Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Ethiopia

Transcription

1 Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Ethiopia Addis Ababa University College of Development Studies Center of Environment and Water Taffa Tulu May, 2014

2 Content Contents 1. Introduction 2. Ethiopia s water resources 3. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) practices in Ethiopia 4. Institutions involved in RWH 5. Constraints and limitations 6. Research needs 7. Conclusions and Recommendations

3 1. Introduction(1) World Food Summit targets as well as those in the MDGs pledge to: reduce # of chronically hungry by ½ by 2015 promote gender equity & women empowerment ensure environmental sustainability The Poverty Vicious Cycle in Ethiopia Population growth agriculture and livestock into marginal land deforestation land & water degradation poor productivity, food insecurity poverty poor health, malnutrition inability to invest in maintaining or improving land productivity further degradation, etc. Aggravated by shocks How to transform this vicious cycle in to a virtuous cycle is the key question that needs to be addressed.

4 1. Introduction (2) Rainwater harvesting technique broadly includes: o roof water harvesting, o runoff harvesting, o flood water harvesting; and o subsurface water harvesting Runoff water harvesting mainly practiced : o in the semi arid areas (rainfall 400 to 600 mm)

5 1. Introduction (3) History of RWH in Ethiopia o pre-axumite period (560 BC). o stored in ponds for agricultural and water supply purposes A roof water harvesting set up is still visible at: o palace of the legendary Queen of Sheba in Axum o the old castles in Gondar, constructed in the 15-16th century Konso people: o Practiced building level terraces to harvest rainwater for millennium o a symbol of struggle for survival against the adversaries of nature Old ponds are visible present days in several sites of: o Arsi, Bale and Haraghe provinces o They are still functional

6 1. Background (3) Problems in Agriculture Water Long dry spells (leading to crop failures) Drought (Three major droughts in 30 years) Huge water resources potential but with spatial and temporal variability Unutilized due to: lack of infrastructure, lack of investment capital, trans-boundary nature of the rivers Other problems are related to: supporting institutions, water use rights, management, etc

7 2. Ethiopian s Water Resources (1) Location: 3 0 and 14 0 N latitude, and 33 0 and 48 0 E longitude. Area: about million Ha Topography: mountainous and rugged terrain Elevations: Afar Depression in the northeast => 110 meters below sea level; and top of Ras Dashen Mountain in the north => 4,620 meters above sea level Mean annual temperatures: 45 0 C in the Afar Depression; and below 0 0 C in the highest lands. Rainfall: more than 2,700 millimeters => in the south western highlands; less than 100 millimeters northeast. Gifted with: abundant water and land resources; wide range of altitudinal and climatic variation (110 m below sea level to over 4,400 m a s l; and from a desert to moist rainforest The wide range of diversity in the agro-ecology: enables the country to produce many kinds of crops and livestock

8 Population increased: from 25 million (in the 1960s) to nearly 94 million in recent years pressure on the agricultural land, forests and the environment at large major causes of recurrent crop failures and severe food shortages in Ethiopia are: fast population growth; and persistent land, water and environmental degradation Paradoxically, Ethiopia is very well known for its enormous water resources potential. It is still known as the Water Tower of Africa! Renewable surface water resources: about 122 billion cubic meters per year from 12 major river basins and 22 lakes Renewable groundwater resources => about 2.6 billion cubic meters

9 The Abbay (Blue Nile) Basin contributes 62% of annual average flow reaching Aswan The major river basins with high runoffs include: Blue Nile (48%); Omo-Gibe (16%); Baro-Akobo (11%); Genalle-Dawa (5%); and Awash (4%) Total annual runoff: about 110 billion m 3 less than 5% is used in the country, the remaining leave the country as trans-boundary Rivers

10 2. Ethiopia s Water Resources (4) Most rivers are transboundary

11 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2. Ethiopian s Water Resources (5) FLOW m 3 x BAR TEKEZZ OM ABBAY (BLUE AWAS WAB GENAL Months of the Year High rainfall variability and unreliability; significant runoff variability; significant erosion and sediment in the system; no adequate storage

12 Kenya Ethiopia South Africa Thailand Laos China Brazil Australia North America Ethiopia s Water Resources (6) PER CAPITA STORAGE CAPACITY m 3 /capita Fig. 1 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Source: World Bank (2003)

13 Hydrological Variability: Extremes of Drought and Flood Too Little Rain: Drought Famine Too Much Rain: Flooding Massive Soil Loss and Land Degradation Sedimentation in reservoirs Power Generation and Irrigation Reduced by Sedimentation

14 One of the Paradoxes: Example of drought in Africa s water tower!!! Inadequate rainfall, drought and long dry spells cause crop failure

15 2. Ethiopia s Water Resources (8) Some of the paradoxes in the land of Africa s water tower!!

