Spate Irrigation

Needs Address

• Improved regulation of river discharge
• Traditional methods of water management

Adaptation effects

• Reduced detrimental impacts of flood, including soil erosion, asset damage and fatalities
• Increase water availability for domestic use
• Reduce reliance on groundwater extraction
• Provide water for livestock
• Improves food security

Overview and Features

Spate Irrigation is a water management system in which flood and rain water is utilised, via diversion from river channels, to irrigate dry lands that border highland regions. Requires infrastructure designed to withstand floods and enable strategic diversion of water flows.  Spate irrigation also recharges wells, pond and other catchments. 

Cost

• Costs for material
• Costs for management and construction
• Cost for maintenance
• E.g in Pakistan costs for material USD 10-300 per hectare per year

Energy source

Human labour

Ease of maintenance

Require ongoing maintenance including unblocking channels due to sediment accumulation and reparation of any damage

Technology performance

Spate irrigation is considered more beneficial and sustainable due to the storage of moisture content in the soil and filling of water catchments as opposed to reservoir construction 

Considerations

• Spate irrigation is risky due to unpredictability of annual flood levels and hence crop production, therefore management must be sophisticated and comprehensive
• Increasing unpredictability of floods and their extent must be incorporated into traditional spate irrigation approaches, therefore combining new scientific monitoring information with traditional approaches can be particularly beneficial

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

• Encourage ecological sustainability 
• Community managed systems that provides a cost-effective supply of water to arid lands
• Can be constructed with locally sourced and affordable materials

Information Resources

Stauffer, B. and Sphuler, D. 2012. Spate Irrigation. SSWM. Webpage. Available from: http://www.sswm.info/category/implementation-tools/water-use/hardware/optimisation-water-use-agriculture/spate-irrigation [21 January 2015]

van Steenbergen, F., Verheijen, O., van Aarst, S. and Haile, A.M. 2011. Spate Irrigation, Livelihood Improvement and Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change IFAD. Available from: http://www.spate-irrigation.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IFAD_MM_spate_irrigation.pdf [21 January 2015]

van Steenbergen, F., Lawrence, P. Haile, A.M., Salman, M. and Faurès, J. 2010. Guidelines on Spate Irrigation. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1680e/i1680e.pdf [21 January 2015]