1.2 Detalles de contacto de las personas de referencia e instituciones involucradas en la evaluación y la documentación de la Tecnología

Nombre del proyecto que financió la documentación/ evaluación de la Tecnología (si fuera relevante)

Book project: Water Harvesting – Guidelines to Good Practice (Water Harvesting)

1.3 Condiciones referidas al uso de datos documentados mediante WOCAT

El compilador y la/s persona(s) de referencia claves aceptan las condiciones acerca del uso de los datos documentados mediante WOCAT:

Sí

2.1 Breve descripción de la Tecnología

Definición de la Tecnología:

Water-spreading weirs are structures that span the entire width of a valley to spread floodwater over the adjacent land area.

2.2 Descripción detallada de la Tecnología

Descripción:

Over the last 12 years water-spreading weirs have been introduced and improved as a new rehabilitation technique for degraded dry valleys in Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. In Chad 104 water-spreading weirs were constructed in the scope of the two development projects, initiated by the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) in the 1990s. Water-spreading weirs are made of natural stones and cement, and consist of a spillway in the actual riverbed and lateral abutments and wings. Floodwaters are spread over the adjacent land area above the structure, where they eventually overflow the lateral wings and then slowly flow back towards the riverbed below the structure. As a result the land area below the weir is flooded. The lateral spreading of the water causes the land area above and below the structure to be flooded and supplies it with sediment. Water infiltrates, gullies in the valley are filled and the riverbed is raised. Thanks to the infiltration, the groundwater table also rises in a few years.

Purpose of the Technology: In dry valleys in which water flows in the rivers for only a few days a year, the weirs serve to distribute the incoming runoff over the valley floor and allow as much water as possible to infiltrate the soil. The aquifer is thus replenished and is then available for agricultural use. In contrast to the various types of dams, the goal of water-spreading weirs is not to create reservoirs for later use. What water-spreading weirs do is cause a temporary flooding of the adjacent land area above and below the weir. Depending on user preferences, the primary goal may be 1) agricultural use, 2) sylvo-pastoral use or 3) the replenishment and rising of the water table.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: Water-spreading weirs require detailed technical planning and experienced engineering and construction firms. The bulk of the work is performed using local materials and by village craftsmen and helpers.

Natural / human environment: Compared to small impoundment dams, retention basins and microweirs, water-spreading weirs are especially well-suited for shallow, wide valleys that, due to severe gully erosion, are no longer inundated by small and medium
volume floodwaters. The flooding no longer takes place because the actual riverbed has been deeply eroded and enlarged. However, water-spreading weirs are also suitable for improving agricultural productivity in more or less intact valley floors. Water-spreading weirs are successful in regions where precipitation during the growing season is erratic and where the weirs ensure a more evenly distributed water supply for crops, as well as in zones in which water enrichment makes one or two additional growing seasons possible. At the present time they are in use in a broad area where annual rainfall ranges from 50 to 1,200 mm/year.

2.3 Fotografías de la Tecnología

2.5 País/ región/ lugares donde la Tecnología fue aplicada y que se hallan comprendidos por esta evaluación

2.6 Fecha de la implementación

Si no se conoce el año preciso, indique la fecha aproximada:

• 10-50 años atrás

2.7 Introducción de la Tecnología

Especifique cómo se introdujo la Tecnología:

• mediante proyectos/ intervenciones externas

Comentarios (tipo de proyecto, etc.):

The first water-spreading weirs were introduced during the 1990s in Chad through Swiss cooperation

3.1 Propósito(s) principal(es) de la Tecnología MST

• mejorar la producción
• reducir, prevenir, restaurar la degradación del suelo

3.2 Tipo(s) actuales de uso de la tierra donde se aplica la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Substantial degradation of drainage basins in the Sahel due to population growth and intense land-use pressure has been observed since the 1960s. Climate change has further amplified this trend. The expansion of agriculture and intensification of grazing and logging have caused the natural vegetation cover to decline. This process has been accelerated by severe droughts and has led to the degradation of the soils. Sparse vegetation cover and structurally damaged soils reduce rainfall infiltration into the soil, resulting in more runoff and soil erosion on plateaus and slopes. Runoff is concentrated in the valleys, in which heavy floodwaters
wash away fertile soils and lead to deep erosion of the riverbed. The annual, recurrent small and medium-size floods that normally cause temporary inundation of the valleys and deposition of fertile sediments no longer occur.

