Some Design Considerations of Runoff Farming in Erbil Plain and Its Peripheral Areas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23918/eajse.v11i1p8Keywords:
Design Rainfall, Erbil Plain, Ratio of Catchment to Cultivated Area, Runoff FarmingAbstract
Water harvesting has been recognized as a proxy for ensuring water availability and improving crop production in regions with low rainfall and frequent drought. Therefore, the current study was initiated to obtain some design considerations for runoff harvesting through the generation of continuous surfaces for the ratio of catchment to cultivated area over Erbil and its peripheral regions. To target the above objectives, recorded data were obtained on rainfall quantities and other meteorological elements from 19 meteorological stations spread over the study area. The rainfall data covered a period of 25 years (1998-2022). The other requirements encompassed determination of hydrologic soil groups, runoff coefficient, crop water demand, and design rainfall at each station. A special formula was applied to determine the ratio of catchment to cultivated area (C: CA) at different locations under different land slopes. Thereafter, continuous surfaces were generated for C: CA using the best interpolation method. The results indicated that the annual rainfall varies greatly in space and is characterized by high spatial variability. The ratio of catchment to cultivated area varied from a minimum of 3.18:1 to a maximum of 28.73:1, and most of the subareas have a ratio of less than 5:1. Moreover, this ratio is significantly affected by land slope and tends to increase gradually from north to south and from east to west. It is recommended to practice the runoff farming on slopes in the range of 6-10% to lessen the sacrificed lands and to control erosion.
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