Optimizing Road Development for Groundwater Recharge and Retention

The research project 'Optimizing Road Development for Groundwater Recharge and Retention' investigates how the fast growing road development programs in Sub-Saharan Africa can become 'inclusive' by securing, and where possible improving, the groundwater sources of the poor.

Roads have a major but little researched impact on hydrology and local groundwater availability. The aim of the project is to optimize the planning and design of roads in rural areas for the recharge and retention of groundwater, thus contributing to secure and equitable use of shallow groundwater. This should contribute to better water buffering in view of climate variability (and changes therein) and lead to poverty reduction and socio-economic development (groundwater is important to agricultural production/irrigation as well as for drinking water supply). The volume of road building in Africa is enormous and combining road building in rural areas with managed groundwater recharge can have a major impact on secure shallow groundwater supply at no or low additional cost. The research will take place in rural Ethiopia.

The specific research questions concern both social and technical issues: (1) how do on-going road programs impact groundwater recharge and retention; (2) how does the current process of road design affect multi-functionality, equity and targeted poverty alleviation (3) what technical improvements can be incorporated in road design that will help to optimize the impact with respect to local groundwater recharge and retention and (4) how can the process of road development and design be modified so as to be inclusive.
The research will try to identify opportunities to augment the availability of shallow groundwater; these could include for instance: (1) taking on-board local women's and men's perspectives/ experiences of roads and their impacts on groundwater (2) carefully planning road alignments, affecting the speed of surface run-off as well at the routing of run-off towards specific infiltration/recharge areas (3) planning cross drainage to impede and direct run-off to recharge zones and on the downstream side of the road prevent gullying; (4) rethinking road foundation/compaction so as not to interfere with the base-flow to shallow wells; (5) considering the use of the concentrated runoff from the road surfaces to recharge and retention areas, including small recharge ponds and (6) carefully constructing road crossings through low causeways or Irish bridges in dry river beds so that they retain groundwater upstream of the road crossing and increase bank infiltration, serving as proxy sand dams; (7) systematically using excavation ponds as recharge ponds and (8) spring capture where roads are made in deep cut. Optimized designs can particularly improve the availability of very shallow groundwater within the suction depth of low cost pumps (less than 7-10 meter). More secure water availability here makes it possible to support local productive and consumptive uses by small farmers.

The project is expected to result in recommendations on improved inclusive road development planning procedures (incl. community engagement) - set within the Ethiopian political and institutional context - and suggestions for innovative designs which can be included in existing manuals on Road Design. The research plan in summary is: (a) literature review and scoping studies with the main stakeholders including the communities living in the vicinity of the roads; (b) field research in six location along two road stretches; (c) systematic interaction with the implementing organizations through workshops, reviews and joint presentations throughout the project and (d) dissemination of results.

The project is implemented by MetaMeta Research having the overall lead and will look into groundwater management & engineering; Institute of Development Studies into social science & inclusive processes and Mekelle University at hydrogeology & field research.

The potential impact and value for money of the research under 'Optimizing Road Development for Groundwater Recharge and Retention' research project is high, as the roads can be used to recharge groundwater and retain high groundwater tables; hence no separate infrastructural investments are required to replenish groundwater. The now often erratic negative effects of road building on local groundwater availability and local livelihoods may be turned around from a problem to a main benefit. Cost of water-related damage, a major budget factor, is likely to be reduced as well.

At academic level the research will contribute to (1) discussion on the multi-functionality of roads and the importance of inclusive planning processes, particularly related to the effect on groundwater availability and (2) better understanding of the varied physical impacts of road design on groundwater recharge and retention.

Prime beneficiaries will be poor smallholder farmers of the roadside communities, currently faced with negative effects and lost positive opportunities for safeguarding groundwater recharge. Together with local government representatives, they will be involved in the research and may benefit from modification and innovation to the systems. Benefits include improved irrigation possibilities and agricultural production, but also secure drinking water supply, gender and health benefits. It is expected that several findings can be relatively rapidly up-scaled in road building programs and so the direct beneficiaries will extend to other communities along newly developed roads at least in Ethiopia, but in future programs in other African countries as well.

The second target group are the professionals/decision makers expected to make use of the new knowledge from the research: those that are very much responsible for water management and road building - in particular those responsible planning and funding road construction (Ethiopian Roads Authority), design of roads (Transport Construction Design Share Company), road contractors (such as COWI and Saba) and water management institutions (Ministry of Water and Regional Water Bureaus in Tigray and Oromya). Several of these are confirmed partners in the research (letters by Ministry of Water and Energy, Tigray Construction Road and Transport Bureau, Tigray Bureau of Water Resources, Oromya Water Mine and Energy Bureau) and will share data, take part in project meetings and review the outcomes. In joint stakeholders meetings, the aim is also to bridge the gap between these communities of practice.

By working with implementing partners in Tigray and Oromyia region as well at Federal Level we expect that it is not unrealistic to come to plans that would make at least 30% of the newly constructed roads water and poverty/gender sensitive in the coming five years. The project is expected to result in recommendations on improved inclusive road development planning procedures (incl. community engagement) - set within the Ethiopian political and institutional context - and suggestions for innovative designs which can be included in existing manuals on Road Design.

In the research program a number of activities are specifically undertaken to achieve impact
- Working with local communities and local (woreda and kebelle) governments
- Working with relevant partner organizations and stakeholders in Ethiopia
- Producing specific implementable outputs
- Production of academic papers as well as broader dissemination activities.