Scholarly record
REMOTE ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES USING KAREZES (QANATS) NW OFKANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
Abstract
Karezes represent a sustainable water supply since their discharge is regulated by the natural groundwater renewal in the mountains and on upslope surfaces in the valleys. Although most karezes have become inactive due to lowered groundwater levels, they can still be used together with other accessible information sources to initially and remotely interpret basin geohydrology and the groundwater resources when they were constructed (and today if still active). This is mainly done by using karezes to map the depth and slope of the groundwater table. Also, spatial and temporal changes in the water supply from karezes can indicate changing climatic and anthropogenic influences on groundwater resources. The aim of this paper is to present an approach that combines the ?karez archive? of hydrogeological information with other, assessable information sources, such as topographic and climatic databases. Endemic knowledge is stressed as an importance and practical verification of the assessment, as well as a crucial component of the applications toward sustainable water management. The basin-specific conditions interpreted are most important in regions with poor data control for modeling basin hydrology. The characterization and combination of information sources is exemplified using karezes NW of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References14
Manuel, M. Lightfoot, D., & Fattahi, M., The sustainability of ancient water control techniques in Iran: an overview. Water History, vol. 10, pp. 13-30, 2017.
Helmandi, A.H. & Karez Committee Members, Action Plan for Reviving Karezes in Afghanistan. Office of Agriculture and Development, 2017.
Semsar Yazdi, A.A., Labbaf Khaneiki, J., Veins of Desert: a review on the technique of qanat/falaj/karez. UNESCO Library, 2010.
Wessels, J., Groundwater and qanats in Syria: leadership, ownership, and abandonment. In Johnston et al. (eds), Water, Cultural Diversity, and Global Environmental Change: Emerging Trends, Sustainable Futures? UNESCO Library, 2012.
McDonald M.G. & Harbaugh, A.W., The History of MODFLOW". Ground Water, vol. 41, pp. 280–283, 2003.
McPherson, G.L., Johnson, W.C. & Liu, H., Viability of karezes (ancient water supply systems in Afghanistan) in a changing world. Applied Water Science, vol. 7, pp. 1689-1710, 2017.
Mack, T.J. & Eggleston, J., Use of historic Persian water system data in groundwater models: examples from Afghanistan and Emirates. In Maxwell, R., Hill, M., Zheng, C., and Tonkin, M. Editors, MODLFOW and More 2015, Modeling a Complex World Proceedings: Golden, Colorado, USA, 2015, pp. 403-406, 2015.
Stinson, P., “Large-Scale Mapping of the Karez Water Supply Systems of Southern Afghanistan,” ARO-Thrust One research, University of Kansas Research and Educational Support for U. S. Army Programs and Initiatives at Fort Leavenworth 5, 2013.
Hernandez Gomis, R., Stevens, R.L., Haidari, I., Laskaryee, A.H. & Mortazavi, S.A., Qanat groundwater infrastructures and sustainability in arid regions. 18th Intern. Multidisciplinary Sci. GeoConferences SGEM2017, Hydrology and Water Resources, Vienna, 3-5 Dec. 2018, pp. 399-406, 2018.
Arsic, S., Hilton, B. & Stevens, R.L., The application of GeoAI to identify qanat locations: an assessment of deep learning techniques using ArcGIS Pro. CalGIS 2020 conference, Long Beach, Calif., poster, 2020.
Milana, J.P., Characterization of alluvial bajada facies distribution using TM imagery. Sedimentology, vol. 47, pp. 741-760, 2000
Alan, P.A. & Alan, J.R. 1990: Basin Analysis, Principles & Applications. Blackwell Scientific Publ., London, 451 pp.
Favre, R. & Kamal, G.M., Watershed atlas of Afghanistan, working document for planners, parts I and II, 1st edition, Kabul, Government of Afghanistan, Ministry of Irrigation. Water Resources and Environment, 60 p., 2004.
Whitney, J.W., Geology, Water, and Wind in the lower Helmand Basin, southern Afghanistan, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Rep. 2006-5182, 2006.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
