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Water Harvesting
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Surface run-off should be slowed down to allow water to sink into the ground as soon and as much as possible. This can be done using the practice of contour ploughing, and/or the establishment of contour bunds and/or swales.
Swale - Is a long, narrow ditch dug on a contour. The excavated soil is placed on the down-slope side of the ditch to create a mound. The swale has an overflow on each end. The ditch creates a place where surface run-off can collect and sink into the ground. The soil mound is covered with either mulch or plant material and sometimes trees are planted along the bottom of the swale, thus applying alley- or avenue-cropping practices.
Instead of digging a swale, a contour bund can be built using stones to achieve the same effect.
Click here to view a video that explains swales.