BUILDING ON HADRAMOUT LOCAL GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT TRADITION
Transfer "Local GW Management Experiences" to Hadramout Water Users
Following to the objectives of building on tradition local groundwater management project, WEC team conducted a field visit to Hadramout governorate from September 29 to 3 October 2013. Two meetings between farmers had been effectuated at NWRA hall - Syeon city in 30 September and first of October aimed to exchange local groundwater management experiences. Other days were concentrated to document level of Hadramout water users’ contribution towards local groundwater management and degree of tradition water resources management through various field visits.
Farmers to Farmers Meetings Objectives;
A) Show building on local GW management documented movies to GW users to;
- Increase groundwater users awareness towards the importance of local groundwater management
- Provide the opportunity to exchange experiences among groundwater users associations/groups leaders and active members In local GW management
- Put on table GW users concerns regarding:
1) Importance of grouping groundwater users efforts and benefits that could be obtained from community participatory and cooperation in managing and sharing groundwater resources
2) Motivations that lead groundwater users towards local management of their water resources
3) Constrains and obstacles facing the participation of the community and how to overcome it.
4) Role of WUAs and its Union on developing local GW management and avoid occurring of water conflicts between GW users
5) Role of WUAs and its Union on activation water law and draw the Yemen irrigation strategy
6) Role of cooperation on Local GW management in developing the community, increase the productivity and improve livelihoods
B) Assess types of GW manage rules adopted by the local community as;
1- Ban of well drilling or selling for water tankers
2- Protecting springs of declaration of protecting zones
3- Ban of a crop cultivation or supplementary irrigation for a specific crop
4- Close well to avoid conflict or respecting between wells separating distance
5- Sharing to drill a well or manage a distribution network for domestic usage
6- Construct and maintain water structures for rain water harvesting
7- Adopt modern irrigation systems or new sustainable agriculture techniques
Each meeting started by the parole of Prof. Babaqi explaining the objectives of the meeting, the Netherlands project Cocoon, the importance of the cooperation between the WUAs Union and The WEC in realizing the project goals. Then he mentioned the project steps that followed to document good water users’ experiences in local groundwater management building the future depending on the tradition.
The Head of WUAs Union cited the importance of the cooperation work between water users on local groundwater management and so for consisting water users groups and associations in solving water problems and realizing community development and increasing livelihoods.
Specific documented videos had been chosen to be shown to Hadramout water users. Also, farmer to farmer open discussion represented topics in each movie took place after shown it. Hadramout farmers respect the discipline. They listen carefully and ask a permeation to talk. This make the meetings procedure effective and remarkable.
The chosen movies were the most attached to nature of agriculture activities in Hadramout, as; Al Senah Cooperation in Taiz, control seasonal floods in Wadi Qaradah in Bani Husheish, water management in Kharabat Mahiab in Bani Matar and Al-Mahjal association experience in Bani Al-Hareth. Presentations of selected documented movies had been shown respectively according to mentioned order.
Al Senah Cooperation documented movie had been chosen to give Hadramout farmers an idea about the importance of collaboration between community members to solve their issues. Head of WUAs Mr. Amar Rassam lead the open discussion followed presentation of the movie. Participants posed many questions about Al Senah Cooperation movie concerning its starting goals, who fund it and how is the financial management of all its services offered to community, role of immigrants, and how much election is important in managing the system of such organization.
Wadi Qaradah documented movie was selected to present the possibility to control floods flow using small dams installed along the flow path and consist many water holding basins that allow water users to profit directly from those basins to irrigate their fields and indirectly through prolong groundwater basin recharging period. For Hadramout water users the experience of Wadi Qaradah was the most interested one. Because they have seasonal floods which it comes and passes without profiting enough from it. Mr. Fadel Manea answered on participants questions which were mostly technical; dimensions of the barriers, separating length between every two ones, type of material used to build up those barriers, elevation differences between side wall of follow path and field flood water entrances, the impact on groundwater table level and annual maintenance required and source of budget.
The experience of Wadi Kharabat Mahieb movie was selected to present the possibility of changing local community behavior from conflict around water to cooperation on water. The participants get additional ideas from Mr. Fadel Garallah about the importance of adopting sustainable agricultural technique such as green houses in combination with trickle irrigation. Hadramout water users were attached towards benefits of almonds trees specially when comparing its low irrigation water requirements with its high annual income. Their questions were about; How to distribute the daily amount of spring water collected during night among water users? How to manage sharing of well water production? How much cost the installation of a greenhouse? They posed some other questions concerning greenhouses with cooling system and how it could convenient Hadramout climate condition specially of high temperature?
