Guidelines

Improving Spate Irrigation
Spate irrigation is an ancient form of water management, involving the diversion of flashy spate
floods running off from mountainous catchments, using simple deflectors of bunds constructed
from sand, stones and brushwood on the beds of normally dry wadis. Flood flows, usually
flowing for only a few hours with appreciable discharges, and with recession flows lasting for
only one to a few days, are channelled through short steep canals to bunded basins, which are
flooded to depths of 0.5 m or more. Subsistence crops, often sorghum, are planted only after
irrigation has occurred. Crops are grown from one or more irrigations using residual moisture
stored in the deep alluvial soils formed from the sediments deposited from previous irrigations.
Spate systems “grow” their own soils, and rely on nutrients transported with sediments from
upstream catchments to maintain fertility.

Community Spate Irrigation Guidelines where prepared by HR Wallingford and MetaMeta under support by DFID's Knowledge And Reseatch Program (2001-2004). Read the full report >>> (pdf) An updated version of the guidelines are being prepared with the help of Maher Salman (FAO) and Abraham Mehari Haile (Spate Network/ IHE/ MetaMeta).

Proceedings of the Subregional Expert Consultation on Wadi Development for Agriculture in the Natural Yemen 6-10 December, 1987 Aden, PDR Yemen

Summary Report Conclusions and Recommendations >>> (pdf)

Country Papers

Wadi development for agriculture in PDR Yemen >>> (pdf)
A.A. Girgira,. M. S. Maktari, H.A. Sattar, M. F. Mohammed, H. H.Abbas and H. M. Shoubihi

Wadi development for agriculture in Yemen Arab Republic >>> (pdf)
Tihama Development Authority

Technical Background Papers: PDR Yemen

Historic review of spate irrigation and its effect on agricultural development >>> (pdf)
Asmahan Saeed Al-Garoo

Diversion structures and flood protection works in the PDRY >>> (pdf)
Habib Hasan Abbas

Traditional irrigation structures in Wadi Beihan >>> (pdf)
Jameel Sallam

Principles of water management in wadis >>> (pdf)
L. Mucha and M.Fara

Crop production under spate irrigation in coastal areas of PDRY >>> (pdf)
Ab.S Mu'Allem

Statistical analysis of flood hydrographs of Wadi Beihan >>> (pdf)
R. T.Baban and A. L. Gaish

Technical Background Papers: International

Traditional spate irrigation and wadi development schemes >>> (pdf)
R. F. Camacho

Certain aspects and problems of wadi development >>> (pdf)
E. L. Scheitz

Aspects of spate irrigation in PDR Yemen >>> (pdf)
K. Macdonald

Sediment control in wadi irrigation systems >>> (pdf)
P. Lawrence

A low cost approach for wadi flow diversion >>> (pdf)
G. L. Silva and M. L. Makin

Diversion structures and protection works >>> (pdf)
J. Oosterman

Flood protection works and low cost diversion structures >>> (pdf)
Van Aarst

Design procedures for gabion and mattress structures >>> (pdf)
L. Cesario and A. Gilli

Design of diversion structures and bank protection for three Tihama wadis >>> (pdf)
P. H. von Lany and R. M. G. Hewett

Operational considerations in the development of a spate irrigation system >>> (pdf)
E. P. Sephton and B. J. Allum

Groundwater development in the Tihama Coastal Plain >>> (pdf)
G. V. Smith and Y. A. Al-Mooji

Country Statements

Spate irrigation in Algeria >>> (pdf)
Abdelyagin Bencheikh Al-Husaiu and Mustafa Yettou

Spate irrigation in Egypt >>> (pdf)
Ahmed Taher A. Moustafa, Ahmed Awad El-Meligy and Mohamed Ahmed Allam

Spate irrigation in Morocco >>> (pdf)
Lahoen Zaqhloel

Spate irrigation in Pakistan >>> (pdf)
Amir Nawaz Khan

Spate irrigation in Somalia >>> (pdf)
Ahmed Hag Nurand Hasson Abdi Mah

The River Gash Irrigation Scheme, Eastern Sudan >>> (pdf)
Hamid MahmoudHamid and Malla Munhul Malla

Spate irrigation in Tunisia >>> (pdf)
Khaled Ghalleb

Appendix 1: Agenda >>> (pdf)

ppendix 2: List of Participants >>> (pdf)