Water Harvesting Structures Research Articles

Potential dam sites selection using integrated techniques of remote sensing and GIS in Imo State, Southeastern, Nigeria

Water is an essential natural resource that is vital for sustaining every form of life existence. Availability of groundwater is spatially and temporally dependent upon the terrain of an area. In order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in water availability, supply and use, the construction of water harvesting structures across streams/watersheds is gaining drive in recent years. The increase in demand for water has led to the construction of water storage dams for various purposes such as community and industrial use, irrigation, flood control, hydropower and river canalization. Safety is the key consideration than cost and capacity as the failure of a dam often results to severe loss of lives and properties, hence the need to consider some important criteria for suitable dam siting. In this study, potential sites for construction of dams in Imo State, Nigeria, have been identified by using geographical information system and remote sensing techniques which were integrated with fuzzy logic to achieve the study objectives. Climatic and geophysical factors such as rainfall, runoff, stream order, soil type, geology type and land use were considered. These factors assigned fuzzy membership classes according to their contribution in locating suitable dam sites. The fuzzy members for all the factors were combined using the fuzzy overlay technique to produce the suitable dam site selection map. Majority of the selected sites were located in the northwestern part of Imo State which is characterized by high elevation and gentle slope.

Impact Assessment of Water Harvesting Structures in Micro-Watersheds of Nira River Basin, Maharashtra, India

Artificial recharge is highly recommended in declining groundwater level trends as well as partially replenished aquifers. Moreover, the quantification of the recharge to aquifers due to such measures is important in water resource budgeting, development and planning. With this objective nine locations representing varied geomorphology were selected and the groundwater levels from the dug well in the proximity of water harvesting structures were monitored. The plot of monthly groundwater levels versus rainfall depicts that in the month of July high rainfall occurred but the groundwater levels raised in August due to delayed recharge process. The water level data also indicate the availability of water column of about 5m to 6m in most of the wells till the end of February, 2020. Water Harvesting structures overlaid on the Recharge Potential Zone map represent excellent (13.1%), very good (12.3%), good (23.3%), moderate (25.2) and poor (26.1) zones. The computation of artificial recharge from these structures depict that the structures having high storage capacity with a greater number of fillings have higher recharge. Also, the geophysical resistivity surveys were conducted to understand the degree of saturation at each location up to 50m, 100m and 150m distances from the structure. After integrating all datasets, it has been found that the structure at Shivajinagar has highest recharge followed by Pisalwadi, Kanheri, Zagalwadi 2, Kavathe, Ansur, Bholi, Limbachidwadi, Zagalwadi 1 and Kesurdi. Thus, the study concludes that the impact of water harvesting structures varies according to topography, land slope, geomorphology, size of catchment and lithology.

Promoting artificial recharge to enhance groundwater potential in thelower Bhavani River basin of South India using geospatial techniques.

The artificial recharge is an alternative technique to augment surface water and groundwater and for providing continuous supply of water to the demand regions. The scope of contemporary study helps in evaluation of groundwater potential zones and to find proper zones and sites for groundwater recharge using geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques. In this study, the pragmatic methodology was proposed for the implementation of water harvesting structures. The satellite and conventional datasets with field inferences were systematically processed to obtain various thematic information of the study area. The analytical hierarchical process (AHP) in geographical information system (GIS) was utilized to assign the geometric mean and the normalized weight for the individual features. Further, groundwater potential zones were identified, and they were categorized into four types viz. very high (523.58km2), high (798.22km2), moderate (646.04km2) and low (456.66km2). Nearly, 54.52% of the study area falls in the 'very high' to 'high' potential categories. The GIS-based Boolean logical method was also executed to identify suitable areas for creating recharge structures such as check dams (127.47km2), percolation ponds (115.23km2), flood and furrows (63.01km2) and ditch and furrows (1046.31km2). Based on the above results, 36 water harvesting structures were promoted to augment the groundwater resources of the basin. The highest priority was given to check dams (19 Nos), followed by percolation ponds (7 Nos), flood and furrows (5 Nos) and ditch and furrows (5 Nos). The suggested structures would improve the groundwater availability for agriculture and domestic purposes in the study area. Further, the outcomes could deliver a scientific procedure to the decision makers and water scientists for effective water resources development and management planning. Overall, the integrated remote sensing, GIS and MCDA methods are an efficient and useful tool for planning and improving groundwater recharge in the basin scale.