Mr. Mohamed Hegazie presented the experiences of Al Mahjal Association in Bani Al Hareth. He gave an idea about the importance of using modern irrigation system as drip irrigation in conserving groundwater water and increase crop yield in quantity and quality. Participants appeared more interested by drip irrigation and applying fertilizers through it. Most of their questions were around quantity of groundwater saved by using drip irrigation and augmentation in farmer income due to increasing in yield quantity and quality.
The second part of the meeting was concentrated to discuss Hadramout water users experiences in local groundwater management. They were proud of their success in overcoming diesel shortage during 2011 political crisis. At that time Al Ghaith water users association played an important role on managing distribution of diesel among its members. As it explained, Al Ghaith association arranged with the government to receive a precise amount of diesel equal to normal consumption of diesel used by the association members. Success of the association in managing this problem and secure required diesel for groundwater pumping gave very good reputation to it and was a factor to increase number of members.
As Hadramout water users respect rules, they are the best applicators of ban random well drilling decision. In addition, they value every agreement signed to organize sharing well production among each group members.
Hadramout farmers are very attached with selecting best crop seeds. Some of them started early many experiments to invent new crop variety of good specifications. The most famous one is Hadramout onion crop and for one of date crop.
Some participants said that they use modern irrigation in very small area mostly for vegetables crops. However, their main interest is about conveyance pipes used to replace open canals and reduce water loss during transferring water from well until entrance of the field. This is a big issue for Hadramout water users. As they said, we suffer from domination of few dealers on plastic pipes trading and there are not any governmental or other supporting project to provide subsidized pipes. Complain of the farmers raise the tension inside the hall specially with the attendance of NWRA representative, but Prof. Babaqi controlled it.
Hadramout water users posed more of their water issues as; floods threaten, Sesbania trees, salinity of groundwater, decreasing in activities of governmental offices and development of local community organizations.
On the road between Sayeon and Tarim effect of 2008 flood disaster could be seen as huge sedimentations covered some areas near the flood stream flow. Where, areas just below mountain marked with many natural and small halls. It seem that those small halls had been done by the effect of fall of rain streams from up mountains.
But during our observations - just down mountain zone area - other big halls in numbers and dimensions had been noted by team members. Trucks and loaders working on excavating land soil and sell it to make clayey blocks used usually for construction traditional building. It’s a fertile soil! Excavated from an agricultural land! To be sold for money! How is responsible to stop the degradation of agricultural area here?
On the other side of the Wadi, one can see the main flood flow path. From up mountain it look like a long and wide green line which path through the middle of the Wadi. The flow path is full of Sesbania trees, and no one could see the bottom of flood follow. People of the Wadi say that the reason behind floods catastrophe of 2008 originated from the existence of Sesbania trees inside the flood flow path. They add that Sesbania trees do block the path and so reduce the velocity of floodwater flow and the consequence was 2008 floods catastrophe that could be reoccurred if the Sesbania trees were let grow more and more inside the flood flow path.
During our meeting with manger of MAI office and Head of NIP branch in Hadramout, we posed issues of Hadramout farmers in front of them. The answers were mostly same as questions! What we found that both manger of MAI office and Head of NIP branch complain the neglect of Hadramout from any development project. Concerning flood catastrophe of 2008. Many ministers visited location of floods as minister of MWE and MAI. They appear influenced by huge value of catastrophe consequences and promised that they will act positively to take steps towards remove reason of floods (Sesbania trees which block the flood flow path) but then nothing happened. They add that usually Hadramout represent a government with intense agricultural activities and farmers’ aid with subsidized plastic pipes is very important to reduce water loss through open canals and increase effectiveness of irrigation system but this does not have any sound from responsible.
Manger of MAI office spoke about another important observation, increasing in groundwater salinity at the middle of the Wadi near flood flow path. Hadramout farmers mentioned it during our meeting with them. MAI officer lay between salinity degree and groundwater table level with direction through the main Wadi.
As it was clear for WEC team, awareness' degree of Hadramout water users was higher comparing with that of Dhamar ones. In addition, Hadramout farmers has the tendency to work individually or collectively to solve their issues but the financial support is the main obstacle.
Flood flow path covered with Sesbania trees (photo from up mountain Seedee AlGareeb)