The AB AQUA integrated irrigation module

Roberto Natali - July 20, 2023

* L’immagine di copertina di questo progetto è stata presa dal sito Aljazeera, consultabile al seguente link: www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/12/27/photos-climate-crisis-threatens-centuries-old-oases-in-morocco

Introduction

It is easy to understand how the availability of fresh water in inhabited arid areas takes on a value of essentiality under various profiles. Certainly the precious liquid constitutes an indispensable element for drinking and sanitary use, without which it is difficult to imagine a developed human settlement. But it also appears evident the extreme usefulness of being able to have water in terms of irrigation of fields, both to guarantee adequate agricultural production for the food needs of the local community, and for the possibility of raising livestock which, through sale, can generate a significant income. Ultimately, it is a question of creating or expanding a green area around the settlement or village, creating, thanks to water, a fundamental prerequisite for a new and advanced model of life.

In some communities in disadvantaged areas of the world, the need for clean water available with relative ease can really make a substantial difference, not only for the increased possibilities of individual wealth and of the resident nucleus, but also in terms of improving the quality of life, with particular attention to that of women and girls, often traditionally and daily responsible for procuring water, which is found (and not always clean) several kilometers away from the village.

Complex situations require complex solutions and the AB AQUA Center for Hydrostrategic Studies, on the basis of the analysis of difficult situations from the point of view of the lack of water, mostly found in African countries, has developed a composite and integrated module, applicable and replicable in various small communities.

Description

The AB AQUA integrated module is not complex and this makes it easy to create and apply for the uses described. The costs are also relatively low, especially when compared to the enormous benefits that can be derived from the availability of clean water and the use that can be made of it in terms of economic development and social life in villages located in arid areas. Although partly linked to modern technologies, the AB AQUA integrated irrigation module is conceptually very simple: the elements that are part of it consist, in essence, of a well, four channels, four collection tanks, four photovoltaic modules and four mobile sprinklers.

Fig. 1: Disegno schematico del Modulo di irrigazione integrata AB AQUA

The central element is obviously the well. It can be artesian or phreatic and must be located as close as possible to the center of the village. This is not new in Europe, where even today it is possible to find water sources, even artistic ones, in the center of small villages and which constituted the essential point of collection and watering of herds when water distribution in private homes did not yet exist. Also in the model in question, the well can be connected to a collection tank for public and private use by the villagers.

Another essential element is the construction of four channels oriented in the cardinal directions, each about 1 km long, capable of bringing water to the outskirts of the village, ensuring a balanced distribution in the surrounding lands. The dimensions of these channels, in particular width and depth, must obviously be calculated on the basis of various parameters, including the flow of available water and the evaporation coefficient, related to the average temperatures of the place. The canals, moreover, can be covered to contain evaporation and, as shown by various models already applied, they can use a cover made of solar panels. At the end of the four canals there are water collection tanks of sufficient capacity. They can be used to water animals but, above all, they serve as a water storage for irrigating the surrounding fields. To this end, the other essential element of the AB AQUA module concerns a system of hydraulic pumps connected to the collection tanks and to irrigation devices on wheels. The energy source for the operation of the pumping and irrigation device is provided by solar energy, captured through a series of photovoltaic panels which, as mentioned, can be installed along the canals or near the collection tanks themselves. Each of the four irrigation systems covers a quarter of the surface area around the village and connects with the other mobile sprinklers, with the result of producing fertile and irrigated land around the entire village, good for grazing and agricultural production. On the other hand, water diffusers can also be installed along the path of the four channels, starting from the end of the inhabited area, to maximize the irrigated surface.

The AB AQUA Module is certainly capable of generating a sort of small revolution in the lifestyle habits of the inhabitants of small villages. But it is undoubtedly a strong advancement in quality for the well-being of the entire community.

Fig. 2: Esempio di canale da utilizzare nel “Modello Integrato AB AQUA”
https://www.gffattori.it/prefabbricati-irrigazione/canali-irrigazione.html

Fig. 3: Schema per la realizzazione di un sistema di pompe idrauliche ad energia solare
https://www.fornituremaltese.com/sistemi-pompaggio-energia-solare/

Layered planting

As is known, the combination of water and sun has the magical power to promote the luxuriant growth of plant species of all types. The described AB AQUA Module is in fact based on these two elements alone. But it should be specified that if the sun remains an inexhaustible source of energy for the moment, water, even if extracted from the subsoil, is not infinite, especially where rainfall is rare and underground pockets are not replenished with the necessary frequency. It follows that it must be used with relative parsimony. Beyond further possible targeted irrigation practices, aimed at saving water and using only what is strictly necessary (e.g. hydroponic or “drop by drop” irrigation), the AB AQUA model also includes the so-called layered planting. This formula is typical of oases in desert areas that can take advantage of veins of water and small streams that flow at the bottom of narrow valleys.

Visiting an oasis is rewarding and illustrates how mankind has managed to adapt even in objectively difficult conditions. Oases, formed thanks to veins of water that flowed spontaneously on the surface or artificial wells, have allowed human life through cultivation for the subsistence of the small populations that settled there, but also of the nomads who for centuries crossed the deserts with commercial caravans. Water cannot be wasted and cultivation in oases cannot be random, but is organized in layers. Therefore, as in oases, the AB AQUA Integrated Irrigation Module also provides for the planting of various species depending on their size and relative need for sun or shade, according to a studied association. Tall trees, planted first, allow for shading of the underlying ground, which can accommodate fruit trees. The lowest part is reserved for vegetables. Of course, the sprinklers on wheels provide fodder for the animals, which is produced on a large surface.

Fig. 4: Oasi con campi coltivati
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sierragoddess/14838240975

Social balance

Although, in principle, the AB AQUA Integrated Irrigation Module normally and understandably meets with broad support from the communities to which it is applied, there is a non-secondary aspect to take care of, consisting of the guaranteed support of the local administration. This is not only due to the obvious administrative authorizations, but also due to the prior, necessary achievement of full agreement from the community, also in terms of redistribution of water and its benefits to those who are excluded from the range of action of the irrigation system. The extension of the distribution channels together with the capacity of the wheeled sprinklers provided by the AB AQUA Module, in fact, can guarantee a distribution of water up to one kilometer beyond the collection tanks, covering a considerable surface area. But it is clear that beyond this limit the owners of small excluded plots of land will not look favorably on the entire system, unless there are fair compensations.

Conclusions

The proposal of AB AQUA, aimed at the development of small villages in arid areas through the application of its integrated irrigation module, is an example of how to ensure a better quality of life in difficult areas, offering the availability of the essential and precious blue gold. Certainly, for its implementation, technical instruments and targeted knowledge are necessary. Obviously, there are large systems in the world to guarantee the availability of water, such as artificial basins, diversions of water courses, etc. The AB AQUA integrated irrigation module is actually optimal for small villages and, importantly, does not require processes that are contrary to respect for the environment and, indeed, uses only two natural resources, water and sun, to promote the numerous activities that the availability of water allows to develop.

The other strong point of the module is its replicability. Villages in need of clean water, the possibility of grazing and agricultural production are located in many regions of the world and the now consolidated and ascertained climate change does nothing but multiply the situations of communities in water emergencies. Moreover, the international community's goal of providing solutions to increase the resilience of populations to said climate change is certainly consistent with the work carried out by the AB AQUA Hydrostrategic Studies Center and its Integrated Irrigation Module.

For further inquiries regarding the strategy to be pursued, the costs and the feasibility of the project, AB AQUA is available upon request via our emails:

roberto.natali758@gmail.com

fv.abaqua@gmail.com