Community-based management of small reservoirs in an erosion-landslide-drought area in the dry tropical region of Kupang Regency

Authors

  • Defritus Aldrin Punuf Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, the Graduate School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
  • Junun Sartohadi Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0059-8335
  • M Anggri Setiawan Department of Environmental Geography, Faculty of Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6586-1520

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15243/jdmlm.2025.122.7337

Keywords:

community-based, dry tropical area, management, small reservoirs

Abstract

A crucial component of water supply in arid tropical regions is the construction of small reservoirs. Interestingly, various problems arise in the construction and management of small reservoirs, so the role of small reservoirs in providing surface water is considered less than optimal. This study aimed to identify problems that cause the function of small reservoirs to be less than optimal and to provide direction for small reservoir management in dry tropical areas. The investigation was carried out in two primary stages: site analysis to identify issues with small reservoir usability and regional analysis to identify physical characteristics regionally. Determining small reservoir points was carried out using SPOT 6/7 imagery with a resolution of 1.5 m. Land system maps and morphometry were used to analyze the physical characteristics of the small reservoir site. Field surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted to identify the benefits and limiting factors in the construction of small reservoirs. The results revealed small reservoirs are found in locations with low altitudes (0-100 masl) and undulating terrain (8-15%). According to the findings, 95.3% of small reservoirs were still water-filled. However, many problems resulted in the suboptimal utilization of small reservoirs. Specifically, the problems faced were structural damage due to 1) erosion-landslides (74.77%),  2) sedimentation (33.64%), 3) seepage (7.48%), 4) embankment collapse (6.54%), and 5) leakage (2.80%). Most of the community does not utilize the small reservoirs due to the limited infrastructure. Pipes to distribute water are only available at around 46.73%, while water tanks are only 43.93%. Directions for future management are aimed at 1) adding infrastructure, 2) sediment management, and 3) community-based management.

References

Aashiq, U., Khalid, A., Alam, M. and Hassan, S.S. 2020. Community-based management strategies in sustainability of rural water supply schemes. Review of Applied Management and Social Sciences 3(2):271-278. https://doi.org/10.47067/ramss.v3i2.63

Acheampong, E.N., Ozor, N. and Sekyi-annan, E. 2014. Development of small dams and their impact on livelihoods: Cases from northern Ghana. African Journal of Agricultural Research 9(24):1867-1877. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2014.8610

Afzal, M.K. 2021. Economic evaluation of small dams in rain-fed region of Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan. Cogent Food and Agriculture 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2021.1942403

Agoramoorthy, G. and Hsu, M.J. 2016. Small dams revive dry rivers and mitigate local climate change in India's drylands. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 8(2):271-285. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-12-2014-0141

Agramont, A., van Cauwenbergh, N., van Griesven, A. and Craps, M. 2022. Integrating spatial and social characteristics in the DPSIR framework for the sustainable management of river basins: case study of the Katari River Basin, Bolivia. Water International 47(1):8-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2021.1997021

Ahmad, M.D., Pena-Arancibia, J.L., Yu, Y., Stewart, J.P., Podger, G.M. and Kirby, J.M. (2021). Climate change and reservoir sedimentation implications for irrigated agriculture in the Indus Basin Irrigation System in Pakistan. Journal of Hydrology 603(September). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126967

Ahmad, S., Jia, H., Ashraf, A., Yin, D., Chen, Z., Xu, C., Chenyang, W., Jia, Q., Xiaoyue, Z., Israr, M. and Ahmed, R. 2023. Water resources and their management in Pakistan: A critical analysis on challenges and implications. Water-Energy Nexus 6:137-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wen.2023.10.001

Alahiane, N., Elmouden, A., Aitlhaj, A. and Boutaleb, S. 2016. Small dam reservoir siltation in the Atlas Mountains of Central Morocco: analysis of factors impacting sediment yield. Environmental Earth Sciences 75(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5795-y

Allan, J.A. 2005. Water in the environment/socio-economic development discourse: Sustainability, changing management paradigms and policy responses in a global system. Government and Opposition 40(2):181-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2005.00149.x

