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Water harvesting techniques for small communities in arid areas
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Water harvesting techniques for small communities in arid areas

E. Yuen, M. Anda, K. Mathew and G. Ho
Water Science & Technology, Vol.44(6), pp.189-195
2001
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Abstract

Limited water resources exist in numerous remote indigenous settlements around Australia. Indigenous people in these communities are still living in rudimentary conditions while their urban counterparts have full amenities, large scale water supplies and behavioral practices which may not be appropriate for an arid continent but are supported by extensive infrastructure in higher rainfall coastal areas. As remote indigenous communities continue to develop, their water use will increase, and in some cases, costly solutions may have to be implemented to augment supplies. Water harvesting techniques have been applied in settlements on a small scale for domestic and municipal purposes, and in the large, broadacre farm setting for productive use of the water. The techniques discussed include swales, infiltration basins, infiltration trenches and "sand dam" basins. This paper reviews the applications of water harvesting relevant to small communities for land rehabilitation, landscaping and flood control. Landscaping is important in these communities as it provides shelter from the sun and wind, reduces soil erosion and hence reduced airborne dust, and in some cases provides food and nutrition. Case studies of water harvesting systems applied in the Pilbara Region, Western Australia for landscaping around single dwellings in Jigalong and Cheeditha, in a permaculture garden in Wittenoon and at a college and carpark in Karratha are described.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#2 Zero Hunger
#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#6 Clean Water and Sanitation
#9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
#13 Climate Action
#14 Life Below Water

Source: InCites

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InCites Highlights

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Citation topics
6 Social Sciences
6.153 Climate Change
6.153.1452 Stormwater Management
Web Of Science research areas
Engineering, Environmental
Environmental Sciences
Water Resources
ESI research areas
Environment/Ecology
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