Page 25 - WATER SECTOR MAGAZINE VOLUME 3

Roads for water: using

roads to harvest rainwater

By BLESSINGS JERANJI &
MACPHERSON NTHARA
RAINWATER HARVESTING
ASSOCIATION OF MALAWI

The Rainwater Harvesting Association
of Malawi is working together with
the Flood-Based Livelihoods Network
Foundation and Meta Meta from the
Netherlands in the promotion of Flood-
Based Farming Systems (FBFS) with the
aim of harnessing floods into a useful
resource.

Where as floods are often associated with Road run-off can be vital for rain harvesting
havoc and disaster, through FBFS floods
are turned into an asset and the main serve as a harvesting structure of the rain used for flowering in the city, groundwater
source of water and moisture for multiple water. Malawi being a developing country recharge, roadside tree planting, seasonal
uses. and one of its planned projects being the irrigation, fishery and many more.
construction of roads, this calls for us to
FBFS is an initiative that covers a wide pay attention to Roads for Water concept. Roads for Water is an idea of draining
array of resource systems that depend water from roads to keep the roads in good
on temporary floods such as spate As we are constructing roads in Malawi condition and put raod run-off water into
irrigation and flood water spreading we should not just look at the fact of beneficial use. For years Malawians have
from ephemeral rivers; flood recession/ connecting point A to B. we should also been affected from the flooding of roads,
flood rise systems, inundation canals consider the damage the roads bring to evident is seen during rainy season where
and flood compartmentalization systems, the hydrology of an area and we should some cars are seen trying to navigate
centered on flood plains; land depression also see the potentials that roads bring if or at times stuck in swamps of water in
systems (dambos and low lands), based properly designed. different districts of the country; poor
on temporary land inundation; and roads drainage system being one cause.
harvesting run off from roadsides. This calls for organizations from different
sectors to work together in designs and This water if properly diverted to efficient
“Roads for Water” is a working concept implementation of roads construction drainage systems and stored can be used
in many countries, where rain water is and roadside development. For example for other beneficial use. Roads for Water
harvested with the aid of roads. The roads water from the roads can be collected and requires construction of water storage
reservoirs along the roads. A rainfall of 30
mm on a 1 km of road produces about one
thousand litres of water.

Road run-off harvesting yields numerous
social and economic benefits, and
contributes to poverty alleviation and
sustainable development. The Rainwater
Harvesting Association of Malawi will
from this year promote the systematic
use of roads for water recharge/retention,
storage and management. Various water
harvesting techniques will be promoted
including farm ponds, infiltration pits,
percolation ponds and negarims will be
promoted in farms to collect the road
run-off.

It is hoped that this will reduce damage
from roads through flooding, erosion and
sediment deposition. It will also promote
environmental conservation though
groundwater recharge and increased soil
moisture retention.
Road run-Off can be used to fill burrow pits used for livestock drinking
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