16 Different scenarios of gully erosion

17 3. Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Ethiopia (1) The RWH techniques most commonly practiced in Ethiopia are: o o o o runoff irrigation (runoff Farming); flood spreading (spate irrigation); in-situ water harvesting (ridges, micro basins, etc.); and roof water harvesting These techniques, though dates back in the antiquity, their importance has not been recognized until very recently, it was following the devastating drought and famine of the 1980s.

18 3. Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Ethiopia (2) 3.1. Runoff Harvesting The technique is: o based on diverting runoff from upland to farm at a lower elevation. o quite simple and it is done manually. o labor intensive while spreading the runoff in the farm o well adapted for crop production in the highlands of Hararghe Run-off irrigation is widely used in Hararghe for: o the production of sorghum and chat (Catha edulis) In Haramaya District, East Hararghe, o farm runoff are also collected in small embanked gullies, and the ponded water is used for irrigating valuable (perennial) crops such as chat (Catha edulis), coffee and fruit trees. Crop productivity through harvesting, conserving and using the water for crop production is an integral part of the farming system.

19 3. Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Ethiopia (3) 3.2. Flood Spreading (Spate Irrigation) Runoff from the highlands flash flood at the lowland downstream o diverted using temporary structures to small individual farm lands located along the river banks; and o the diverted water is spread into the field as supplementary irrigation. Flood amount and duration depend upon rainfall amount in the upland areas o Generally stays in the river bed not more than two hours. Seasonal rivers/streams originate in the highlands of Eastern Hararghe, and ends up in the lowland areas in Dire Dawa Zuria. o Many farmers along these river banks are practicing flash flood spreading for crop production. With Food for Work (FFW) assistance and technical support received from the Hararghe Catholic Church in Dire Dawa, farmers were able to establish simple diversions (using wooden trash and soil material) and canals to convey the flood water into their farms. The importance of this technique is being very well recognized and it is spreading at an encouraging pace.

20 3.3. Water Harvesting Ponds Traditional ponds have been used in Ethiopia for millennium o Some estimates it as early as 560 BC (Fattovich, 1990). o Used for domestic water supply and livestock in rural areas o Practiced areas where annual rainfall is less than 600 mm Ponds are simple to construct and it can be managed by the community. There are an estimated over 2000 traditional ponds in Ethiopia o in USA over 2 million ponds Size of the ponds: o from 650 m3 to several thousands They serve for 3 to 6 months only. Promotion of ponds is becoming difficult and challenging. Why? o due to spread of water borne diseases, such as malaria

21 3.4. Roof Water Harvesting In rural areas, communities cannot be served by a centralized water supply schemes. Why? Because o the terrain is rugged; o the villages are scattered; and o centralized water supply is expensive Roof water harvesting is more appropriate in areas where: o the terrain is rugged; o the villages are scattered; o there are no rivers or ground water sources around; and o rainwater is the only feasible means of providing a water supply Roof water harvesting is o important in the rural areas; o low cost; o relatively simple to design (household technology); o less laborious; and o saves time (does not require long walk and time for women and children to fetch water) Roof water quality as good compared to other water sources in the rural areas

22 3.5. Water Conservation for Agriculture Major conservation structures commonly practiced in Ethiopia include: o soil bund; o stone bund; o fanya juu; o terraces; o trenches; and o grass strips (vetiver grass, etc) They are constructed in contour or graded depending on the rainfall of the area. o graded structures for high rainfall area and level for low rainfall areas These structures: o reduce soil erosion; and o conserve water in situ. Constructing level terraces is a well established traditional practice in Konso. Other traditional water conservation methods in cultivated lands include: o open and tied ridges practiced in Hararghe, Wollo and Tigray. o Micro basins are also used for growing tree plants. o Pits practiced in North Shewa for irrigating tree plants using watering cans.

