Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework
Southern Africa’s dryland regions face growing water insecurity due to recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and delayed wet seasons. Sand dams—small structures that capture and store water within sand-filled riverbeds—offer a reliable, low-maintenance source of water for domestic and productive use...
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| Formato: | Brief |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Water Management Institute
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177960 |
| _version_ | 1855541453015482368 |
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| author | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) |
| author_browse | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) |
| author_facet | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) |
| author_sort | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Southern Africa’s dryland regions face growing water insecurity due to recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and delayed wet seasons. Sand dams—small structures that capture and store water within sand-filled riverbeds—offer a reliable, low-maintenance source of water for domestic and productive uses in these semi-arid landscapes. Drawing on new field evidence and modelling from Zimbabwe’s Shashe catchment, this policy brief assesses sand dam performance, benefits, and enabling conditions to inform their strategic scaling.
Findings show that properly sited, designed, and managed sand dams can substantially improve local water access, particularly during the early dry season, thereby enhancing community resilience to climate variability. However, their storage potential is modest at the catchment scale and must be viewed within a broader framework of integrated water storage and conjunctive use. Embedding these lessons into policy and investment planning will help governments and their partners expand sand dams strategically, maximizing their contribution to water security and climate resilience across Southern Africa. |
| format | Brief |
| id | CGSpace177960 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Water Management Institute |
| publisherStr | International Water Management Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1779602025-11-18T02:16:01Z Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework International Water Management Institute (IWMI) dams water storage frameworks policies water security climate change adaptation catchment areas site factors water use conjunctive use rural communities social-ecological resilience semi-arid zones Southern Africa’s dryland regions face growing water insecurity due to recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and delayed wet seasons. Sand dams—small structures that capture and store water within sand-filled riverbeds—offer a reliable, low-maintenance source of water for domestic and productive uses in these semi-arid landscapes. Drawing on new field evidence and modelling from Zimbabwe’s Shashe catchment, this policy brief assesses sand dam performance, benefits, and enabling conditions to inform their strategic scaling. Findings show that properly sited, designed, and managed sand dams can substantially improve local water access, particularly during the early dry season, thereby enhancing community resilience to climate variability. However, their storage potential is modest at the catchment scale and must be viewed within a broader framework of integrated water storage and conjunctive use. Embedding these lessons into policy and investment planning will help governments and their partners expand sand dams strategically, maximizing their contribution to water security and climate resilience across Southern Africa. 2025-11-17 2025-11-17T10:12:55Z 2025-11-17T10:12:55Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177960 en Open Access application/pdf International Water Management Institute International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2025. Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 8p. (IWMI Water Policy Brief 45). doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2025.241 |
| spellingShingle | dams water storage frameworks policies water security climate change adaptation catchment areas site factors water use conjunctive use rural communities social-ecological resilience semi-arid zones International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title | Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title_full | Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title_fullStr | Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title_short | Scaling sand dams in Southern Africa: policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| title_sort | scaling sand dams in southern africa policy guidance for optimizing rollout within an integrated water storage framework |
| topic | dams water storage frameworks policies water security climate change adaptation catchment areas site factors water use conjunctive use rural communities social-ecological resilience semi-arid zones |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177960 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT internationalwatermanagementinstituteiwmi scalingsanddamsinsouthernafricapolicyguidanceforoptimizingrolloutwithinanintegratedwaterstorageframework |