Asset Publisher

Reduction in time that springs are dry

Reduction in time that springs are dry

Code:
Result Level:
  • Outcome
  • Impact
Objectives:
  • Disaster Risk Reduction and Natural Resources Management
Description:

Number of days when springs are dry Indicator of increased water infiltration and recharge of aquifer. Compare number of dry days before and after soil and water conservation interventions.

Disaggregated By:

Geography/Livelihoods zone; Wealth groups; Livelihoods group (e.g. pastoralist, farmers, traders); Period to achieve the objective;

Direction of change:
  • Decrease (distance)
Data source:

Both secondary and primary data collection can be used according to context. Baseline/Endline. If multiyear programme consider also a mid-term evaluation Secondary data. Reliable/relevant sources from other actors, clusters or government. Data Collection methods: Secondary data analysis; Natural resources assessment/analysis (Days per year; Daily log of spring flows. Rainfall data for catchment area) Observation; Records of community meetings; Ministry records;

Sector/Subsector:
  • Livelihoods and Natural Resources Protection
Source: CWW-2
Examples:

Measure Notes:

Less detailed than measuring spring flows and easy for the community to measure. Needs regular monitoring. Needs a definition of “dry”. Completely dry or < x litters / minute? The quantity of water that a spring needs to deliver obviously depends on the size of the community using the spring. However, as a guide: a spring supplying a village needs to sustain a flow of between 0.1 and 0.3 l/sec. An urban settlement requires at least 5 l/sec, as does a simple irrigation scheme (for comparison center pivot irrigation systems on commercial farms typical use boreholes with 50 l/sec abstraction rates. Baselines can be developed based on community recall (timelines), so several years can be used for the baseline. Spring flows need to be compared to rainfall data. Main assumption is that water percolates from the restored area until it reaches an impermeable layer (spring line) where the spring is monitored. However, depending on the dip of the strata, the restored area may be feeding springs on the opposite side of the watershed. In volcanic or karst landscapes the water may percolate through random fracture or caves, with no obvious connections between the spring and the area that feeds the spring.