1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Ja

1.4 Declaration on sustainability of the described Technology

Is the Technology described here problematic with regard to land degradation, so that it cannot be declared a sustainable land management technology?

Nee

1.5 Reference to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Approaches (documented using WOCAT)

Rainwater Cellars introduced through government support [China]

Government takes the lead and propelled by project, the rainwater collection for irrigation technology scales up by demonstration.

• Compiler: Anna Schuler
• 09/28/2010 middernag

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

The use of courtyard, roof, road surface, slope, etc. as catchments to collect rainwater for underground water storage for future supply of cropland irrigation as well as drinking water for humans and livestock.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

The demonstration site is located in mid Gansu, semi-arid gully area of the Loess Plateau, where either surface or groundwater is in great shortage. The annual precipitation is around 380mm with 60% concentrated in July, August and September in storm form. Due to scarce vegetation and serious soil erosion. The agricultural farming is rainfed, but the timing of precipitation and water demand of crops do not coincide, so that the rainwater utilization is extremely low. Low productivity of land and shortage of water for mankind and animal leads to poverty. Since 1980s the government has organized local people in mid Gansu to explore the utilization of water cellars to achieve coincided precipitation, i.e. collecting rainwater to solve water shortage and develop dryland crop cultivation.

Water cellars are used mainly for the interception of rainwater to supply water for humans and livestock as well as for the irrigation of crops. The cellar is comprised of the cellar body and an ancillary facility, including catchment area, delivery facility (ditch, silt tank, stain interception grate, inlet pipe, cellar opening and irrigation equipment). In general, water cellars are designed to 20-30m3 in capacity. The catchment should be chosen at hillside, road surface, courtyard, roofing, greenhouse roof, etc. For the location selection, considerations should be given to site landform and geological conditions and not proximity to ditch or trench banks, large tree stumps but close to farmland to maximize the possibility of self-flowing irrigation. In consideration of drinking water safety, the cellar should be built far from livestock sheds and toilets to prevent contamination. The silt tank is 2-3m wide, 1m deep and 2-3m away from the cellar opening, and higher than water cellar inlet. The dirt interception grate should be installed 0.5m higher than the base of the silt tank pond and upstream of the inlet. The platform of the water cellar should be 0.3-0.5m high above ground. In Anding District, the concrete cement sphere type water cellar is more often adopted, with the cellar vault/wall of 10cm and base of 20cm thick. At the demonstration site, the inner wall used to be lined with red puddle. Now concrete cement is used for the base and lined with cement and mortar. The water for irrigation does not need special treatment, but drinking water does. Irrigation is done by pumping for watering by ditches flowing to the farmland, hole watering or drip irrigation.

Since mid 1990s, the water cellar has expanded gradually. The 1-2-1 rainwater collection project (each household has 1 catchment, 2 water cellars and 1 patch of courtyard cashcrop forest) has played a significant role in the technology dissemination and poverty alleviation. Since 2000, water cellar function has been further extended toward multifunction for livestock raising, farmland/forest land irrigation and so forth, and greater economic and social benefits are captured by its combination with greenhouse development. Plastic film greenhouse roof was used as the catchment and two water cellars (30 cubic meters capacity for each) were set for each greenhouse. In combination with other technologies of mulched ditch irrigation or drip irrigation, water resource utilization has been tremendously increased. The technology has thereby triggered industrial restructuring as outstanding pilot sites for high benefit agricultural development.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve production

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Land use mixed within the same land unit:

Ja

Specify mixed land use (crops/ grazing/ trees):

• Agro-pastoralism (incl. integrated crop-livestock)

Cropland

Specify:

Longest growing period in days: 140, Longest growing period from month to month: May to October

Grazing land

Waterways, waterbodies, wetlands

• Drainage lines, waterways

Main products/ services:

Rainwater Cellars

Comments:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion):
- low precipitation, deficient groundwater, arid and short of water supply;
- rainfall in form of storms to form runoff arousing serious soil and water erosion;
- low and unstable land productivity because of aridness and soil infertility.

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• irrigation management (incl. water supply, drainage)
• water diversion and drainage

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

4.6 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

5.3 Soils

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• state
• group

Land use rights:

• individual

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Other socio-economic impacts

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Wang Lin, Water cellar Construction technology for rainwater collection and water-saving irrigation in the mountainous areas, Gansu water conservancy and hydro power technology. 2002 38(4)