3.4 Provisión de agua

otra (ej. post-inundación):

• Post-flooding

Comentarios:

Water supply: Also mixed rainfed - irrigated and rainfed

3.5 Grupo MST al que pertenece la Tecnología

• medida de pendiente transversal
• Manejo de irrigación: (incl. provisión de agua, invernaderos)
• diversión y drenaje de agua

3.6 Medidas MST que componen la Tecnología

3.7 Principales tipos de degradación del suelo encarados con la Tecnología

Comentarios:

Main type of degradation addressed: Wt: loss of topsoil / surface erosion, Wg: gully erosion / gullying, Hg: change in groundwater / aquifer level

Main causes of degradation: soil management (abandonment of fallow periods), deforestation / removal of natural vegetation (incl. forest fires) (for agricultural expansion), over-exploitation of vegetation for domestic use, droughts, population pressure

Secondary causes of degradation: overgrazing

3.8 Prevención, reducción o restauración de la degradación del suelo

Especifique la meta de la Tecnología con relación a la degradación de la tierra:

• reducir la degradación del suelo
• restaurar/ rehabilitar tierra severamente degradada

Comentarios:

Main goals: rehabilitation / reclamation of denuded land

Secondary goals: mitigation / reduction of land degradation

4.1 Dibujo técnico de la Tecnología

4.3 Actividades de establecimiento

	Actividad	Momento (estación)
1.	Excavating the steps
2.	Excavating the wall foundations
3.	Pouring the foundations
4.	Building the walls
5.	Finishing the walls and filling the stilling basin

4.4 Costos e insumos necesarios para el establecimiento

	Especifique insumo	Unidad	Cantidad	Costos por unidad	Costos totales por insumo	% de los costos cubiertos por los usuarios de las tierras
Mano de obra	Labour	ha	1,0	750,0	750,0	100,0
Equipo	Total costs for equipment	ha	1,0	750,0	750,0
Material de construcción	Stone	ha	1,0	750,0	750,0
Costos totales para establecer la Tecnología					2250,0

4.6 Costos e insumos necesarios para actividades de mantenimiento/ recurrentes (por año)

	Especifique insumo	Unidad	Cantidad	Costos por unidad	Costos totales por insumo	% de los costos cubiertos por los usuarios de las tierras
Mano de obra	Labour	ha	1,0	50,0	50,0	100,0
Equipo	Total costs for equipment	ha	1,0	50,0	50,0
Material de construcción	Stone	ha	1,0	50,0	50,0
Indique los costos totales para mantenecer la Tecnología					150,0

Comentarios:

The costs were calculated per structure (one diversion weir). The length of the weir varies depending on the width of the valley it is constructed in. The weir has to span the whole valley which is usually between 100 and 1000 m wide.

5.1 Clima

5.2 Topografía

5.3 Suelos

Si se halla disponible, adjunte una descripción completa de los suelos o especifique la información disponible, por ej., tipo de suelo, pH/ acidez de suelo, capacidad de intercambio catiónico, nitrógeno, salinidad, etc. :

Soil fertility: High
Soil drainage/infiltration: Medium (ranked 1) and good (ranked 2)
Soil water storage capacity: Medium

5.4 Disponibilidad y calidad de agua

Comentarios y especificaciones adicionales sobre calidad y cantidad de agua:

Availability of surface water: excess (during heavy rainfalls in the rainy season) or poor/ none (in the dry season)

5.5 Biodiversidad

5.6 Las características de los usuarios de la tierra que aplican la Tecnología

Indique otras características relevantes de los usuarios de las tierras:

Population density: < 10 persons/km2
70% of the land users are poor.
Market orientation: Mixed (rainfed crops are for subsistence, post-rainy season crops and irrigated crops (vegetables) mainly for market)

5.7 Área promedio de la tierra usada por usuarios de tierra que aplican la Tecnología

5.8 Tenencia de tierra, uso de tierra y derechos de uso de agua

Tenencia de tierra:

• comunitaria/ aldea

Derechos de uso de tierra:

• arrendamiento

Comentarios:

In Chad, only the rainfed fields are in private family ownership and inheritable. Reclaimed irrigated fields and vegetable production fields go back to the community and can be redistributed.