Al-Ruzouq, R., Shanableh, A., Yilmaz, A.G., Idris, A., Mukherjee, S., Khalil, M.A. and Gibril, M.B.A. 2019. Dam site suitability mapping and analysis using an integrated GIS and machine learning approach. Water 11(9):1880. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091880

Ashraf, M., Kahlown, M.A.A. and Ashfaq, A. 2007. Impact of small dams on agriculture and groundwater development: A case study from Pakistan. Agricultural Water Management 92(1-2):90-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2007.05.007

Bekele, A., Aticho, A. and Kissi, E. 2018. Assessment of community based watershed management practices: emphasis on technical fitness of physical structures and its effect on soil properties in Lemo district, Southern Ethiopia. Environmental Systems Research 7, Article number: 20 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-018-0124-y

Berhane, G., Gebreyohannes, T., Martens, K. and Walraevens, K. 2016. Overview of micro-dam small reservoirs (MDR) in Tigray (northern Ethiopia): Challenges and benefits. Journal of African Earth Sciences 123:210-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2016.07.022

Bhatti, N.B., Siyal, A.A., Qureshi, A.L. and Bhatti, I.A. 2019. Socio-economic impact assessment of small dams based on t-paired sample test using SPSS software. Civil Engineering Journal 5(1):153. https://doi.org/10.28991/cej-2019-03091233

Bitterman, P., Tate, E., Van Meter, K.J. and Basu, N.B. 2016. Water security and rainwater harvesting: A conceptual framework and candidate indicators. Applied Geography 76:75-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.09.013

Chomba, I.C. and M. Sichingabula, H. 2016. Sedimentation and its effects on selected small dams east of Lusaka, Zambia. Modern Environmental Science and Engineering 1(6):325-340. https://doi.org/10.15341/mese(2333-2581)/06.01.2015/007

de Sa Silva, A.C.R., Bimbato, A.M., Balestieri, J.A.P. and Vilanova, M.R.N. 2022. Exploring environmental, economic and social aspects of rainwater harvesting systems: A review. Sustainable Cities and Society 76:103475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103475

de San Miguel, J.A.S.R., Flores, M.M.T., Vilchis, F.L., Tovar, L.A R. and Pedraza, A.Y.B. 2015. Community water management in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges for Mexico. Journal of Sustainable Development 8(3):102-112. https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v8n3p102

Demeke, G.G., Andualem, T.G. and Kassa, M. 2021. Evaluation of the sustainability of existing rainwater harvesting ponds: A case study of Lay Gayint District, South Gondar zone, Ethiopia. Heliyon 7(7):e07647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07647

Doost, Z.H., Alsuwaiyan, M. and Yaseen, Z.M. 2024. Runoff management based water harvesting for better water resources sustainability: A comprehensive review. Knowledge-Based Engineering and Sciences 5(1):1-45. https://doi.org/10.51526/kbes.2024.5.1.1-45

Eduful, M. 2024. Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana. Natural Resources Forum 48(2):485-507. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12324

Ehsani, N., Vorosmarty, C.J., Fekete, B.M. and Stakhiv, E.Z. 2017. Reservoir operations under climate change: Storage capacity options to mitigate risk. Journal of Hydrology 555:435-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.09.008

Fung, Z., Pomun, T., Charles, K.J. and Kirchherr, J. 2019. Mapping the social impacts of small dams: The case of Thailand's Ing River basin. Ambio 48(2):180-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1062-7

Hao, Z., Chen, F., Jia, X., Cai, X., Yang, C., Du, Y. and Ling, F. 2024. GRDL: A new global small reservoir area-storage-depth data set derived through deep learning-based bathymetry reconstruction. Water Resources Research 60(1):1-25. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035781

Huang, C.C. 2024. Navigating small reservoir deposition challenges: Evaluation of small reservoir desilting strategy through a 4-stage life cycle assessment approach. Water Resources Management 38(10):3937-3952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-024-03847-3

Jaffee, D. 2024. Unequal trust: Bottled water consumption, distrust in tap water, and economic and racial inequality in the United States. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water 11(2):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1700

