Your search found 33 records
1 Weerakoon, S. B.; De Silva, A. P. K. 2006. Wind pumping based water supply schemes for remote villages in Sri Lanka. In Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC). Sustainable development of water resources, water supply and environmental sanitation: 32nd WEDC International Conference, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13th - 17th November 2006. Preprints. Leicestershire, UK: Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) pp.428-431.
Water supply ; Villages ; Wells ; Boreholes ; Manual pumps ; Ropes ; Water lifting ; Models ; Wind power ; Water storage ; Tanks / Sri Lanka / Hambantota District
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G000 WAT Record No: H041043)
2 Wijetunge, J. J. 2006. Research and development on traditional water lifting devices: endless piston water pump. In Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC). Sustainable development of water resources, water supply and environmental sanitation: 32nd WEDC International Conference, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13th - 17th November 2006. Preprints. Leicestershire, UK: Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) pp.452-455.
Water supply ; Villages ; Rivers ; Wells ; Boreholes ; Pipes ; Manual pumps ; Ropes ; Water lifting ; Design
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G000 WAT Record No: H041044)
3 Pavelic, Paul; Giordano, Mark; Keraita, Bernard; Ramesh, Vidya; Rao, T. 2012. Groundwater availability and use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of 15 countries. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 274p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2012.213]
Groundwater development ; Groundwater potential ; Groundwater recharge ; Aquifers ; Groundwater irrigation ; Irrigated farming ; Groundwater policy ; Groundwater extraction ; Water availability ; Water storage ; Water quality ; Water use ; Domestic consumption ; Livestock ; Case studies ; Wells ; Boreholes ; Pumps ; Costs ; Drainage ; Socioeconomic environment ; Hydrogeology ; Legal aspects ; Water rights / Africa South of Sahara / Burkina Faso / Ethiopia / Ghana / Kenya / Malawi / Mali / Mozambique / Niger / Nigeria / Somalia / South Africa / Tanzania / Uganda / Zambia / Zimbabwe
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046186)
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Books/PDF/groundwater_availability_and_use_in_sub-saharan_africa_a_review_of_15_countries.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046186.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H046186.pdf
(19.27 MB) (4.74MB)
4 Singh, S. C. 2013. Geophysical viewpoints for groundwater resource development and management in coastal tracts. In Wetzelhuetter, C. (Ed.). Groundwater in the coastal zones of Asia-Pacific. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. pp.67-87. (Coastal Research Library Volume 7)
Geophysics ; Groundwater management ; Groundwater depletion ; Water resources ; Salt water intrusion ; Coastal area ; Aquifers ; Boreholes ; Hydrogeology ; Case studies / India / West Bengal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 551.457 G570 WET Record No: H046329)
Ever since the beginning of human civilization, people have settled along riverbanks and coasts. Throughout the world, the extent of coastal regions that have sustainable groundwater bodies is shrinking by the day. The problems that dominate in the use of such groundwater are depletion due to overdraft, and salinisation arising from pollution and/or sea water (saline) intrusion. Around the world, especially in regions with high population density, dynamic tube-well-irrigated agriculture and insufficient surface water, many consequences of the overdevelopment of groundwater are increasingly evident. The most common symptom is decline in water tables. In coastal areas, the most serious consequence of intensified pumping of groundwater for irrigation is saline ingress into coastal aquifers. All these problems will impair the region’s water supply capacity and its ability to meet the demand from its growing population. One of the most serious side-effects caused by groundwater depletion is saline intrusion in coastal aquifers like those in Egypt, Turkey, China and India. Thus the need for sustainable groundwater development warrants detailed mapping of the saline-fresh groundwater interface and monitoring of salt water ingress. In this respect, geophysical investigations can help in the assessment of sub-surface hydrogeological conditions and optimization of the number and location of boreholes to be drilled for sustainable water resource development in any particular coastal area. Use