Once microdams are built, they fill up during the following
rainy season as water runs off surrounding areas.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Tigray, now the northernmost region of Ethiopia, is an area with a long history of documented famines and droughts. Most of the population depends on subsistence agricultural activities, in turn dependent on regular and adequate rainfall. It's therefore not surprising that one of the main concerns following the end of the civil war has been to improve agricultural potential - and one of the ways of doing this is to build small dams to store sufficient water through dry periods. These dams typically have a capacity of 50,000 to 2,000,000 m3, and are often referred to as microdams. They can be built largely using community resources, and a construction programme is underway, led by SAERT (Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in Tigray).
Once microdams are built, they fill up during the following
rainy season as water runs off surrounding areas.
Some are built with arrangements to let water out into agricultural land below the dam site in a controlled way during the dry season, to allow irrigated farming.
One of the objectives of this project is to assess the impact of these microdams on agricultural practices and productivity in Tigray.
However, standing water presents a number of health risks. In particular, the risks of malaria and schistosomiasis can be increased if water stands close to areas of human habitation. Therefore another important aspect of the project is to look into any health risks that might be associated with these new dams, and to consider preventive strategies where necessary.
For further background information on the Tigray Region, some of the following websites may be interesting: