Dry areas suffer not only from limited rainfall but also natural leakage90% of rainwater is lost directly or indirectly, and is unavailable for agriculture or domestic use. Water harvesting is a low-cost, easy-to-use, environmentally-friendly way to recover a large part of this lost water.
How does water harvesting work? Which sites or areas are best suited and how can these areas be identified? How to design, build and maintain a water harvesting system tailored to local needs? How can water harvesting contribute to combating land degradation, enhancing food security and adapting to climate change? This book provides the answers.
The book is based on many years of research, training and development by three of the worlds leading experts in water management and agriculture. It is authoritative, comprehensive, and easy to read, containing practical examples, many illustrations and little jargon. This volume will be of great interest to researchers, development workers, farmers, policymakers, students of the natural sciencesin fact, anyone interested in efficient, sustainable management of water resources and agriculture.
Water shortage is one of the most critical topics at the global level. This volume examines methods and techniques of water harvesting to make more water available to humans and animals and for irrigation purposes in dry environments where rainwater is the only source of water. The book covers all aspects of water harvesting, from hydrology and
Recenzijas
Eight chapters of this book describe the principles and practices of rainwater harvesting in dry areas, covering a wide range of water harvesting systems,... Throughout the text there are line drawings and photographs, which are particularly well done, as are the additional 25 pages of colour plates. The last two chapters, which address associated socio-economic and environmental aspacts of rainwater harvesting, complement the strong practical engineering focus of the book. Readers will find this book to be a valuable source on rainwater harvesting.
Erik Craswell, Experimental Agriculture, volume 49(I) - 2013, Cambridge University Press
1. Principles and practices of water harvesting
2. Hydrological aspects
of water harvesting
3. Methods and techniques in water harvesting
4. Runoff
inducement methods
5. Identification of areas suitable for water harvesting
6. Planning and design of water harvesting systems
7. Storage of harvested
water
8. Implementation, operation, and maintenance of water harvesting
systems
9. Socioeconomic issues
10. Water quality and environmental
considerations
T. Oweis is the director of the Integrated Water and Land Management Program (IWLMP) at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) (CGIAR Future Harvest Center). He has carried out research into and published extensively on irrigation and water management since the 1980s, fulfilling numerous academic and institutional roles over time.
D. Prinz is an independent consultant in matters concerning irrigation, water management and harvesting, and water & soil conservation. During the course of his career, he has published and lectured extensively on many aspects of rural engineering, with a particular focus on water and land resources development; irrigation, water and soil conservation and water harvesting in agriculture.
A. Hachum is Professor in the Department of Water Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, Mosul University, Iraq and consultant for the Integrated Water and Land Management Program, ICARDA. He has published many articles as well as a number of monographs on the topics of irrigation and water harvesting.
