Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities
Aim of the study: Arid and semi-arid lands often face a shortage of freshwater due to uncontrolled runoff. In arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, rainwater harvesting is a promising solution that can be implemented for multiple purposes such as agriculture, recreation, flood control, and availabi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Agriculture in Krakow
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Formatio Circumiectus |
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| Online Access: | https://acta.urk.edu.pl/pdf-170315-95073?filename=Rainwater%20harvesting%20in.pdf |
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| author | Etienne Umukiza Romain Ntole Sylvester R. Chikavumbwa Erion Bwambale Davis Sibale Zechariah Jeremaih Ciro Apollonio Andrea Petroselli |
| author_facet | Etienne Umukiza Romain Ntole Sylvester R. Chikavumbwa Erion Bwambale Davis Sibale Zechariah Jeremaih Ciro Apollonio Andrea Petroselli |
| author_sort | Etienne Umukiza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aim of the study:
Arid and semi-arid lands often face a shortage of freshwater due to uncontrolled runoff. In arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, rainwater harvesting is a promising solution that can be implemented for multiple purposes such as agriculture, recreation, flood control, and availability of drinking water. The present review aims to highlight the benefits, opportunities and challenges associated with rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa.
Material and methods:
Analysis of scientific and professional contributions reveals that, although water scarcity remains a major constraint to life and economic development, arid and semi-arid regions of Africa are slowly adopting effective rainwater harvesting measures.
Results and conclusions:
Based on the findings on benefits and challenges of water harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa, the present study recommends that policymakers should invest in mass education to adopt rainwater harvesting as complement to traditional water sources, and engage experts to comprehensively design infrastructure for rainwater harvesting using necessary techniques that will optimise collection and storage. To make progress, further research is needed to identify potential zones for runoff harvesting, and rainwater harvesting should be integrated with the much-needed green revolution and climate change adaptations for land reclamation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-397c47b72b7f4875956e7992c14444fc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1644-0765 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | University of Agriculture in Krakow |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Formatio Circumiectus |
| spelling | doaj-art-397c47b72b7f4875956e7992c14444fc2025-02-03T07:01:36ZengUniversity of Agriculture in KrakowActa Scientiarum Polonorum. Formatio Circumiectus1644-07652023-09-01222415210.15576/ASP.FC/2023.22.2.03Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunitiesEtienne Umukiza0 Romain Ntole1 Sylvester R. Chikavumbwa2Erion Bwambale3Davis Sibale4Zechariah Jeremaih5Ciro Apollonio6Andrea Petroselli7West African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O.BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi 00200, KenyaWest African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O. BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana Department of Civil Engineering, University of Malawi-The Polytechnic, Blantyre, Malawi.West African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O. BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Makerere University P.O.BOX 7062, Kampala, UgandaWest African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O. BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana. Department of Land and Water Resources, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR-NRC), P.O Box 143, Lilongwe, Malawi West African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O. BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Upper Nile University, P.0.Box1660, Malakal, South SudanDepartment of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo (VT), Italy Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyAim of the study: Arid and semi-arid lands often face a shortage of freshwater due to uncontrolled runoff. In arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, rainwater harvesting is a promising solution that can be implemented for multiple purposes such as agriculture, recreation, flood control, and availability of drinking water. The present review aims to highlight the benefits, opportunities and challenges associated with rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa. Material and methods: Analysis of scientific and professional contributions reveals that, although water scarcity remains a major constraint to life and economic development, arid and semi-arid regions of Africa are slowly adopting effective rainwater harvesting measures. Results and conclusions: Based on the findings on benefits and challenges of water harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa, the present study recommends that policymakers should invest in mass education to adopt rainwater harvesting as complement to traditional water sources, and engage experts to comprehensively design infrastructure for rainwater harvesting using necessary techniques that will optimise collection and storage. To make progress, further research is needed to identify potential zones for runoff harvesting, and rainwater harvesting should be integrated with the much-needed green revolution and climate change adaptations for land reclamation.https://acta.urk.edu.pl/pdf-170315-95073?filename=Rainwater%20harvesting%20in.pdfasalrainwater harvestingbenefitsoperationschallenges |
| spellingShingle | Etienne Umukiza Romain Ntole Sylvester R. Chikavumbwa Erion Bwambale Davis Sibale Zechariah Jeremaih Ciro Apollonio Andrea Petroselli Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Formatio Circumiectus asal rainwater harvesting benefits operations challenges |
| title | Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities |
| title_full | Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities |
| title_short | Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities |
| title_sort | rainwater harvesting in arid and semi arid lands of africa challenges and opportunities |
| topic | asal rainwater harvesting benefits operations challenges |
| url | https://acta.urk.edu.pl/pdf-170315-95073?filename=Rainwater%20harvesting%20in.pdf |
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