Sand Dams Worldwide - Sand Dams in Kenya 

@@jdevo2004 2006. I remember being in a cafe in Machakos (I think) and reading about Steve Irwin passing away in the local paper. It seems so long ago now.

uncontrolled and unplan grazing. is a huge issue.

Absolutely agreed! If they reforested the highlands with edible species including Moringa oleifera, they could prune that plant to eat, and the trees' roots could hold soil in place, preventing erosion. Leucaena leucocephela could also be planted, then chopped and dropped as fertilizer for other food species; the leaves could be fed to the animals, and the branches used for firewood. If they built rocket stoves from sand,clay, and straw, their need for firewood would decrease. All of these help address the original problems that caused the devastation--overgrazing, deforestation, and degradation of the multi-layered environment. If they could use solar energy for cooking, even better! This is a fantastic first step, however, and I hope they build on this success. Sending love to the people of Africa, from halfway across the world, in Hawaii!

Please watch videos of Jim Nduruchi

I was wondering, would this deprive sand for those downstream? If you build one sand dam, would that mean people downstream would not be able be able build their own sand dam because they would have less sand to dam?

and California

except for beaver fever

Thanks for your comment! A sand dam does not stop the flow of a river. They are designed to allow 97-99% of river water to continue downstream, by flowing over the dam. This means that downstream users are not affected. You can find out more about sand dams here: www.sanddamsworldwide.org.uk/what-is-a-sand-dam We do not currently have any projects in Israel, Syria or Egypt, but we do have sand dam projects in Ethiopia and other countries, which you can read about here: www.sanddamsworldwide.org.uk/Pages/Category/where-we-work

@sanddamsworldwide Thanks for all you are doing for the poor people in Africa, water is certainly one of the most urgent challenges in a global warming trend these past 70,000 years after the last ice age ended. Chicago was under a mile of ice 70,000 years ago and the magnificent Great Lakes are the only legacy those glaciers left behind comprising 20% of the planets fresh water. My comments were really targeted at the GERD dam in Ethiopia and the eventual blockage of the Mekong river Delta by China. But let's talk about sand dams. In Kenya's Tana river, as an example Annual flow is above 5,000 million cubic meters (MCM) on average, but varies substantially both within and across years, and includes two flood seasons each year Between 1944 and 1978, average total flow (at Garissa) was 6,105 MCM, varying from only 1,789 MCM in 1949 to 13,342 MCM in 1968. During the 1982-1996 period, annual flow remained above 5,000 MCM as well. Water is drawn from the river by the following major irrigation projects: Bura Irrigation and Settlement Project, Tana Irrigation Scheme and the Tana Delta Irrigation Project. A single sand dam in Kitui provides 3,500-5,000 m3 of water storage during a rainy period. ( one collegiate Olympic Diving Pool). Assuming two rainy seasons per year, the total storage capacity is up to 10,000 m3/year [3]. On average, 210-350 people and 1,500 livestock units benefit from a single dam. Around 100,000 families are currently using water from sand dams in Kitui District. So if you have 1000 Sand Dams you are storing 5 million cubic meters of water out of a total of 6 billion CM river capacity. The main problem is that such dams store very little water if they can not recharge the deep aquifers and with vanishing rain fall there M ay not be enough to save all of those villages when the temperature increases in the next 100 years. The best effect is the transformation of the landscape by conversion of desert to forest.

@@myopicchiwawa Again thank you for your comment. More information about sand dams and specifically our projects is available here: www.sanddamsworldwide.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Category/sand-dam-faqs Our work has shown that sand dams can capture up to 40 million litres of water, replenishing every rainy season. That water is stored safe from disease and evaporation within the sand that builds up behind the sand dam wall. It’s easily extractable via pipework connected to nearby hand-pumps and taps, with one sand dam providing enough year-round water for over 1,000 people. We have also shown how sand dams can play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change, including reversing land degradation. They raise groundwater levels through slowing down the rate of run-off and capturing rainwater that would otherwise be lost as run-off, while allowing most water to continue downstream. The slowing down of water runoff allows water to infiltrate the soil, resulting in vegetation recovery, reduced erosion and restored degraded land and regreened environments. Our recently published impact report outlines the difference sand dams have made on both the land and lives of those living in some of the driest regions of the world: www.sanddamsworldwide.org.uk/impact-report-2022 Once again thank you for your queries and interest. If you would like any further information, you can contact us at communications@sanddamsworldwide.org.uk

Hi there, thank you for your question. Sand Dams can only be built in seasonal rivers, which means they only flow for a short period of time; sometimes only 1-2 days during the rains. The rest of the time they are ‘sand rivers’ with the water stored within the sand, but no open flowing water. These rivers therefore do not hold populations of fish or other river life, as the majority of the time they do not flow with water. If any fish or other river life get washed down in the floods, then they will just be able to swim over the dam. Less than 3% of water is held behind the dam, the rest all flows downstream. For more information about our work and sand dams please visit: www.excellentdevelopment.com/