Investigating the environmental response to water harvesting structures: a field study in Tanzania

Abstract. Sand dams, a popular water harvesting structure employed by rural communities, capture and store water for use during the dry season in arid and semi-arid regions. Most sand dam research has been performed on the “ideal” sand dam, despite approximately 50 % of sand dams not functioning as intended. This research involves a 1-year long, in-depth field study of three sand dams in Tanzania, one of which is essentially non-functioning. The study investigated a sand dam's impact on macroinvertebrate habitat, vegetation, and streambank erosion and explored a sand dam's water loss mechanisms. Surveys of macroinvertebrate assemblage were performed each season. Vegetation surveys were performed every other month, and erosion was recorded semi-monthly. Water table monitoring wells were installed at each sand dam, and measurements were taken twice a day. The study found that sand dams are too homogeneous to provide the sustenance and refugia macroinvertebrates need at different life stages. The non-functioning sand dam has a thick layer of silt preventing infiltration of rainwater. The functioning sand dams store a significant amount of water, but most is lost to evapotranspiration within a few months of the last rainfall. Unlike the non-functioning sand dam, the functioning sand dams have a positive impact on local vegetation and minimal impact on erosion. Sand dams can increase the water security of a community, but site characteristics and construction methods must be strongly considered to maximize the sand dam's positive impact.

Identification of suitable sites and structures for artificial groundwater recharge for sustainable groundwater resource development and management

Artificial recharge is the process of augmentation of the natural infiltration of precipitation or surface water into aquifers by some methods of construction, spreading of water or by artificially changing natural conditions. Upper Betwa watershed, has been taken under study is a semi-arid region, part of Obedullahganj block, Raisen district, M.P., India. The area is hard rock terrain with rugged topography and varying geology. Long term analysis of groundwater level conducted by CGWB, Bhopal has shown sharp decline in groundwater level from past one decade. To increase the groundwater potential of the area, action plan for artificial groundwater recharge has been developed using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Survey of India toposheet no's 55 E/8, 55 E/12, 55 F/5 & 55 F/9, GSI, 2002 resource map, LANDSAT 8, and SRTM (DEM) satellite data and NBSS&LUP soil map were processed in ArcGIS to prepare the various thematic layers viz. Geology, geomorphology, topography, soil, land use/land cover, slope, lineament, drainage and drainage density. Sub-watershed wise action plan of the area has been developed for the area using these thematic layers following the criteria given by NRSA, 1995. In the action plan, development of water harvesting structures (Check dam, Nala bund, Contour bund, Gully plug etc.) were proposed. These structures will provide a measure of artificial recharge in this hard rock terrain by collecting of the surface runoff and increasing the surface area of infiltration. Further, the developed action plan addresses identification of sites for groundwater recharge, through the anticipated artificial recharge structures. Thus, it is suggested that execution of the proposed sub-watershed wise action plan will help in development and management of groundwater resources of the area. Excavation of the proposed structures at their suitable sites identified will enhance the groundwater recharge potential of the area.

Water Storage Assessment of Khapri Watershed through Geospatial Techniques

Khapri watershed is mountainous region having average 2255 mm rainfall every year. In the last few months of hydrological year i.e. April & May, there is an acute shortage of drinking water. To overcome this short fall, it is necessary to manage natural watersheds available in the region. water harvesting is a system that collects rainwater from where it falls around its periphery rather than allowing it to go as runoff. The strategy of “Think Globally, Act Locally” should be used in this area for management of water. Local water that is rainwater stored using Rainwater Harvesting Structure and Conservation used optimally before it goes in drain or river.The subsurface reservoirs are very attractive and technically feasible alternatives for storing surplus monsoon runoff. But in the study region, this is not possible as there is a basalt rock. Recharging is not advisable as water table in post monsoon just touches ground level. So, Rainwater harvesting structures for direct use of water may be the possibly best solution.For community requirement rainwater may be stored in checkdams or depressed area naturally available. Construction of small barriers across small streams to check and store the running water also can be considered as water harvesting structure. This may fulfil the drinking water requirement of their cattles. Check dams in the watershed has been ascertain using Geospatial techniques and few of them verified by visiting the sites. In site visit it is found that open wells near the stream has water level above stream water level. At few places farming is done in check dam reservoir or in stream itself.

