Sustainable Management

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Smart Irrigation

Smart irrigation is a sustainable method that provides crops with below optimum water levels during the growth stage so they become less sensitive to the lack of water, consequently saving water.

Smart irrigation

Smart irrigation is a sustainable technique that provides crops with below the optimum water levels during the growth stage so they become less sensitive to the lack of water. The crops produce the same quality and quantity produce whilst using less water.
An example of a way that water is regulated and restricted is through drip-feeding. Through this method, the water goes directly into the soil next to the roots of the crops, preventing waste and loss of water via evaporation.

Australia

In Australia, the use of smart irrigation for fruit trees has resulted in a 60% increase in water productivity.
An improvement has been seen in fruit quality and also in retaining the yield size by using the smart irrigation technique.

Recycling of Water: Singapore

Singapore suffers from water scarcity but water techniques including collecting rainwater, treating and producing recycled NEWater and importing water help to relieve the pressures.

Background

Singapore is a city-state with a population of 5.4 million on only 710km² of land.
The city receives abundant rainfall with 2,400mm of precipitation a year but there is limited land availability for collection and storage of rainfall.
The high temperatures in Singapore mean high evaporation rates and also a lack of groundwater resources despite the high levels of precipitation.

Water recycling techniques:

Singapore’s water agency has invested in several ways to ensure its water security:
- Local rainwater is collected via drains, canals and storm-water collection points before being treated to become drinking water.
- The NEWater scheme treats and purifies used water producing high-grade recycled water. There are four NEWater plants meeting 30% of the countries needs- but there are plans to raise it to 55% by 2060.
- Singapore has signed an agreement until 2061 to import water from Malaysia.
- Desalinisation plants.

Sand Dams in Machakos District, Kenya

In the Machakos District of Kenya, the hot and dry climate stops the river flow in the dry season so rural communities struggle to store water. Sand dams improve the reliability of their water supply.

During the rainy season

When the river is flowing, sand is trapped behind the 1m high dam.
Water gets trapped in amongst the coarse sand particles.

During the dry season

The sand stops the water from evaporating when it gets hot.
Locals can extract the trapped water by:
- Digging wells.
- Channelling the water through the dam and tapping it off on the other side.
- Digging holes.

Advantages

The sand dams are cheap to construct.
Local materials are used to build the sand dams.
The sand dams require very little maintenance.
Dam height can be increased each year so that more sand and more water are trapped by it.
The water recharges the whole area leading to an increase in vegetation surrounding the dam.
Locals are trained by water charities to make the dams so that they can be self-sufficient going forwards.