Design of an on-farm detention reservoir for irrigation : Awach Sub county, Gulu

Abstract

This project report was aimed at designing a detention reservoir for irrigation in Awach Gulu district in order to collect the run off during heavy pours which can be used for irrigation during dry seasons. In Awach sub county there is intensive rain during rainy season which when harvested can be used during dry season. The objective was to delineate the catchment area of the area, estimate the hydrological budget of the area and to design the reservoir. Acholi Sub-Region is among the worst affected areas by the prolonged civil fighting and drought. The longest violence in this region has been with the Karamojong who have conducted cattle raids.

In this study; the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) under Geographical Information System (GIS) was applied to simulate the daily surface runoff. The daily rainfall data, maximum and minimum temperature, sunshine, humidity, and wind speed of stations for the period 1996 to 2016 were considered in this study. The data were used to estimate the daily runoff volume the SoilandWaterAssessmentToolSWATwasconsideredfordailysimulationforrunoffs.The maximum annual runoff volume for the considered catchment is 9.33x10 8M3 30days

This report has detailed thesis with chapter one having the problem statement, background of the of the project study area and objectives, chapter two contains the literature view, chapter three which contains methodology, chapter four has result and discussions and chapter five which has recommendations and conclusion.

Designing of a detention reservoir will help to retain water which can be used for irrigation during both dry and wet seasons there by sustaining productivity and enhance agriculture. Climate change and the resulting changing rainfall patterns especially floods pose a threat to many farmers from Awach sub county, and the reliable access to water remains a major constraint for the poor farmers in the area. The 2008 World Development Report on “Agriculture for Development" emphasized that in order for agriculture to meet future food demand, productivity improvements need to be achieved in both irrigated and rain fed areas(WorldBank,2007).