of such techniques is quite economical. The purpose of applying geophysics is to enable development of a picture of the variations in physical properties of the sub-surface horizons and translate them subjectively into a profile of the hydrogeological situation. While surface geophysical techniques help to define the negative and positive areas before taking up the drilling programme, post-drilling down-hole geophysical logging enables identification of the depth zones minutely, confirmation of the hydrogeological characterization and specific emplacement of the cement seals in the boreholes to avoid mixing of groundwaters of different qualities by vertical flow. Geophysical logging techniques also help in deciphering the regional as well as local geometry of the aquifers and the direction of groundwater flow in them, as well as in monitoring variations in water quality. No single geophysical discipline or technique seems to be able to provide the wide range of data required to unravel enigmatic sub-surface hydrogeological conditions. When such unravelling is needed, subjective integration of the results from different techniques becomes essential to minimize ambiguity and make the exploration relatively foolproof. It should also be noted that geophysical exploration in coastal, areas demands a greater level of accuracy in data acquisition and interpretation than similar exploratory work inland. In such areas, resistivity methods face limitations such as the development of very low potential, transition in resistivity with depth, suppression of thin layers with intermediate resistivity values and severe ambiguity in layer parameters, because of the equivalence. In spite of this, the resistivity method has found wide application in coastal areas, mainly in the assessment groundwater quality. Reliability in estimating layer parameters is enhanced if the resistivity method is supplemented with seismic, induced polarization, electromagnetic and/or other geophysical techniques. A detailed geophysical case study from West Bengal in India is presented below. The geophysical inferences concerning coastal hydrogeological conditions, their scope in defining the zones prone to sea water encroachment and the potential areas of groundwater development are highlighted in the text.
5 Closas, Alvar. 2014. Norias, boreholes and the role of the state during the groundwater ‘silent revolution’ in La Mancha, Spain. Hydrogeology Journal, 22(5):1179-1192. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-014-1118-0]
Groundwater extraction ; Groundwater development ; Boreholes ; Farmers ; Environmental degradation ; Semiarid zones ; Irrigation ; Aquifers ; Wells ; Subsidies ; Wetlands ; Case studies / Spain / La Mancha / Las Tablas de Daimiel Wetland
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046369)
(3.53 MB)
The ‘silent revolution’ is a phenomenon describing the individualistic behaviour of farmers in the adoption of intensive groundwater abstraction technologies, which in some cases has led to groundwater over-abstraction and environmental degradation in semiarid areas such as La Mancha, Spain. However, a lacuna exists as to the extent to which state politics have affected the development of groundwater abstraction technologies in Spain. With new quantitative and qualitative data from the irrigation community of Manzanares and public irrigation and colonisation plans, this report studies the adoption of groundwater abstraction technology and investigates the historical role of the state in the development of modern groundwater-fed irrigation socio-ecologies in the semiarid area of La Mancha in Spain.
6 Duerrast, H.; Srattakal, J. 2013. Geophysical investigations of saltwater intrusion into the coastal groundwater aquifers of Songkhla city, southern Thailand. In Wetzelhuetter, C. (Ed.). Groundwater in the coastal zones of Asia-Pacific. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. pp.155-175. (Coastal Research Library Volume 7)
Geophysics ; Salt water intrusion ; Coastal area ; Groundwater ; Aquifers ; Boreholes ; Surveys / Thailand / Songkhla
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 551.457 G570 WET Record No: H046332)
Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers is an emerging problem for many cities located along coastlines as they are dealing with an increase in the population numbers. The Bo Yang District of Songkhla Province, comprising the City of Songkhla, one of the main provincial capitals in Southern Thailand, is facing a similar problem, although it is already decades old. The city, abound 10 km2 in area, is bounded to the east by the Gulf of Thailand and to the west by the seasonal saline Lower Songkhla Lake. Geophysical investigations were carried out in order to delineate the saltwater intrusion utilizing widely available equipment. Four seismic refraction and 6 seismic reflection survey lines were acquired, as well as 12 vertical electrical sounding surveys were done mainly in the northern and western part of the city. All methods require several 100 m long straight lines with ground access. In the densely populated city these were mainly found along streets, on football fields, at the beaches, and also on a military airfield. Additionally, data from seven drilling locations provided lithology data, mainly shallow boreholes. Further, for several wells screen depth intervals, chloride and total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations were known. From all available results three cross sections were drawn, two in EW direction perpendicular to the beaches and one in approximately NS direction crossing the city. In each of the cross sections four main resistivity layers were outlined. A near surface higher resistivity layer can be related to top soil or beach sand. The second later shows medium resistivity values, comprising layers of sand and clay, partially saturated from rainwater infiltration. The related groundwater of this unconfined aquifer has relatively low TDS values. The third layer has resistivity values of about 2–20 Om with TDS values of the groundwater of about 2,300–8,200 mg/L. This resistivity layer also comprises different geological layers, sand, clay and gravel layers, likely with brackish to saline water. The fourth resistivity layer shows resistivity values in general around 140 Om. For this layer no TDS are available, but the higher resistivity values indicate sand and gravel sediments with minor clay layers and saturated with freshwater. However, no further information is available for this layer. The cross sections further show that the subsurface layers show some topography which is likely to be related to hard rock outcrops, in the south there are granite hills, whereas in the northern part hornfels hills separate the aquifers. For any further groundwater development deeper boreholes into the third resistivity layer might yield the desired freshwater. This process must ensure that during any exploration and exploitations efforts the deeper aquifer is not contaminated by the saltwater intrusion into the second aquifer. However, since some decades a pipeline from a reservoir further south in Songkhla Province is supplying the people in Bo Yang District with tap water.
7 Punthakey, J. F.; Somaratne, N. M.; Prathapar, S. A.; Merrick, N. P.; Lawson, S.; Williams, R. M. 1994. Regional groundwater modelling of the lower Murrumbidgee River Basin: model development and calibration. Parramatta, NSW, Australia: Department of Water Resources. Technical Services Division. 287p.
Groundwater management ; Groundwater recharge ; River basins ; Models ; Calibration ; Climate change ; Hydrology ; Water management ; Water resources ; Water balance ; Aquifers ; Boreholes ; Irrigated land / Australia / Murrumbidgee River Basin / Murray Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 553.79 G922 PUN Record No: H046511)
(0.47 MB)
8 Hagos, Fitsum; Mamo, K. 2014. Financial viability of groundwater irrigation and its impact on livelihoods of smallholder farmers: the case of eastern Ethiopia. Water Resources and Economics, 7:55-65. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2014.08.001]
Financing ; Cost recovery ; Investment ; Groundwater irrigation ; Living standards ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Poverty ; Boreholes ; Households ; Wells
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046738)
(0.51 MB)
This paper examines the economics of groundwater irrigation and its impact on livelihood of smallholder farmers in Eastern Ethiopia. The results indicate that groundwater technologies are financially viable at 8, 12.25 and 16.5 percent discount rates. The net present value of these technologies is still viable under partial and full cost recovery regimes. Small-scale groundwater irrigation with boreholes provides a good option for poor households, bringing about significant positive impact in consumption expenditure. Groundwater, if adequately harvested, has a significant positive impact on the improvement of livelihoods of smallholding farmers; it is advantageous for the society if government and nongovernmental agencies are engaged in the expansion of deep groundwater wells on a sustainable basis. It is also vital to think of institutionalizing a cost recovery scheme to ensure water use efficiency and to sustain the future investments in irrigation, especially in developing groundwater resources.
9 Gomez-Temesio, V. 2016. Home is claiming for rights: the moral economy of water provision in rural Senegal. Society and Natural Resources, 29(6):654-667. (Special Issue: Thinking Relationships Through Water). [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2016.1150535]
Water rights ; Water availability ; Rural communities ; Households ; Water supply ; Boreholes ; Economic aspects ; Political aspects ; Social aspects ; Legal aspects ; State intervention ; Case studies / Senegal / Kaolack Region / Penedaly
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047512)
(0.48 MB)
In Senegal, when a borehole breakdown occurs in a community, the “son of the soil” is summoned to help as an informal key alternative to officials appointed by user committees. “Sons” have several points in common: Born in the village, they work as administrative executives in the capital Dakar and are connected to the ruling party. Sons of the soil narratives shed light on a specific “moral economy” in which people born on the same soil, home, have obligations to each other. In consequence, home constitutes a social space that can create its own rules as well as endorse compliance to them. Water absence also stresses the relations connecting rural communities to the state. Sons of the soil narratives are thus a way to explore local conceptions of citizenship.
10 Braimah, I.; Amponsah, O.; Asibey, M. O. 2016. The effectiveness of the local management systems of rural water facilities for sustainable service delivery: a case study of the Sekyere East District, Ghana. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 2(4):405-418. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-016-0070-7]
Water supply ; Sustainability ; Rural communities ; Community management ; Drinking water ; Boreholes ; Maintenance ; Managers ; Accountability ; Households ; Case studies / Ghana / Sekyere East District
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047908)
(0.82 MB)
Involving communities in the operation and maintenance (O&M) of water facilities is expected to be a cost-effective means of ensuring sustainable provision of water to rural communities in Ghana. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the community-based management strategy for the O&M of water facilities in the Sekyere East District of Ghana and to identify the best practices for replication. The data for the study were gathered from the District Water and Sanitation Team (DWST), Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committees and Water Boards (WBs) through direct interviews and focus group discussions. Analyses of the data revealed that the spirit of voluntarism that was expected to drive the local managers to be effective was fading away. Furthermore, the local managers were unable to mobilise adequate revenue to defray the cost of O&M partly due to households’ reluctance to pay coupled with the general lack of accountability on the part of the managers. The authors concluded that for the local managers to be effective, they need to be effectively motivated so that they could in turn be accountable to the community members.
11 Amoah, A. 2017. Demand for domestic water from an innovative borehole system in rural Ghana: stated and revealed preference approaches. Water Policy, 19(1):46-68. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2016.254]
Water supply ; Domestic water ; Drinking water ; Water demand ; Boreholes ; Economic value ; Rural areas ; Sustainable development ; Households ; Socioeconomic environment ; Regression analysis ; Contingent valuation ; Econometric models ; Pricing ; Willingness to pay ; Estimation / Ghana / Greater Accra Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048024)
(0.23 MB)
This study investigates demand for domestic water supply from an innovative borehole system using the contingent valuation method (CVM). We further estimate demand for current service of domestic water supply in residences using the hedonic pricing method (HPM). This is achieved through a survey from rural districts of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Interval regression and ordinary least squares (OLS) are applied to investigate the determinants of willingness-to-pay (WTP). We find that monthly WTP values are GH¢35.90 (US$11.45) and GH¢17.59 (US$5.61) in the CVM and HPM, respectively. These values constitute approximately 3–6% of household monthly income which is consistent with earlier studies. For policy purposes, the study recommends the adoption of this cost effective technology to help ease the water burden on society.
12 Closas, Alvar; Molle, Francois. 2016. Groundwater governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. [Project report of the Groundwater Governance in the Arab World - Taking Stock and Addressing the Challenges]. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 31p. (Groundwater Governance in the Arab World - Report 2)
Groundwater management ; Water governance ; Water resources ; Aquifers ; Boreholes ; Groundwater extraction ; Water law ; Legislation ; Regulations ; Licences ; Water use ; Equity ; Water policy ; Corporate culture ; Community involvement ; Farmer-led irrigation ; Social capital / Africa South of Sahara / South Africa / Kenya / Botswana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048386)
(2.06 MB)
13 Joubert, B.; Summers, R. 2018. The evolution and importance of 'rules-in-use' and low-level penalties in village-level collective action. Water Alternatives, 11(2):297-313.