23 Fig. 2. Contour bunds for trees Fig. 3. Contour bunds for trees: field layout

24 Fig..4. Contour ridges: field layout Fig. 5. Contour stone bunds: field layout

25 Fig. 6: General layout of Permeable rock dams for spate irrigation

26 Water Spreading Bunds

27 4. Institutions Involved in the Promotion of Rainwater Harvesting Several international and indigenous NGOs are implementing RWH in: o Eastern Hararghe, o East Shewa, o Tigray, Wolo and o Gondar The government has established commissions in four regions: o Tigray, o Amhara, o Oromia and o Southern Nations and Nationalities People s Regional states It was named as: o Commission for Sustainable Agricultural and Environmental Rehabilitation (COSAER) Its mandate is to promote, develop, and manage: o the regional land and water resources for sustainable agricultural uses Efforts were made to strengthen and upgrade the committee to a level of Association: o Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association (ERHA) Engagements: o Government mainly in large scale water harvesting schemes o NGOs mainly in small scale water harvesting schemes The Ministry of Agriculture through its extension program is also promoting water and moisture conservation activities particularly in moisture stress areas.

28 Current NGO/donor activities NGOs, Donor or Agency Small scale Irrigation (SSI) Micro Irrigation (MI) Rainwater Harvesting RWH) REGION (S) OF ACTIVITY Action Aid SNNPR SG 2000 Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR CIDA Tigray, Amhara CRS Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, AFD SNNPR Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR CARE Amhara, Oromia, Afar USAID Amhara, Tigray ESRDF Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR IFAD Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, GTZ SNNPR Oromia, Amhara JICA Oromia ORDA Amhara ADF Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR ADB SNNPR

29 5. Constraints and Limitations Physical: Technical: soil conditions, topography, rainfall characteristics, infra structure, etc. Technology choice - often inappropriate technology, very limited choices, difficult to manage by farmers on their own Little access to innovations, etc. Institutional arrangements: gaps, overlaps and conflicts of mandates of regional / federal institutions; beneficiaries not adequately involve (farmers) Training lack of adequate training to handle technologies prior to introduction

30 Socio-economic: Capital lack of start-up capital or access to credit to initiate venture Low yields not significantly above rain-fed system, soils/agronomic problems Property rights land use rights, land ownership and water rights not clear, and hence difficult access and conflicts Too small landholdings land holdings small; continued land fragmentation hence problems of diversification into high value crops Conflicts conflicts between traditional irrigators and those in modern systems Marketing and market access limited knowledge of target marketing, need for market assessment, market information Dependency syndrome some see aid or donation has become a part of rural life; anticipate to aid as one of the various livelihood options; less effort for successful Research Baseline studies/data on potentials of different areas for water development Poor linkage between research and extension

31 6. Research Needs Research to enhance high yields Investment in research to enhance: o adaptation and efficient utilization water management technologies Socio-economic and marketing research to enhance: o access to market information, market access; o the realization of basic food security needs; and o modest market-oriented production on a sustainable basis Hydro-institutional research to enhance policies for: o clear definition of land/ water rights; o reduced land fragmentation o reduced conflicts between up- and downstream Hydro-institutional research to enhance o gender empowerment; and o increasing access of women to land, water and decision making (e.g. WUA, etc)

32 7. Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions: Sustainable water use in agriculture can provide realistic opportunity for growth. Unless water is properly managed for agriculture achieving growth, food security and protecting rural livelihood in Ethiopia is questionable Population growth and shortage of resources forced the people to focus on rainwater harvesting for both domestic and for agricultural water supply. There is a strong need to enhance access to institutional support services such as credit and extension. Availing market information on input and output marketing will only achieve the desired impacts if an effective extension system is in place to guide farmers to understand the issues related to the optimal application inputs, targeted planting dates and product quality to enable them respond well to market incentives. Capacity building in various aspects of irrigation management provides the necessary policy framework at all levels to give more attention to poor people (especially women) enable women to be a major beneficiary of investments.

33 Recommendations Focus on small scale rain water harvesting schemes that are now being promoted by NGOs. Use multi-sectoral approach to conserve, use and manage rainwater. Involve all stakeholders in decision making, planning and management of the resources. Promote run-off farming for a sustainable household food security. Research and document the indigenous knowledge. Create adequate interest among policy makers, planners and water project managers. Classify and identify target groups based on the scope of their assets and livelihoods and provide development assistance that enables them to protect and improve these assets and livelihoods through various combinations of interventions. Increase the volume of production and enhance productivity through proper land and water management, which may require strategic and applied research. Put in place land use classification and delineation, based on suitability that reduces risk of degradation (rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture, forest land, grazing land). Improve degraded land through conservation-based interventions, catchment treatment and afforestation. Invest in rural water development as multiple use water systems to reduce poverty and improve livelihood through providing water for agriculture, livestock, domestic and sanitation. Avail water to overcome dry spells & provide supplementary irrigation through RWH (insitu soil moisture maximization, ponds, and shallow wells)

34 Thank You