Wakal river basin case study
Cards (9)
- describe the Wakal river basin geographically...
- found in the region of Rajasthan, North India -> this is the driest region of india ( <250mm rainfall/ year and temperatures of 53Ā°C lead to high levels of evaporation)
- what problems has the lack of clean water created for the region?
- water extraction isn't regulated -> many villages have over-extracted water supplies
- lack of groundwater -> salinisation of the soil or water-logging
- crops can't be irrigated fully (clean water supplies = low, some wells are becoming increasingly salty) -> leads to crop failure which will impact the food security of the region
- what time of project does the basin need to be and why?management -> to protect the supply of clean water
- when...?āØprogram ran between 2004 and 2014
- who?āØUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) -> an NGO that promotes international cooperation to improve the quality of life in developing countries
- what are Taankas?āØconcrete containers underground for water collection from roofsš concrete creates a cool storage, so water isn't lost through evaporationš producing concrete releases CO2 which contributes to global warming
- what are Joheds?earth and sand can be used to build small dams, to increase the water flow in riversš can keep water flowing through rivers all year roundš they affect the water supplies in a small quantity, so might not help the entire village
- what are pats?āØsmall dams (bunds) divert water from a stream into farmlands for irrigationš farmlands can receive a constant supply of water, reducing the risk of crop failuresš channels need constant maintenance and clearing because they fill with silt
- educationāØcreating awareness of protecting clean water supplies, reducing waste and not extracting too much waterš reducing over-extraction can reduce soil erosion and salinisation, could impact food supplies in the futureš long term solution and takes time to change people's habits