Water supply ; Collective action ; Manual pumps ; Boreholes ; Resource management ; Rules ; Regulations ; Law enforcement ; Punishment ; Corporate culture ; Development plans ; Strategies ; Leadership ; Villages ; Case studies / Malawi / Machilika / Kalonga / Mazinga / Chimphanga / Makumba
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048804)
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol11/v11issue2/438-a11-2-5/file
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048804.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048804.pdf
(0.58 MB) (596 KB)
In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa community water points are provided through external support in the form of enhanced boreholes fitted with hand pumps. The external agency supplying the improved water source commonly provides maintenance training and assists in organising a governance plan for the water point. Despite its apparent virtues the Village-Level Operation and Maintenance model still experiences high levels of water point failures, even where the technical training and material conditions are adequate. There has been relatively little investigation of the institutional factors that may influence the cases where villages successfully maintain their shared water source infrastructure. This research investigated five villages in central Malawi where communities had maintained their water point hand pumps for periods exceeding 10 years. The results point to the importance of informal institutions giving primacy to ad-hoc 'rules-in-use' that suit the local context, and adapting forms of free-rider sanctions that are typically minor, low level and triangulated with local norms and behaviours. The findings highlight collective action that is successful through day-to-day adaption and that serves to institutionalise cooperative behaviour through appeals to norms.
14 Abubakar, I. R. 2018. Strategies for coping with inadequate domestic water supply in Abuja, Nigeria. Water International, 43(5):570-590. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2018.1490862]
Water supply ; Domestic water ; Households ; Strategies ; Water scarcity ; Water conservation ; Wastewater treatment ; Recycling ; Water quality ; Water market ; Water storage ; Boreholes ; Dug wells ; Pipes ; Human behaviour / Nigeria / Abuja
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048895)
(1.80 MB)
This article explores household strategies for coping with inadequate domestic water supply in Abuja, and the factors that affect strategy choice. In-depth interviews found that water storage (90%), bottled and sachet water (82%), water vendors (78%) and fetching water from neighbours (60%) were prefered for coping with inadequate water supply over water conservation and recycling (38%), boreholes (23%), home water treatment (15%), and surface water (10%). The necessity of water, costs of coping strategies, housing characteristics, socio-economic factors and planning regulations influenced household choice of strategies.
15 Walker, D.; Jovanovic, N.; Bugan, R.; Abiye, T.; du Preez, D.; Parkin, G.; Gowing, J. 2018. Alluvial aquifer characterisation and resource assessment of the Molototsi sand river, Limpopo, South Africa. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 19:177-192. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.09.002]
Alluvial aquifers ; Groundwater recharge ; Resource management ; Rivers ; Groundwater table ; Boreholes ; Water storage ; Water quality ; Hydrology ; Hydraulic conductivity ; Models ; Catchment areas ; Rain / South Africa / Limpopo / Molototsi Sand River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048914)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581818301125/pdfft?md5=1764e9c0a4f0d0074b1aa4ae135626f1&pid=1-s2.0-S2214581818301125-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048914.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048914.pdf
(4.19 MB) (4.19 MB)
Study region: Molototsi sand river, Limpopo, South Africa.
Study focus: Ephemeral sand rivers are common throughout the world’s dryland regions, often providing a water source where more conventional sources are unavailable. However, these alluvial aquifers are poorly represented in the literature. Extensive field investigations allowed estimation of stored water volume and characterisation of an alluvial aquifer.
New hydrological insights for the region: Computed alluvial aquifer properties included hydraulic conductivity of 20–300 m/d, porosity of 38–40%, and aquifer thickness of 0–6 m. Dykes and other subcrops commonly compartmentalise the aquifer though do not form barriers to flow. A hydraulic disconnect between deep groundwater (occurring in fractured metamorphic rocks) and the alluvial aquifer was revealed by groundwater levels and contrasting hydrochemistry and stable isotope signatures. The dominant recharge process of the alluvial aquifer is surface runoff occurring from torrential tributaries in the catchment’s upper reaches. A fraction of available storage is currently abstracted and there exists potential for greater exploitation for smallholder irrigation and other uses.
