Managing the water buffer for development and climate change adaptation

An innovative initiative for systematic upscaling of local solutions

The point of departure is the buffer function that groundwater provides – allowing one to deal with peaks and lows and the larger variability that in many areas is expected to come with climate change. The philosophy is to manage this buffer function through three subsequent steps – Recharge, Retention and Reuse. There are a large number of possible (technical) solutions to achieve this which we have grouped under the name 3R, covering the broader process of retaining and intercepting the rainfall and runoff, store it underground or in tanks at appropriate places and plan for its re-use during the dry periods.
 
The larger idea is that tackling a local water crisis is not so much about allocating scarce water, but to extent the temporal availability of the water within the basin. 3R is an upscaled approach – it looks not at an isolated intervention but aims to improve water storage in the entire hydrological unit providing water for drinking and for economic use while making a link with land use planning and managing both natural and artificial recharge. It manipulates the shallow groundwater and as a result greatly influences agricultural production and the vitality of rangelands and other ecosystems through the sub-irrigation and better soil chemistry that come along with it.  In the particular case of large irrigation systems 3R makes way for better conjunctive management

The added value of 3R is the systematic approach to assess the technical, hydrological and socio-economic and institutional feasibility of planning and implementation of 3R systems on a (sub) basin scale and within the broader IWRM framework.  The initiative will make a major contribution to realize effective climate change adaptation solutions in the large areas that cope with increasing droughts

Frank van Steenbergen –  Meta Meta
Albert Tuinhof / Arjen de Vries    - Acacia Water