The role of water harvesting in alleviating water scarcity in arid areas
Abstract
In many arid and semi-arid areas, pumped groundwater and the water from streams, rivers and reservoirs is no longer sufficient to cover the ever increasing water demand. Therefore new interest in ‘marginal’ water resources like rain- and floodwater harvesting came up in recent decades. Traditional water harvesting techniques have been practised in many dry areas since long. Some prominent examples are rain water harvesting, floodwater harvesting, fog & dew harvesting, and the use of qanats, underground dams and special wells, called groundwater harvesting. If these small scale irrigation methods can be revived and improved, they will provide excellent opportunities to ease future water scarcity in arid and semi-arid areas of the world.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Water management and technologies
Irrigation Practices and Water Management
Water resources management and optimization
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Surface Water Hydrology
- Publisher
- CRC Press
- Pages
- 107–122
- Publication date
- 9 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter