African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6926

Full Length Research Paper

Hydrology and water quality of a underground dam in a semiarid watershed

José R. B. Cantalice
  • José R. B. Cantalice
  • Soil Conservation Engineering Laboratory, Agronomy Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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Victor C. Piscoya
  • Victor C. Piscoya
  • Environmental Engineering Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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Vijay P. Singh
  • Vijay P. Singh
  • Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, U.S.A.
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Yuri J. A. B. da Silva
  • Yuri J. A. B. da Silva
  • Soil Conservation Engineering Laboratory, Agronomy Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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Maria de F. C. Barros
  • Maria de F. C. Barros
  • Soil Conservation Engineering Laboratory, Agronomy Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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Sergio M. S. Guerra
  • Sergio M. S. Guerra
  • Environmental Engineering Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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Moacyr C. Filho
  • Moacyr C. Filho
  • Informatics and Statistics Department, Rural Federal of Pernambuco University (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil.
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  •  Received: 29 April 2016
  •  Accepted: 20 May 2016
  •  Published: 14 July 2016

Abstract

In the Brazilian semiarid regions, underground dams can efficiently store water under possible scenarios of climate change. However, the annual humidity vector in these regions is vertical, and annual evapotranspiration exceeds annual rainfall, resulting in the accumulation of salts in groundwater reservoirs. This study investigated over the course of two agricultural years the hydrologic behavior, soil moisture and the seasonal behavior of electrical conductivity (EC) of the irrigation water from an underground dam constructed in the Jacu watershed in a Brazilian semiarid region. The underground dam retained more soil moisture than other nearby areas during the rainy season; however, during dry periods, its storage capacity was reduced by evapotranspiration occurring inside and outside of the groundwater dam and after rainfall the same level of evaporation occurred from soil as from the dam. During the dry season the underground dam raised the concentration of salts in the irrigation water which was categorized as C4, corresponding to the far too saline irrigation water; however, in subsequent rainy seasons, the electrical conductivity of irrigation water decreased to be included in a group of low salinity of 0.95 dS m-1 (C1). The irrigation water sodicity changed from the risk of sodium accumulation to without sodium risk category.

 

Key words: Evapotranspiration, soil moisture, electrical conductivity, sustainability of semiarid.

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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