Jirde, M., Koech, O.K. and Karuma, A.A. 2021. An analysis of perceptions, knowledge, and management of Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) technologies among agropastoralists in Odwayne District, Somaliland. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 24(3):107. https://doi.org/10.56369/tsaes.3686

Kadoya, T., Akasaka, M., Aoki, T. and Takamura, N. 2011. A proposal of framework to obtain an integrated biodiversity indicator for agricultural ponds incorporating the simultaneous effects of multiple pressures. Ecological Indicators 11(5):1396-1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.03.001

Karagianni, A. 2022. Road extraction through digital processing and visual interpretation of satellite images. International Journal of Engineering and Geosciences 7(3):264-271. https://doi.org/10.26833/ijeg.977032

Khlifi, S., Ameur, M., Mtimet, N., Ghazouani, N. and Belhadj, N. 2010. Impacts of small hill dams on agricultural development of hilly land in the Jendouba region of northwestern Tunisia. Agricultural Water Management 97(1):50-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2009.08.010

Kosamu, I.B.M., Makwinja, R., Kaonga, C.C., Mengistou, S., Kaunda, E., Alamirew, T. and Njaya, F. 2022. Application of DPSIR and Tobit models in assessing freshwater ecosystems: The Case of Lake Malombe, Malawi. Water (Switzerland) 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/w14040619

Krisnayanti, D.S., Pasoa, M.S. and Cornelis, R. 2023. Meteorological drought analysis using the standardized precipitation index method in Kupang - East Nusa Tenggara. Jurnal Sumber Daya Air 19(1):1-12 (in Indonesian). https://doi.org/10.32679/jsda.v19i1.793

Lucas-Borja, M.E., Piton, G., Yu, Y., Castillo, C. and Zema, D.A. 2021. Check dams worldwide: Objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects. Catena 204(May 2020):105390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105390

Maulana, E., Sartohadi, J. and Setiawan, M.A. 2023. Soil conservation at the gully plot scale in the tropical volcanic landscape of Sumbing. AIM Environmental Science 10: 832-846. https://doi.org/10.3934/environsci.2023045

Maulana, E., Wulan, T.R., Wahyunungsih, D.S., Ibrahim, F., Putra, A.S. and Putra, M.D. 2017. Geoecology identification using Landsat 8 for spatial planning in north Sulawesi Coastal. Indonesian Journal of Geography 49(2):212-217. https://doi.org/10.22146/ijg.13189

Messakh, J.J. and Punuf, D.A. 2020. Study on the accessibility of water sources to meet the water needs of rural communities in semi-arid regions of Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 426(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/426/1/012043

Moges, M.M., Abay, D. and Engidayehu, H. 2018. Investigating small reservoir sedimentation and its implications to watershed sediment yield: The case of two small dams in data-scarce upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Lakes and Small Reservoirs: Research and Management 23(3):217-229. https://doi.org/10.1111/lre.12234

Muhamya, H., Ocan, J. and Adyanga, A.F. 2024. Water service delivery issues and challenges for the urban poor zones in southwestern Uganda. International Journal of Advanced Research 7(1):83-92. https://doi.org/10.37284/ijar.7.1.1800

Naiga, R. 2018. Conditions for successful community-based water management: Perspectives from rural Uganda. International Journal of Rural Management 14(2):110-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973005218793245

Neufeld, D.G., Muli, J., Muendo, B. and Kanyari, J. 2021. Assessment of water presence and use at sand dams in Kenya. Journal of Arid Environments 188(October 2020):104472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104472

Ngebe, S., Malunda, K.B. and du Plessis, A. 2022. Utility of geospatial techniques in estimating dam water levels: insights from the Katrivier Dam. Water SA 48(2):151-160. https://doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2022.v48.i2.3890

Njiru, F.M. and Siriba, D.N. 2018. Site Selection for an Earth Dam in Mbeere. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection 8(7):113-133. https://doi.org/10.4236/gep.2018.67009

Noori, A.M., Pradhan, B. and Ajaj, Q.M. 2019. Dam site suitability assessment at the Greater Zab River in northern Iraq using remote sensing data and GIS. Journal of Hydrology 574(May):964-979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.05.001

Ntona, M.M., Busico, G., Mastrocicco, M. and Kazakis, N. 2023. Coupling SWAT and DPSIR models for groundwater management in Mediterranean catchments. Journal of Environmental Management 344(June). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118543

Obubu, J.P., Odong, R., Alamerew, T., Fetahi, T. and Mengistou, S. 2022. Application of DPSIR model to identify the drivers and impacts of land use and land cover changes and climate change on land, water, and livelihoods in the L. Kyoga basin: implications for sustainable management. Environmental Systems Research 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-022-00254-8

Qinlin, X., Chao, T., Yanjun, W., Xiuqing, L. and Liming, X. 2020. Measurement and comparison of urban haze governance level and efficiency based on the DPSIR model: A case study of 31 cities in North China. Journal of Resources and Ecology 11(6):549-561. https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2020.06.002

Roque, A., Wutich, A., Quimby, B., Porter, S., Zheng, M., Hossain, M.J. and Brewis, A. 2022. Participatory approaches in water research: A review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1577

Royana, I. 2020. Design of solar energy technology to overcome drought in border areas: Case Study in Sulamu Village, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Jurnal Dialog Penanggulangan Bencana 11(2):123-137.

Saadi, Y. 2013. Post-construction problems of "embung" in Lombok Island and the operation and maintenance works. Procedia Engineering 54:648-660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2013.03.059

Senzanje, A., Boelee, E. and Rusere, S. 2008. Multiple use of water and water productivity of communal small dams in the Limpopo Basin, Zimbabwe. Irrigation and Drainage Systems 22(3-4):225-237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-008-9053-7

Slimane, A.A., Raclot, D., Evrard, O., Sanaa, M., Lefevre, I. and Le Bissonnais, Y. 2016. Relative contribution of rill/interrill and gully/channel erosion to small reservoir siltation in Mediterranean environments. Land Degradation and Development 27(3):785-797. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2387

Tessema, Y.M., Zimale, F.A. and Kebedew, M.G. 2024. Understanding sedimentation trends to enhance sustainable small reservoir management in the Angereb small reservoir, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Frontiers in Water 6(April). https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1387915

Tonitto, C. and Riha, S.J. 2016. Planning and implementing small dam removals: lessons learned from dam removals across the eastern United States. Sustainable Water Resources Management 2(4):489-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-016-0062-7

Wajid, A., Usman, A., Khan, M.K. and Chaudhry, A.A. 2013. Socio-economic impact of small dams on local vicinity?: a case study of Aza Khel Dam Peshawar. Far East Journal of Phycology and Business 12(3):50-63. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35738.49601

Wang, Y., Tian, Y. and Cao, Y. 2021. Dam siting: A review. Water 2021, 13(15):2080. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13152080

Winton, R.S., Calamita, E. and Wehrli, B. 2019. Reviews and syntheses: Dams, water quality and tropical small reservoir stratification. Biogeosciences 16(8):1657-1671. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1657-2019

Wisser, D., Frolking, S., Douglas, E.M., Fekete, B.M., Schumann, A.H. and Vörösmarty, C.J. 2010. The significance of local water resources captured in small small reservoirs for crop production - A global-scale analysis. Journal of Hydrology Volume 384, Issues 3-4, 30 April 2010, Pages 264-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.07.032

Zhao, M., Wei, J., Han, Y., Shi, J. and Wang, S. 2024. Water resource security evaluation and barrier analysis in Henan Province utilizing the DPSIR framework. Frontiers in Environmental Science 12(January):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1354175

Downloads

Submitted

11-11-2024

Accepted

22-12-2024

Published

01-01-2025

How to Cite

Punuf, D. A., Sartohadi, J., & Setiawan, M. A. (2025). Community-based management of small reservoirs in an erosion-landslide-drought area in the dry tropical region of Kupang Regency . Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management, 12(2), 7337–7351. https://doi.org/10.15243/jdmlm.2025.122.7337

Issue

Section

Research Article