Reservoir siltation in the semi-arid highlands of northern Ethiopia: sediment yield–catchment area relationship and a semi-quantitative approach for predicting sediment yield

Abstract

Due to shortage of rainfall and its increasing variability, moisture stress is identified to be one of the most critical factors affecting agricultural productivity in the drylands of Ethiopia. To circumvent this problem, a strategy of supplemental irrigation through surface water harvesting was adopted by the government and several micro-dams have been built in the semi-arid parts of the country. However, the benefits from the water harvesting schemes are not sustainable because of rapid water storage loss d…