Water Harvesting Techniques as a Tool for Prosperity in Alsalam Locality, White Nile State, Sudan

Abstract

Alsalam Locality (AL) is in White Nile State, about 200 km south of Khartoum. It is a very special locality that accommodates a large number of refugees from South Sudan and displaced people from White Nile State itself. The climate of AL is similar to that of the arid and semi-arid region. It usually faces either flash floods or harsh, difficult water shortages. Indigenous water harvesting techniques are used, e.g., terraces and Hafirs. However, their design and construction did not follow scientific methods. The objective is to assess the water harvesting (WH) potential of the selected area and to conduct a suitability analysis to delineate WH locations and the WH methods for each location. The study surveys water availability in AL and concludes that new WH locations can be introduced to improve water availability and to reduce the risk of flash floods. For Check Dams, the study guides experts on design, site selection and construction supervision. Water security in AL can be maintained if the local communities and the government manage the WH projects. The sustainability of the WH projects requires adequate funding for proper maintenance and management. Humanitarian organisations can provide financial support for these projects, which will provide services to refugees and displaced people in the region.

The data used in this study include spatial digital data that characterise the study area, such as daily rainfall estimates, potential evaporation, soils, land use, land cover, digital elevation model, etc. These digital data were clipped to the study area, processed and reclassified for further use. The wide-area geospatial streamflow model was used to obtain water balance parameters and generate runoff generation capacity for the area. The processed digital data were then overlaid to obtain the potential WH locations. The study divided AL into 21 basins. On average, the runoff generation capacity of these Basins ranges from 1% to 8% of total annual rainfall. Suitability analysis identified 10 new WH locations to improve water availability in the area, which will positively impact the lifestyles of local communities in the future.