Debra Kidan
This catchment is 10km south of Hawzen which is 100 km north of Mekelle.
DCI has been working with the BoA to construct wells and groundwater recharge
structures in the area.
Population
There are 1740 people in the catchment area. The average household size
falls between 4-6. There are 520 households in the watershed out of which
236 of them are headed by men and 284 of them by women. Out of the total
population 837 are males and 903 are females.
Land use
The watershed is 901 ha., out of which 248 ha are arable, 72 ha. grazing,
67 ha., covered by trees and bushes, 89 ha., treated with plantation,
425 ha. is degraded land which was once forest. The average size of holding
is 0.69 ha. The following are among the commonly grown crops in the watershed:
Teff, Finger millet, Sorghum, Wheat, Barley, beans, maize. Among the domestic
animals that are useful in their livelihood the following are dominant
in the Tabia including the catchment area: cattle (2680), sheep and goats
(3000), donkey (1050), and mules (11).
Topography and Geology
This catchment is easily defined. It is bound to the north east and east
by a high plateau (2310 m) and to the south by large mesas made of sandstone
interbedded with limestone know as Gulsh and Tseadago. To the north there
is a low and indistinct rolling ridge. Elevation ranges from 2451 m on
the Gulsh ridge, to 2060 m at the outlet. The geology is complex the surrounding
hills are made up of reddish interbedded limestone and sandstone, but
underlying this is a yellow grey limestone. Within the project area there
are igneous intrusions: pyroclastic bombs, granites and rhyolites were
also found on the soil surface. The soils are sandy, either resulting
from erosion of sandstone or volcanic ash deposits, and are thick in the
lowland parts of the catchment.
Climate
There is a meteorological station at Hawzen that has been in operation
for 5 years. Rainfall is unimodal and erratic, averaging 479 mm/yr from
the last 5 years rainfall data. The Extention agents assess drought occurrence
happening once every 2 years although the rainfall record for the past
5 years for Hawzen does not
support this. The average temperature is 21°c.
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Year (international)
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Year (Ethiopian)
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Annual Rainfall (mm)
|
|
1999
|
1991
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508
|
|
2000
|
1992
|
502.6
|
|
2001
|
1993
|
528.6
|
|
2002
|
1994
|
358.8
|
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2003
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1995
|
502
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Hydrological features
There is evidence of river channels and gulleying which in places has
been checked. It is not until just before the exit of the catchment that
permanent surface water is found.
Rainfall June 2004-Feb 2005
Rainfall for June 2004 - Feb 2005 ranged from 230mm -415mm showing that
there was considerable variation rainfall across the catchment. Crop yields
did not seem to be affected by the lack of rain.
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