Improving the crop productivity in rainfed areas with water harvesting structures and deficit irrigation strategies

Watershed management practices aim at improving the agricultural productivity in rainfed agricultural areas by conserving rainwater for an extended period. The stored rainwater in the harvesting structures is used for meeting crop water demand. The water use efficiencies of these structures can be further enhanced through adoption of deficit irrigation management strategies. In this study, deficit irrigation scheduling is formulated using a simulation-optimization framework for a rainfed agricultural area with supplemental irrigation from a check dam in Kondepi IWMP area, near Kondepi Mandal, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The results from the study indicate that the adoption of irrigation management strategies have the potential to improve the productivity and bring more area under irrigation with an increase of 20% and 140% for yield and irrigated area respectively. The outcomes of this study indicate that the proposed method can be suggested for developing optimum irrigation strategies under water deficit in rainfed agriculture having water harvesting structures for an efficient utilization of stored rainwater.

Identification of potential area of recharge using geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis in the Macta watershed (Western Algeria)

In a basin, the increase of the water demand in all sectors creates a giant problem of water scarcity. Precipitation is the only major source to mitigate this problem. However, groundwater recharge is an important hydrological parameter for the quantification of the water budgets quantification in order to achieve a better sustainable groundwater management. In the Macta basin (Western Algeria), the average annual precipitation is insufficient in most of the part especially during summer season. In this region, the recharge is a difficult parameter to calculate due to its variabilities: climatic, geological, hydrogeological, soil, etc. The aim of this study is to propose a new method of identifying potential recharge zone which is applicable to watersheds. For this study and in order to identify the potential groundwater recharge areas in the Macta watershed, a new method has been applied. In this approach, two considerations must be taken into account for the selection of potential recharge areas, remote sensing and GIS which allow the analysis of the water harvesting structure for extracting the information of various features such as lineament, land use/land cover, soil, slope, lithology, drainage, rainfall, etc. In order of importance, we have assigned weights for each feature. Slope and design discharge are parameters’ key in site suitable analysis, so we assigned a maximum weight to this parameters. A possible suitable map site for water harvesting/conservation structures was derived following an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The data are combined through a multi-criteria analysis to facilitate the spatial analysis and the identification of appropriate zones recharge areas. The results indicate that potential areas of high recharge account for about 32% of the total watershed area. They are mainly located in the south center and appear fragmented in the north of watershed, which mainly match to the permeable areas. These results depict the groundwater potential zones in the study area and provide the information for the proper planning and groundwater resources management.

Identification of potential sites for water harvesting structures in Gadela watershed using remote sensing and GIS

In this study the suitable sites for water harvesting structures in Gadela watershed has been identified using remote sensing and GIS. The satellite imagery of 30 m resolution data downloaded from bhuvan was used to prepare Elevation and slope map for the study area. The other thematic maps such as Land use land cover, Geomorphology, Soil, Transmissibility and Runoff maps were prepared to suggest suitable water harvesting structures. The weighted overlay approach has been applied for the prepared thematic maps based on their importance in water harvesting and converted to normalized maps. These maps were overlaid using Arc GIS tool to get the final suitability map. The suitability of the study area divided in to low, medium and high priority zones and found 31% of area is highly suitable and 45% as medium and 24% less suitable. 62 places Suitable for various harvesting structures. Twenty four Check dams, twenty five farm ponds, four nala bunds, contour trench in 187 ha for barren land and a Gully plug were proposed for the study area as per Integrated Mission For Sustainable Development (IMSD) guidelines.

Intensification of rice-fallow cropping systems in the Eastern Plateau region of India: diversifying cropping systems and climate risk mitigation

ABSTRACT This article reports research from 2013 to 2016 with tribal smallholders, which evaluated technological interventions, aimed to diversify and intensify cropping systems and improve the climate resilience of the farming systems using modelling and participatory evaluation process. The options on providing access to irrigation water, strategic use of irrigation, and better crop husbandry practices were evaluated for their potential to impart climate resilience in farming systems. Irrigation trials revealed that, in the event of delayed rainfall, irrigation of 229-267 mm ensured timely transplanting and resulted in higher paddy yields (7.0 t ha−1). Supplemental irrigation during a mid-season dry spell increased paddy yield to from 0.64 to 6.1 t ha−1. Better vegetable cultivation practices viz. drip irrigation, polythene mulch, nursery raising in seedling trays and raised bed cultivation exhibited great potential to build climate resilience in the farming systems of the region. The study highlights the need for investments in small water harvesting structures and the promotion of alternative ways of cultivating and irrigating paddy during different climatic situations. The study suggests effective ways of engaging communities coupled with appropriate technological interventions to understand climate change and adaptation needs of the rice-fallow ecosystems in eastern India.

