A subsurface dyke is a structure that is built in an aquifer with the intention of obstructing the natural flow of ground water, thereby raising the ground water level and increasing the amount of water stored in the

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteri ...

. Acting as an underground barrier

impermeable Permeability, permeable, and semipermeable may refer to: Chemistry *Semipermeable membrane, a membrane which will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by diffusion *Vascular permeability, the movement of fluids and molecules betwe ...

to water, it controls the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidat ...

flow in an

and raises the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. Th ...

Introduction

Although the total amount of water on Earth is generally assumed to have remained virtually constant, the rapid growth in population, together with the extension of irrigated agriculture and industrial development, are putting stress on the quality and quantity aspects of natural system. Several institutions have experimented with the use of subsurface dykes to conserve water in water-scarce areas. The ideal location for a dyke is a well defined, wide, greatly sloping valley with a narrow outlet having limited thickness of loose soil or porous rock on the top with massive or impervious rock below. A subsurface dyke has many advantages. It does not require additional surface reservoir, there is no loss of agricultural land, there is minimum evaporation loss since the storage is subsurface, there is no siltation and loss of reservoir capacity, the cost of maintenance is negligible, and it is relatively environment-friendly. One such example was a recent sub-surface dyke constructed in India. For more information about this project, see

Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur is a front-line agricultural extension center and one of the 700 KVKs financed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It opened on 30 March 2004 on the premises of Pepper Research Station, Panniyur ...

Other water harvesting technologies

Other

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...

technologies include stone pitched contour bunds, dry rubble check dams, protection of seasonal spring by afforestation, moisture conservation pits, sprinkler and drip irrigation and roof water harvesting system.

References

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External links

Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kannur

Kerala Agricultural University
Water conservation Aquifers Hydrology Water supply