Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
serie Formatio Circumiectus – Environmental Processes
REVIEW PAPER
Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid lands of Africa: challenges and opportunities
1
West 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, Kenya
2
West African Center for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), University for Development Studies P.O.BOX TL 1882, Tamale, Ghan
3
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Malawi-The Polytechnic, Blantyre, Malawi
4
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, Uganda
5
West 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
6
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 Sudan
7
Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo (VT), Italy
8
Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Submission date: 2023-06-30
Final revision date: 2023-08-03
Acceptance date: 2023-08-03
Publication date: 2023-09-19
Corresponding author
Andrea Petroselli
Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Acta Sci. Pol. Formatio Circumiectus 2023;22(2):41-52
HIGHLIGHTS
- Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) often face a shortage of freshwater.
- Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a promising solution that can be implemented on a large scale for multiple purposes.
- Benefits, operations, opportunities, and challenges associated with RWH in ASAL are here discussed.
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
water managementdrainage and hydrotechnics structureslandscape engineeringenvironment ecologyearth and civil construction
ABSTRACT
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.
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.
| ISSN: | 1644-0765 |
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