Hydrochemistry of Groundwater from Chevella Watershed, Telangana State, India

ABSTRACT Hydrochemical studies are useful to understand the variation of chemical facies and interaction between water and host rock. 88 groundwater samples were collected from Chevella sub-basin, Telangana state, during the pre and post monsoon seasons of 2009 and 2013 and subjected to the chemical analysis. Chadhas’ hydrochemical diagram was used to study the chemical facies. Statistical correlation and ‘t’ test were carried out to understand the relation between various chemical parameters and to study the variation between seasons. The study found that there is a dilution of almost all the chemical parameters temporally. It is also identified that the groundwater of the Chevella sub- basin is Ca2+– Mg2+– Cl- type. A highly significant correlation is found between pre and post 2009, pre and post 2013 and pre 2009 and post 2013. The ‘T-test’ values indicate that all the cations and anions were decreased in concentration from pre and post monsoon 2009 to 2013. It is attributed to the spacial and temporal variations, i.e., rainfall, creation of water harvesting structures and sufficient time to recharge. The study proved that ground water quality and chemistry can be improved by creating suitable RHS.

Modeling Hydrological Response to Climate Change in a Data-Scarce Glacierized High Mountain Astore Basin Using a Fully Distributed TOPKAPI Model

Water scarcity is influencing environmental and socio-economic development on a global scale. Pakistan is ranked third among the countries facing water scarcity. This situation is currently generating intra-provincial water disputes and could lead to transboundary water conflicts. This study assessed the future water resources of Astore basin under representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios using fully distributed TOPographic Kinematic APproximation and Integration (TOPKAPI) model. TOPKAPI model was calibrated and validated over five years from 1999–2003 with a Nash coefficient ranging from 0.93–0.97. Towards the end of the 21st century, the air temperature of Astore will increase by 3°C and 9.6 °C under the RCP4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively. The rise in air temperature can decrease the snow cover with Mann Kendall trend of –0.12%/yr and –0.39%/yr (p ≥ 0.05) while annual discharge projected to be increased 11% (p ≤ 0.05) and 37% (p ≥ 0.05) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Moreover, the Astore basin showed a different pattern of seasonal shifts, as surface runoff in summer monsoon season declined further due to a reduction in precipitation. In the spring season, the earlier onset of snow and glacier melting increased the runoff due to high temperature, regardless of the decreasing trend of precipitation. This increased surface runoff from snow/glacier melt of Upper Indus Basin (UIB) can potentially be utilized to develop water policy and planning new water harvesting and storage structures, to reduce the risk of flooding.

Water balance assessment of Sajnam watershed, Lalitpur (U.P.)

It is a well-known fact that it is not all possible to avoid droughts, but droughts can be managed to minimise the hardships of the local population. For this purpose, understanding of the supply-demand scenario is of utmost importance to understand the overall hydrology and planning needs of any watershed. It is in this direction, the comprehensive water balance analysis has been performed for the Sajnam watershed in Lalitpur district of Bundelkhand which is susceptible to regular and continuous droughts. The detailed water balance has been carried out after identification of important components and their quantification using the advance tools of Remote Sensing and GIS alongwith standard estimation techniques of individual components. It was observed that the runoff at the outlet of Sajnam basin is influenced by the water storage in the irrigation project located on the main river. The higher surface runoff of 668.53 MCM, 406.17 MCM, 343.46 MCM and 214.00 MCM is generated only during 2013-14, 2008-09, 2012-13 and 2010-11 respectively. During the remaining years, the runoff varied between 89.35 MCM and 209.81 MCM. Efforts can be initiated towards exploring the possibility of more water harvesting structures onthe lower order tributaries as well as artificial recharge measures depending on the hydro-geology of the watershed..

