Drought has lead to land degradation and hardship in various places. Even when it rains, water runs on the compacted surface carrying nutrients with it.
Luckily, abandoned stones can be arranged in lines across the contour so as to slow down and spread the flow of water and used as a water harvesting system. The stone lines help restore barren lands and re-establishes vegetation.
Preparing stone lines
Lay contours using simple water tube level and then dig foundation trenches along the contours where large stones are placed first then followed by smaller ones.
A contour stone line which 25 to 30cm in height. This acts as a semi permeable structure along the contours to slow down run- off water and allowing deposition of rich sediments behind the barrier. This enables less erosion and more water for crops.
In cases where stones are less, grass is planted as it helps improve effectiveness of the barrier.
Advantages
Stone lines are simple, cheap to construct and require little to no maintenance. They are also the foundation upon which other conservations and production elements are built.
Transformation is remarkable over time as stone lines act as water harvesting system and they restore barren lands hence re-establishing vegetation.
