Reservoirs in Tigray (Northern Ethiopia): characteristics and sediment deposition problems

In Tigray (Northern Ethiopia, significant achievements were made, mainly from 1994 to 2002), on the development of agriculture through irrigation by employing seasonally harvested runoff using earth dams. However, most of the implemented schemes are not serving the intended purpose well because of constraints associated with both pre- and post-implementation. Sediment deposition in reservoirs is a serious off-site consequence of soil erosion in the region. However, the extent of the problem is not well studied. Moreover, there are no sufficient and reliable sediment-yield data for Northern Ethiopia, which are important for designing new reservoirs and for implementing soil conservation practices. This study addresses those problems by undertaking: (1) a survey and evaluation of the general characteristics and problems of 54 recently built reservoirs and the characteristics of their respective catchments; and (2) a detailed sediment survey in ten reservoirs and related catchment characteristics. A field survey in 2002–2003, a review of technical reports and interviews were the bases for this study. Most of the reservoirs are under risk of insufficient inflow, excessive seepage and sediment deposition. These problems are mainly attributed to the use of a poor database on hydrology and sediment yield, and the lack of adaptable methodologies for assessing controlling factors at the planning stage. The reservoir survey, which is the first of its kind in Ethiopia, also indicates that specific sediment yield (SSY) varies significantly between catchments: i.e. from 237 to 1817 t km−2 y−1 with an average of 909 ( ± 500) t km−2 y−1. The high spatial variability is mainly associated with differences in lithology, cover, extent of gully network and human activities. Therefore, adapting an average SSY value for the whole region is not recommended for future planning purposes. The sediment deposition problem is significant: i.e. 70 per cent of the study reservoirs have important siltation problems so that they will end their useful life well before the dam design period. Hence, sediment management in reservoirs could be an effective approach towards maintaining the existing storage capacity. For the realization of sustainable land and water development in Tigray, sufficient and reliable database building, development and standardization of appropriate methodologies for predicting sediment yield and capacity building of designers needs to be given top priority. Moreover, awareness creation among policy makers, donors and beneficiaries is also important for action. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.