Runoff Harvesting Site Suitability Analysis for Wildlife in Sub-Desert Regions

Site selection for runoff harvesting at large scales is a very complex task. It requires inclusion and spatial analysis of a multitude of accurately measured parameters in a time-efficient manner. Compared with direct measurements of runoff, which is time consuming and costly, a combination of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and multi-criteria techniques have proven feasible to address this challenge. Although the accuracy of this new approach is lower than the direct method, conducting in-situ measurements over large scales is not feasible due to its financial issues, a lack of sufficient human resources, and time limitations. To achieve this purpose, climatic, topographic, and soil parameters were used to estimate a runoff coefficient and volume for a single event with the 33%-exceedance probability of maximum daily rainfall in the Kavir National Park of Iran. The main challenges ahead of this research have been a) the large area of the park and the inability to directly evaluate site suitability for runoff harvesting, b) the need for a quick and reliable site evaluation to implement water harvesting measures to address water scarcity, and c) the lack of discharge volume data from water streams (as there are no permanent water streams in the site) and the necessity of reliably estimating runoff in different parts of the park to design water harvesting structures which have been addressed by using GIS and a rainfall-runoff model (Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN)). Site suitability was evaluated for the natural territory of two important wildlife species of the park, namely Gazella dorcas and Ovis orientalis, as the main important food sources of an endangered species named Acinonyx jubatus, commonly known as Persian Cheetah. Saving Persian Cheetah from extinction is currently the top priority for the park managers, which is the main factor behind the species chosen for this research. The Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) and fuzzy membership functions were employed to assign weights and standardized thematic layers, respectively. The layers were then integrated using the weighted linear combination method (WLC) to obtain the final suitability map. Accordingly, 38% of the area (846 km2) is suitable or highly suitable for runoff harvesting, while 62% (2623 km2) has a very low potential for this purpose. Afterward, 11 suitable locations were identified to collect runoff. The results indicated that suitable catchments are mainly located on the southern slopes of the Mount Siahkouh as the only major elevation in the area. The storage capacity of the earth embankment in each catchment was estimated based on the upstream area of the catchment and runoff volume. Based on the population of the intended wildlife species and their average water requirement, there is a need for 6500 m3 of drinking water annually. In the best-case scenario and under the circumstance of receiving five rainstorm events a year, only 257 m3 is collectible from all runoff harvesting structures, which is only 4% of the total water demand.

Generation of Groundwater Zones for Selection of Prospective Suitable Water Harvesting Structure Sites for Sustainable Water Supply Towards the Agricultural Development

Identification of groundwater potential is important for the preparation of management plan of groundwater resource in watershed scale. Groundwater potential zone in watershed scale is identified using GIS, remote sensing satellite data, and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis technique. Different thematic layers, i.e. geological formation, lineament, soil, etc. were used for the identification of groundwater potential zones, while groundwater quality parameters, i.e. hardness, pH, etc. were used for the preparation of groundwater quality index map. The present study focused on identification of possible groundwater potential zones and groundwater quality index both in terms of quantity and quality. The Analytic Hierarchy Approach is utilized to identify the groundwater potential zones. Conclusively, 27.1% area falls under low–medium groundwater potential zone and 9.3% area falls under above the permissible limit of water quality. In total, 240 suitable water harvesting structures, namely storage tank (120 nos), percolation tank (70 nos), stop dam (34 nos) and check dam (16 nos) with their sites, were identified and suggested for water harvesting to enhance the groundwater conditions to meet the scarcity of water resources in agriculture and domestic use.

Integrated Management of Upper Errakalava and Gunderu Watersheds, Upland Area of West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh — RS and GIS Approach