6.1 Impactos in situ demostrados por la Tecnología

Impactos socioeconómicos

Producción

Ingreso y costos

Otros impactos socioeconómicos

Impactos socioculturales

Impactos ecológicos

Ciclo de agua/ escurrimiento de sedimento

Suelo

Biodiversidad: vegetación, animales

6.2 Impactos fuera del sitio demostrados por la Tecnología

6.3 Exposición y sensibilidad de la Tecnología al cambio climático gradual y a extremos relacionados al clima/ desastres (desde la percepción de los usuarios de tierras)

Cambio climático gradual

Cambio climático gradual

	Estación	Incremento o reducción	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
temperatura anual		incrementó	bien

Extremos (desastres) relacionados al clima

Desastres climatológicos:

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
tormenta de lluvia local	bien
tormenta de viento	bien

Desastres hidrológicos

	¿Cómo es que la tecnología soporta esto?
inundación general (río)	bien

6.4 Análisis costo-beneficio

¿Cómo se comparan los beneficios con los costos de establecimiento (desde la perspectiva de los usuarios de tierra)?

¿Cómo se comparan los beneficios con los costos de mantenimiento/ recurrentes (desde la perspectiva de los usuarios de tierra)?

Comentarios:

Depending upon the users' experience and the availability of labour, it may take anywhere from 2 to 10 years before the rehabilitated land area reaches its optimum use potential.

6.5 Adopción de la Tecnología

De todos quienes adoptaron la Tecnología, ¿cuántos lo hicieron espontáneamente, por ej. sin recibir nada de incentivos/ materiales:

• 0-10%

Comentarios:

100% of land user families have adopted the Technology with external material support

6000 land user families have adopted the Technology with external material support

Comments on acceptance with external material support: Between 4000 and 8000 households are direct beneficiaries of the construction of water-spreading weirs in Eastern Chad.

There is no trend towards spontaneous adoption of the Technology

Comments on adoption trend: It is unlikely that communities will be able to adopt this technology without external funding. Even for maintenance activities it remains to be seen if the communities will be capable of funding more extensive maintenance work with their low budgets.

6.7 Fuerzas/ ventajas/ oportunidades de la Tecnología

Fuerzas/ ventajas/ oportunidades desde la perspectiva del compilador o de otra persona de referencia clave
Through the construction of water-spreading weirs, soils are regularly flooded and supplied with water and sediment. Thus, the arable land area and the yields of the rainy season crops serving as staple food increase. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Ensure proper maintenance of the system.
The more frequent flooding of the soils results in increased infiltration, and the groundwater level rises substantially.
Prior to rehabilitation, in most of the sites, it was only possible to grow a rainfed crop and perhaps an irrigated crop on some small areas of land. After, in addition to the rainfed crop grown on larger areas of land, it became possible to grow a post-rainy season crop (culture de contresaison) and, once the water table had risen, an irrigated crop (culture de décrue) as well. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Upscale water-spreading weirs to increase the number of people benefitting.
Post-rainy season crops and irrigated crops diversify agricultural production. They are used as a means of earning cash income. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Improve access to markets.
With their capacity to regulate annual floodwaters and harness them to stabilise production, water-spreading weirs are an effective measure for adapting to climate change in regions experiencing increasing variability in rainfall.

6.8 Debilidades/ desventajas/ riesgos de la Tecnología y formas de sobreponerse a ellos

Debilidades/ desventajas/ riesgos desde la perspectiva del compilador o de otra persona de referencia clave	¿Cómo sobreponerse a ellas?
It can be assumed that one third of the weirs will require complete renovation every 20 years	The renovation of these weirs can be done for approximately 10% of the initial construction costs
Maintenance of the weirs by the management committees is still a weak area. Funds expected from user fees for the plots are often inadequately collected and too low to cover costs. Some management committees lose their drive and neglect their duties.	New fundings sources have to be found and tapped.
In spite of the great potential for the use of water-spreading weirs and the very promising results, implementation will continue to depend in the medium term on outside funding, as it is unlikely that the communal budgets will be able to fund investments of this size.	The existing knowledge hast to be spread.
Know-how and experience for the construction of water-spreading weirs are still concentrated among a few countries.

7.1 Métodos/ fuentes de información

7.2 Vínculos a las publicaciones disponibles

Título, autor, año, ISBN:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2011). Water-spreading weirs for the development of degraded dry river valleys. Experience from the Sahel. Frankfurt and Eschborn, GIZ and KFW.

¿Dónde se halla disponible? ¿Costo?

http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2012-en-water-spreading-weirs-sahel.pdf

Título, autor, año, ISBN:

Direction du développement et de la coopération DDC (2012). Gestion des eaux de ruissellement dans le Tchad sahélien. Bern, DDC.

¿Dónde se halla disponible? ¿Costo?

http://www.gopa.de/uploads/tx_bdojobopps/PRODOC_Tchad.pdf