity of drylands. Sand dams can therefore be a promising adaptation response to the impacts of future climate change on drylands.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Principles Of the Sand Dam Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The potential for sand dams to increase the adaptive capacity of East African drylands to climate change

Ryan

Elsner

2016

Reg Environ Change

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“…Research has focused on their capacity for maintaining vegetation during drought [9], hydrological processes, and water movement around them [10,11], and their impact on a catchment scale [7,12,13]. However, there has been no examination of the quality of water held within them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of the Microbiological Water Quality of Sand Dams in Southeastern Kenya

Quinn

Avis

Decker

et al. 2018

Water

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Sand-storage dams have proven to be a successful water harvesting method and potential solution to water and food security issues in semi-arid regions such as south east Kenya. This paper examines the microbiological quality of water both contained in the sand dam via test holes and abstracted from it through covered wells and scoop holes. In total, the values of thermotolerant coliform (TTC) concentration, turbidity, and pH are presented for 47 covered wells, 36 scoop holes, and 29 test holes, as well as the conductivity values in conductivity in 39 covered wells and 11 scoop holes. The water from test holes and covered wells was microbiologically of better quality than the scoop holes with median TTC levels of 0/100 mL and 159/100 mL respectively. However, the median values of turbidity for both scoop holes (20-30 NTU) and covered wells (5-10 NTU) exceed the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline values. In addition the conductivity of water from 23% of scoop holes and 26% of covered wells is above the recommended WHO limit. This study also found that sanitary surveys are not a useful indicator of water quality in sand dams; however, they can identify areas in which sanitation and improvement of water sources are needed.

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Water Harvesting in Farmlands

Bresci

Castelli

2021

Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation

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Effects of sand storage dams on groundwater levels with examples from Kenya

Cited by 48 publications

References 5 publications

The potential for sand dams to increase the adaptive capacity of East African drylands to climate change

The potential for sand dams to increase the adaptive capacity of East African drylands to climate change

An Assessment of the Microbiological Water Quality of Sand Dams in Southeastern Kenya

Water Harvesting in Farmlands

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