The upland of West Godavari district experiences a relatively high rainfall with increasing trends towards north. The northeastern part of the study area is hilly terrain that mostly covered by forest. This area acts as a good recharge and run-off zone for the low-lying upland area. The central and southern parts of the area occupied by highly porous and permeable sandstone and alluvium forms good repositories of groundwater. Groundwater remains the principal source of irrigation and drinking. Major portion of this area is a flat to gently undulating terrain with clayey and fine loamy soils, facilitating intensive agricultural activities. Thus, the area under study forms an excellent natural geo-environment for human habitat. The present integrated watershed analysis, remote sensing coupled with GIS, is aimed at generating sustainable developmental measures of land and water resources on watershed basis in the area. For that, various thematic layers viz. settlements and transportation, slope and digital elevation model, lithology and structure, drainage and surface water resources, land use land cover, geomorphology and ground water prospects etc. were generated. Overlay of these resource maps further helped in the development of mitigation / treatment strategies in suggesting water harvesting structures. This approach enables the watershed users to take necessary actions to implement such measures for the sustainability of both land and water resources in the entire district. The integrated watershed analysis is aimed at generating sustainable developmental measures of land and water resources on watershed basis in the area. However, the underlying concept of present study is the sustenance of geo-environment.

The archaeology and ethnoarchaeology of rain-fed cultivation in arid and hyper-arid North Africa

Abstract

Computation of Runoff by SCS-CN Method from micro watersheds of Urmodi basin in Maharashtra state using RS and GIS

Flood is a natural or manmade phenomenon and timely and accurate forecasting of flood is very important. However forecasting of flood is a difficult task due to influence of rainfall-runoff process which depends on various factors. Estimation of surface runoff in a watershed is based on the rate of precipitation and discharge at the outlet. In this study, runoff from micro watersheds of Urmodi basin in Maharashtra state was computed by Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number method using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Various thematic maps such as soil map, land use/land cover, stream order, slope etc. were prepared using remote sensing and GIS. Daily rainfall data was used for determining runoff. Antecedent moisture conditions were determined from daily rainfall data and for different CNs with the help of combined land use land cover and hydrologic soil group map in GIS environment. Results showed that the highest runoff for Bharatgaon and Nagthane micro watersheds was 46.20 mm and 54 mm respectively. Total runoff depth for the year 2014 was computed as 215.05 mm for Bharatgaon micro watershed and 277.68 mm for Nagthane micro watershed. Different soil and water conservation measures and water harvesting structures were recommended to control soil erosion and to harness the surface runoff.

Medieval (Islamic) Cities in India (1206–1764): An Environmental Review and its Contemporary Relevance

This article examines the medieval (Islamic) cities in India from an environmental and technological perspective. The main objectives of this article are (a) to identify and evaluate characteristic features of the cities that were closely linked with the natural environment, (b) to examine the environmental conservation measures, sustainable practices and eco-friendly technologies adopted in these cities, (c) to assess the environmental impact of these cities and (d) to explore those eco-friendly measures and technologies that are relevant even at present. This is a first of its kind review of the Islamic cities in India that flourished from the thirteenth to eighteenth century. Some of the important findings are the following: (a) water had a dominant role in the establishment of these cities, (b) gardens, canals, water-harvesting structures and sanitation were important characteristics of these cities that were profoundly integrated with the natural environment, (c) despite numerous environmental conservation measures adopted, several of these cities declined or were abandoned ironically due to environmental factors and (4) in response to natural environment, some exemplary eco-friendly technologies were introduced, particularly the karez technology for water-supply, which is worth considering to make contemporary Indian cities ecologically sustainable.

Socio economic impacts of Doha Model water harvesting structures in Jalna, Maharashtra

Rainwater harvesting has a crucial role in facilitating supplementary irrigation and groundwater recharge. The current research study assesses the socio-economic impacts of small rainwater harvesting structures, Doha Models – percolation tanks dug along the length of lower order seasonal streams, in semi-arid Jalna district of Maharashtra state in India. These structures facilitated recharge of wells in the agricultural fields close to streams. Facilitated by an increased water availability for irrigation, cropping intensity, cropping diversification and crop yields – especially for winter crops requiring assured irrigation – on these agricultural fields grew more than on the agricultural fields away from streams. High risk commercial seed crop cultivation also increased on the agricultural fields close to streams. At two of the four study sites, well recharge led to improvement in drinking water supply and also led to a reduction in physical drudgery associated with fetching water. Ownership and income from livestock also record a growth owing to better water and feed availability for livestock, facilitated by rainwater harvesting. The cost benefit analysis yields an internal rate of return of 16% for Doha Models. However, the study highlights that the benefits from Doha Models are limited to the agricultural fields which are downstream and are close to streams, leaving a large portion of agricultural land. Also, no community institutions are managing these structures. Based on this analysis, the study suggests increasing community participation in the designing and implementation of these structures.