Identifying potential zones for rainwater harvesting interventions for sustainable intensification in the semi-arid tropics

Garg, K K and Akuraju, V R and Anantha, K H and Singh, R and Whitbread, A M and Dixit, S (2022) Identifying potential zones for rainwater harvesting interventions for sustainable intensification in the semi-arid tropics. Scientific Reports (TSI), 12. pp. 1-18. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Decentralized rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a promising approach to mitigate drought in the drylands. However, an insufficient understanding of its impact on hydrological processes has resulted in poor resource planning in this area. This study is a meta-analysis of 25 agricultural watersheds representing a range of rainfall and soil types in the semi-arid tropics. Rainfall-runoff-soil loss relationship was calculated at daily, monthly and yearly levels, and the impact of RWH interventions on surface runoff and soil loss was quantified. A linear relationship was observed between daily rainfall and surface runoff up to 120 mm of rainfall intensity, which subsequently saw an exponential increase. About 200–300 mm of cumulative rainfall is the threshold to initiate surface runoff in the Indian semi-arid tropics. Rainwater harvesting was effective in terms of enhancing groundwater availability (2.6–6.9 m), crop intensification (40–100%) and farmers’ incomes (50–200%) in different benchmark watersheds. An average of 40 mm of surface runoff was harvested annually and it reduced soil loss by 70% (3 ton/ha/year compared to 1 ton/ha/year in non-intervention stage. The study further quantified runoff at 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles, and found that more than 70% of the area in the Indian semi-arid tropics has high to medium potential for implementing RWH interventions.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Global Research Program - Resilient Farm and Food Systems
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Environmental sciences, Hydrology
Subjects:	Others > Semi-Arid Tropics Others > Water Harvesting Others > Water Resources
Depositing User:	Mr Nagaraju T
Date Deposited:	16 Jun 2025 10:16
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2025 10:16
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13163
Official URL:	https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-07847-4
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	The authors acknowledge the support received from the Government of India and State governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh in research and development activities. The support rendered by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystem (CRP-WLE) and TIGR2ESS for the lead author’s time in analyzing the hydrological data and writing the manuscript are duly acknowledged.
Links:	Google Scholar

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