Reservoir Conservation in a Micro-Watershed in Tigray, Ethiopian Highlands

Kazuhisa Koda, Gebreyohannes Girmay, Tesfay Berihu and Fujio Nagumo
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Kazuhisa Koda: Rural Development Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, Japan
Gebreyohannes Girmay: College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
Tesfay Berihu: College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
Fujio Nagumo: Crop, Livestock and Environmental Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, Japan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Soil erosion in Ethiopian highlands has caused land deterioration due to moving nutrient-rich top soil to downstream reservoirs while leaving reservoirs dysfunctional due to sedimentation. Micro-watershed management by removing reservoir sediments and using them for reclaiming farmland, while using reservoir water for irrigation, can be a potential solution to simultaneously address soil and water constraints and food security challenges. Still, there is knowledge gap before such a solution can be practically applied. The objective of this paper is to present potential solutions for the reservoir sedimentation problem and specifically highlight the utility of bathymetric survey using an echo-sounder to assess sediment volume. Our results indicated that the estimated reservoir sediment volume was 6400 m 3 leading to a reclamation of 3.2 hectares by layering 0.2 m sediment. The sediment used for reclamation depicts neutral pH (7.3), high organic carbon (2.5%), available phosphorus (9.2 mg/kg) and exchangeable potassium (25 cmol(+)/kg). Garlic ( Allium sativum ) was planted in the reclaiming abandoned farmland and produced 7.1 t/ha of bulb on average. There is a potential of producing 2–3 horticultural crops per year. Thus, developing methods for scaling up potential farmland reclamation using reservoir sediment would contribute to degraded farmland restoration and food security in Ethiopia and beyond.

Keywords: bathymetric survey; reservoir sediment; farmland reclamation; micro-watershed; Ethiopia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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