Study focus: Ephemeral sand rivers are common throughout the world’s dryland regions, often providing a water source where more conventional sources are unavailable. However, these alluvial aquifers are poorly represented in the literature. Extensive field investigations allowed estimation of stored water volume and characterisation of an alluvial aquifer.
New hydrological insights for the region: Computed alluvial aquifer properties included hydraulic conductivity of 20–300 m/d, porosity of 38–40%, and aquifer thickness of 0–6 m. Dykes and other subcrops commonly compartmentalise the aquifer though do not form barriers to flow. A hydraulic disconnect between deep groundwater (occurring in fractured metamorphic rocks) and the alluvial aquifer was revealed by groundwater levels and contrasting hydrochemistry and stable isotope signatures. The dominant recharge process of the alluvial aquifer is surface runoff occurring from torrential tributaries in the catchment’s upper reaches. A fraction of available storage is currently abstracted and there exists potential for greater exploitation for smallholder irrigation and other uses.
16 Foster, S.; Bousquet, A.; Furey, S. 2018. Urban groundwater use in tropical Africa - a key factor in enhancing water security? Water Policy, 20(5):982-994. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2018.056]
Groundwater ; Water use ; Water security ; Urban areas ; Water resources ; Water availability ; Water supply ; Boreholes ; Tropical zones ; Urbanization ; Water policy ; Databases ; Evaluation / Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048953)
(0.23 MB)
A regional scoping study has reviewed the limited data on groundwater use for 10 cities in Tropical Africa. In those cities where the water utility has been able to develop groundwater rationally, the public water-supply usually offers a better service at lower cost by enabling phased investment and avoiding advanced treatment, and offers greater water-source security in drought and from pollution. Urban dwellers obtain water from multiple sources, according to availability and affordability. Among the more affluent, private water-supply boreholes are increasingly used to improve security and reduce cost but in the absence of international charity finance groundwater access is beyond the financial reach of the urban poor, except where the water table is shallow allowing the use of low-cost dugwells. The way forward must be to integrate more effectively utility and private investments, and piped and non-piped solutions, for urban water-supply provision, and for water utilities to establish low-income (‘pro-poor’) policy and technical units to pursue ways of supporting alternative water-supply provision, including advisory services and regulatory functions (where appropriate) for private borehole and dugwell use. To facilitate this, water utilities will need to partner with resource regulators and knowledge centres, which may require modifications to their mandate.
17 Clement, C.; Vinckevleugel, J.; Pavelic, Paul; Xiong, K.; Valee, L.; Sotoukee, T.; Shivakoti, B. R.; Vongsathien, K. 2018. Community-managed groundwater irrigation on the Vientiane Plain of Lao PDR: planning, implementation and findings from a pilot trial. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 64p. (IWMI Working Paper 183) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2018.230]
Community management ; Community involvement ; Groundwater irrigation ; Planning ; Implementation ; Agricultural practices ; Agricultural development ; Living standards ; Soil properties ; Irrigation systems ; Irrigation water ; Irrigation efficiency ; Boreholes ; Drilling ; Water distribution ; Water use ; Water balance ; Water management ; Water levels ; Water rates ; Water user associations ; Investment ; Cost benefit analysis ; Data collection ; Farmers ; Monitoring ; Profitability ; Financing ; Income ; Cropping patterns ; Crop yield ; Socioeconomic environment ; Equity ; Dry season ; Households ; Land rights ; Cultivation ; Mobilization / Lao People’s Democratic Republic / Vientiane Plain
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049049)
(3 MB)
Laos has vast surface water resources. However, in areas located far away from surface water sources or those that are prone to surface water scarcity, groundwater is gaining recognition as a valuable source of water for agricultural development. Households in Ekxang village on the Vientiane Plain, for example, depend on rainfall for the cultivation of rice during the wet season and a wide range of vegetables and herbs in the dry season. Climate change poses a growing threat to crop production in such villages, altering wet season rainfall and making drought more common and severe. To help find a new way forward, a 2-year pilot study of groundwater irrigation was carried out in Ekxang to assess the technical performance, economic viability and effectiveness of the institutional arrangements. Participation in the pilot was quite modest due to farmers being wary of possible risks related to the costs of the new irrigation system. As farmers gained experience with the high-performance pumps and other equipment, their trust grew, and they came to have a sense of ownership over the system. The irrigation system turned out to be profitable for dry-season irrigation of cash crops. Growing rice under these conditions proved to be unprofitable. Increased profits, however, did not translate into increased popularity. In the pilot’s second year, with the subsidy removed, participation in the groundwater users group declined. Apart from the additional cost for pumping, another reason was a lack of household labor to manage the production of cash crops under groundwater irrigation. This, in turn, stemmed from the availability of other livelihood options (such as small businesses and wage labor), which compete with agriculture and may prove more appealing. Clearly, the future development of such systems will depend, not just on local hydrogeological conditions, but also on a better understanding of the social and economic factors that influence farmers’ decisions. New technologies could make a difference as well, such as solar pumps, which likely reduce farmers’ production costs. Lessons learned from this pilot study should prove valuable for helping realize the potential of groundwater irrigation in Laos.
