Jornal Europeu de Biologia Experimental Acesso livre

Abstrato

Agriculture water supply in semi-arid zone by underground dams

Mansoor Ghodrati and Sargis Ghazaryan

The increase industrial and agricultural development, caused by the population growth on one hand and the limited amount of water resources available on the other hand has caused the ground waters to be considered as a valuable water supply more than ever. The lack of rainfall in the past few years, followed by drought has increased the unmethodical usage of these water resources in Iran as well as in other parts of the world more than ever, which ultimately has resulted in a severe drop in the level of waters available within the aquifers that are located beneath many plains. This has caused problems in agricultural sector and other manufacturing sections in these areas. One solution that has been suggested for supplying water (usually in a small scale) in dry and arid lands where there is no access to conventional water sources such as wells and permanent rivers, is by using subterranean currents in the dried bed of rivers which are controlled by a water-sealing wall (underground dam) and would eventually be exploited afterwards. Exploiting the water resources accumulated in the reservoir created by a dam for drinking, agriculture and industry are considered as one of the most important goals for constructing these dams in arid and semi-arid regions. As we examine the utilization process of exploiting underground water in a dried river bed, by using an underground dam, constructed along the dessert borders, we would also describe the management plan of water, stored in the underground dam’s reservoir, for preserving and developing the level of cultivation and horticultural lands, by using a mathematical model.