Why sanddam.org?

Sanddam.org is an initiative to combine the results and experiences of all projects on sand storage dams to give an overview on all aspects of sand storage dams. The contents of the website partly originate from the manual "A practical guide to sand dam implementation as an adaptation of water supply to climate change". This manual is written by the Rain foundation, Acacia Water, Sasol Foundation, AFD (Action For Development) and EHRA (Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association), based on the experiences from southern Ethiopia and Kitui District in Kenya.

In 2005, the Acacia Institute (now Acacia Water) and SASOL (Sahelian Solutions) foundation started the ‘Recharge Techniques and Water Conservation in East Africa – Upscaling and Dissemination of the good practices with the Kitui sand storage dams’ project. The project is funded by Aqua for All (A4A), a Dutch NGO, and the VU University Amsterdam (VUA). These studies resulted in information on (geo)hydrological functioning, identifying the key factors in successfully building sand storage dams. Also, a methodology on identifying potentially suitable catchments using GIS data is set up. The project aims at using these experiences in Kitui District for successful upscaling of sand storage dams in other parts of Kenya and in other countries.

Other studies on the topic of sand storage dams are for example:
* TU Delft, paying attention to the geohydrological functioning of sand storage dams and their technical design.
* Sasol has published a handbook on the construction and operation of sand storage dams in Kitui District, Kenya.
* The Institute of Environmental Sciences (IVM) have conducted several socio-economic studies on the subject of sand storage dams.
* Nissen-Petersen has published several practical handbooks on sand storage dams covering all aspects on survey, design, constructions and cost of water projects.
* Acacia Water and Rain foundation have done a pilot project in southern Ethiopia in 2007, introducing sand storage dams.

How to use sanddam.org?

Sanddam.org discusses all the aspects to do with sand storage dams. This includes the physical and socio-economic aspects, the benefits of sand storage dams as well as all the phases (suitability study, design, water demand vs yield, building) involved in introducing sand storage dams into an area. Also, attention has been paid to the management and maintenance of sand storage dams.

Sanddam.org aims at reaching several audiences, such as NGO's wanting to adopt the technique, experts wanting to share knowledge and discuss techniques and any other interested party.

The contents of the website are open for improvement. Experts are most welcome to help improve the information content. This can be done very easily by creating an account and posting comments underneath the concerning page.

The references contain reports which are available for download. Relevant documents can be suggested for upload by sending the document to merel.hoogmoed@acaciawater.com.

All are invited to use the contents of the website provided the source is acknowledged. However, it should be noted that the authors can not be held responsible in any way for any problems which might occur due to using the information on this website. Also, it is strongly recommended that, when wanting to build sand storage dams, experts are consulted.