18 Patil, V. S.; Thomas, B. K.; Lele, S.; Eswar, M.; Srinivasan, V. 2019. Adapting or chasing water?: crop choice and farmers’ responses to water stress in peri-urban Bangalore, India. Irrigation and Drainage, 68(2):140-151. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2291]
Water stress ; Irrigated farming ; Farmers attitudes ; Crops ; Periurban areas ; Groundwater ; Boreholes ; Ownership ; Urbanization ; Living standards ; Villages ; Econometric models / India / Bangalore / Arkavathy Sub-Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049210)
(0.35 MB)
Unregulated groundwater extraction has led to declining groundwater tables and increasing water scarcity in the Indian subcontinent. Understanding how farmers respond to this scarcity is important from multiple perspectives—equity in access, livelihood security and resource sustainability. We present a case from the rapidly urbanizing Arkavathy sub-basin near Bangalore city in southern India where irrigation is fully groundwater dependent. Using cross-sectional data from a stratified random sample of 333 farmers from 15 villages, we investigated the factors that determine their choice of crops under conditions of water scarcity and urbanization. Binary logit analysis showed that farmers with a large landholding respond by tapping deep groundwater using borewells. Multinomial logit analysis revealed that access to groundwater, variation in the proximity to the product market (city) and labour availability influence crop choice decisions. We observe that current responses indicate what has been characterized in the literature as chasing strategies. These largely favour well-off farmers and hence are inequitable. While the choice of water-intensive crops and unregulated pumping have aggravated water stress, the uptake of watersaving technologies among irrigated farmers has been low, showing that resource sustainability may not be a concern where non-farm diversification opportunities exist.
19 Lin, H.; Lin, L. 2019. A typical groundwater storage assessment in the Tugela area, South Africa. Hydrogeology Journal, 27(3):827-840. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-018-1897-9]
Groundwater management ; Water storage ; Assessment ; Aquifers ; Groundwater recharge ; Sustainability ; Hydrogeology ; Boreholes / Africa South of Sahara / South Africa / Tugela / Natal Group Aquifer / Coastal Plain Aquifer / Karoo Supergroup Aquifer / Basement Aquifer / Metamorphic Rock Aquifer
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049348)
(4.39 MB)
Water storage assessment is an important component of feasibility studies for prospective mining areas. As required by national mineral resources and environmental Acts, this may include assessment of both exploitable and sustainable storage; the former relates to the amount of groundwater stored within the exploitable aquifer depth and the latter is defined as the groundwater that can be sustainably extracted without producing unacceptable environmental and economic problems. A simplified method is proposed to assess the groundwater storage in a typical mine area, Tugela in South Africa. In the area, five aquifers (Natal Group, Coastal plain deposits, Basement aquifer, Ecca Group and Dwyka Group) have better harvest potential compared with others on the basis of borehole yield. The study area was divided into four subareas (A, B, C and F) based on proposed mining boundaries. Both exploitable and sustainable groundwater storage were estimated. The estimated exploitable groundwater storage for subareas A, B, C and F are 20.66, 5.78, 43.12, 36.90 Mm3, respectively, on the basis of current median exploitation depths of each aquifer or geological formation. The calculated sustainable groundwater storage for subareas A, B, C and F are 3.31, 0.89, 6.67 and 6.01 Mm3, respectively, with a total of 16.88 Mm3. Groundwater recharge of the subareas was also estimated for subareas A, B, C and F as 31.92, 11.44, 43.38 and 29.78 Mm3/annum, respectively, with a total of 116.53 Mm3/annum. The assessment method can be applied to other areas with similar hydrogeological settings with the available datasets.
