WATER CONSERVATION PRINCIPLES AND

PRACTICES
Water conservation
“Theconservation treatment
meant to reduce or prevent
sheet erosion while achieving
the desired moisture
conservation and/or runoff
disposal.”
 Important principles
► Increasing the time of concentration
and thereby allowing more runoff
water to be absorbed and held in the
soil profile.
► Intercepting a long slope into several
short ones, so as to maintain less than
a critical velocity for the runoff water;
and
► Protection against damage owing to
excessive runoff.
 Practices for water conservation

Engineering measures:
 Hillside ditches
 Bench terraces
 Stone walls
►Broad-based terraces
 Engineering measures
Hillside ditches

A series of
shallow ditches
built along the
contour lines of
a hill side slope
at proper
interval
 Objectives
►To break up a long slope into
several short slopes, in order to
intercept runoff water
►The ditches may also serve as farm
paths to facilitate transportation
that the operating cost may be
reduced.
 Bench terraces
►A series of level
or nearly level
platform built
along the
contours at
suitable
intervals.
 Objectives
►To intercept runoff and control
soil erosion.
►To make cropping operations
possible and safe on crop slope
land.
 Stone walls

► Using stones to construct

at a suitable spacing on
crop land along contour
lines
 OBJECTIVES
►T makes good use of rocks and stones
existing on slopes, thereby clearing the land
for cultivation.
► .to reduce soil and water losses and to trap
the soil washed down from above, thus
gradually building up bench terraces and
hillside ditches in later years.
► To minimize the gradient of a slope to
facilitate cultivation, mechanized operations
and soil conservation
 Broad based terraces
A series of shallow,
broad based
terraces
constructed on
gently sloping
land at a suitable
spacing along the
contour lines.
 Objectives
►To break the length of a slope
to control soil erosion
►To conserve soil moisture so as
to help crop growth.
Grass planting on hill side ditches

► The establishment of
specific grasses on hillside
ditches, including both
bottom and side slopes of
each ditch.
 Objectives
►To stabilize the hillside ditch and
thus reduce maintenance cost.
►To save the labor costs of weeding.
►To prevent soil erosion on the
upper side slope of the ditch and to
gradually reduce the slope as
sliding soil is trapped by the grass.
Agronomic and vegetative
measures
►Contour planting
►Grass planting on
hillside ditches
►Planting grass on risers
of terraces
►Cover crops
 ►Grass barriers
►Mulching Green manure
►windbreaks
►Weed removal
Agronomic and vegetative measures

Contour planting:

Plowing, furrowing and

planting along the contour
lines of a slope.
 Objectives
►To increase water
penetration into soil and
conserve soil moisture
►To control runoff and soil
erosion.
 Planting grass on risers.
The planting of suitable grasses on the risers
of bench terraces.

Objective.
To prevent soil erosion from the risers
and to maintain the stability of the
terraces.
 Cover crops
► Plants which are grown to
cover the surface of the
ground with dense foliage, to
control soil erosion and
improve the soil.
►To
Objectives
protect the surface of the soil from
splashing of rain drops.
►To built up soil organic matter
►To suppress weed growth and surface
management cost.
►To minimize changes in micro-climate
and in soil temperature, thereby
providing a better environment for crop
growth.
 Green manure.
►A green manure
crop is grown
specially to improve
soil and act as a
fertilizer.It is plowed
into soil while still
green,or shortly
after it matures
 Objective
To increase organic matter and
nutrients in the soil,and to
improve the physical and
chemical characteristics of
soil to increase the resistance
of soil to erosion.
 Grass barriers
► Contour
planting of
suitable
spaced strips
of grass on
slope land.
 Objectives
►To arrest runoff so as to reduce soil
and water losses and to hold soil and
prevent it from being washed downhill.
►To reduce the slope of a hillside
cultural practices and mechanical
operations.
►To gradually convert the barriers into
bench terraces
 windbreaks.
. Strips of trees or tall grasses
planted at appropriate
intervals to prevent or reduce
wind erosion and crop losses
caused by wind.
 Objective
►To control wind erosion
►To reduce physiological or
mechanical injuries to crops caused
by strong winds.
►To reduce evapotranspiration
►To reduce salt damages if the
locality is near the area.
 Objective
►To arrest runoff so as to reduce soil
and water losses and to hold soil and
prevent it from being washed downhill.
►To reduce the slope of a hillside to
facilitate cultural practices and
mechanical operations.
►To gradually convert the barriers into
bench terraces.
 Drainage
Diversion
ditches:
A ditch constructed
approximately along
the contour of a slope
for the purpose of
intercepting surface
and diverting it to a
suitable outlet.
 Objectives.
►To protect farmland and
buildings by diverting
runoff from hill slopes.
►To control gully erosion.
 Drainage ditches
Drainage channels running along a
slope, which are lined with stone,
brick, or concrete etc.
 Objectives
►To ease the flow of runoff water
and to protect the ditch from
erosion.
►To gather water flow in hillside
ditch and contour drainage
channels, and carry the flow to
a safe place to be discharged.
 Grassed water ways.
► Earth
waterways
planted with
grasses to
control soil
erosion.
 Objectives
►To provide safe outlet for runoff water.
►To prevent soil erosion and to stabilize
waterways.
►To facilitate the operations of farm
machinery.
►To maintain a stable field environment.