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Water Harvesting Techniques and Practice in Yemen: current situation, barriers and opportunities

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Al-Mahfadi A. F., Water Harvesting Techniques and Practice in Yemen
1
Water Harvesting Techniques and Practice in Yemen:
current situation, barriers and opportunities
Afrah Saad Al-Mahfadi
Abstract:
Water is a source of life as well as a source of a competing demand which led to
conflicts during the 20th Century; the world demand for water became six-fold at the
international level. Many studies predicted that next war of the 21st Century will be
fighting over water. Yemen has one of the lowest per capita water availability rates in
the world, about 150 m3 per person per year, compared to 1,250 m3 in the Middle East
and North Africa and 7,500-m3 in the worldwide. Moreover, less than half of rural
households only could access to safe drinking water, compared to 75% in the urban
area. The main water resources are the groundwater and the rain water resources.
Generally, the rainfall water harvesting (WH) is good way to mitigate the water scarcity
in Yemen because it ruins of dams and reservoirs as well as the unique, spectacular
mountain terraces, confirm the long history of water harvesting. The great historical
Mar’ib dam and its collapse are mentioned in the Holy Koran. Recent archaeological
excavations by German Team, 1982 and 1984 who discovered ruins of irrigation
structures around Mar’ib city dating from the middle of the third millennium BC (some
4000 years ago).
The aim of this study is to understand the current situation of WH methods and types,
as well as the barriers and opportunities which faced the WH working. The purpose is
to reduce pumping the ground water from the deep aquifers, as well as to recharge the
shallow aquifers from the reserved water in the dam reservoirs. The methodology of
this research taken from satellite data using computer mapping tools, most of the actual
data were extracted from digital elevation model (DEM) and water stream (Hydrology),
Google images, Rainfall images and official statistics during 1881-2015. Many
interviewers of experts in water sector are taken to investigate and analysis their
opinions. Three case studies were visited; Wadi Mawer in Alhodidah, Wadi Hassan in
Abyan and Wadi Bana in Ibb.
The result shows that many WH techniques found based on the region and elevation;
Macro-catchments such as big dams and water constructions; Micro catchments,
indirect and combination for artificial recharge such as water concrete tanks and canals;
Gabion Structure-check dams such as a small bund across the stream is made by putting
locally available boulders in a mesh of steel wires and anchored to the stream banks;
Roof Top Harvesting; Fog Collection which the best test sites produced almost 5 liter/
m2/day. Furthermore, various barriers faced WH establishing like lack of survey and
studies of environmental Impact Assessment; the weakness of management for them
and some of them were destroyed already. The opportunities should avoid these barriers
by many measures which explained. In conclusion, WH should play a major role in
conserving aquatic ground water and biodiversity. Therefore, the study recommends
urging the Yemeni governmental bodies to establish a good base of WH improvement
for the whole country and to identify a network of protected areas.
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