20 van Koppen, Barbara; Magombeyi, Manuel S.; Jacobs-Mata, Inga; Molose, V.; Phasha, K.; Bophela, T.; Modiba, I.; White, M. 2020. Process and benefits of community-led multiple use water services: comparing two communities in South Africa. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 43p. (IWMI Working Paper 193) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.212]
Multiple use water services ; Community management ; Water supply ; Communal irrigation systems ; Participatory approaches ; Innovation ; Access and benefit-sharing ; Water availability ; Integrated management ; Water resources ; Water management ; Water storage ; Infrastructure ; Pumps ; Wells ; Boreholes ; Maintenance ; Geohydrology ; Groundwater ; Water distribution ; Water use ; Domestic water ; Livestock ; Irrigated farming ; Financing ; Water users ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Income ; Women's participation ; Capacity building ; State intervention ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Rural areas ; Villages / South Africa / Sekhukhune / Ga Mokgotho / Ga Moela
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050123)
(4.75 MB)
The African Water Facility, together with the Water Research Commission, South Africa, as its implementing agent, supported the demonstration project Operationalizing community-led Multiple Use water Services (MUS) in South Africa. As knowledge broker and research partner in this project, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) analyzed processes and impacts at the local level, where the nongovernmental organization Tsogang Water and Sanitation demonstrated community-led MUS in six diverse rural communities in two of the poorest districts of South Africa, Sekhukhune and Vhembe districts - Ga Mokgotho, Ga Moela and Phiring in the Sekhukhune District Municipality, and Tshakhuma, Khalavha and Ha Gumbu in Vhembe District Municipality. In conventional water infrastructure projects, external state and non-state agencies plan, diagnose, design and prioritize solutions, mobilize funding, and implement the procurement of materials, recruitment of workers and construction. However, this MUS project facilitated decision-making by communities, and provided technical and institutional advice and capacity development. Based on IWMI’s evidence, tools and manuals, the project team organized learning alliances and policy dialogues from municipal to national level on the replication of community-led MUS by water services authorities; government departments of water, agriculture, and others; employment generation programs; climate and disaster management; and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
This working paper reports on the local findings of Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela villages, which had completed construction works. The paper presents an in-depth analysis from the preproject situation to each of the steps of the participatory process, and highlights the resulting benefits of more water, more reliable and sustainable supplies, and multiple benefits, including a 60% and 76% increase in the value of irrigated produce in Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela, respectively. Women were the sole irrigation manager in 68% and 60% of the households in Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela, respectively. The user satisfaction survey highlighted communities’ unanimous preference of the participatory process, capacity development and ownership compared to conventional approaches.
This working paper reports on the local findings of Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela villages, which had completed construction works. The paper presents an in-depth analysis from the preproject situation to each of the steps of the participatory process, and highlights the resulting benefits of more water, more reliable and sustainable supplies, and multiple benefits, including a 60% and 76% increase in the value of irrigated produce in Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela, respectively. Women were the sole irrigation manager in 68% and 60% of the households in Ga Mokgotho and Ga Moela, respectively. The user satisfaction survey highlighted communities’ unanimous preference of the participatory process, capacity development and ownership compared to conventional approaches.
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