Underground dam is the water tank of the Brazilian semi-arid region
- Art Dam
- Dec 23, 2022
- 1 min read
The underground dam is a technology for capturing and storing rainwater for food production and has been adopted by farmers in the Brazilian semi-arid region, contributing to family farming and minimizing the risks of rain-dependent agriculture. It has the function of retaining rainwater that drains over and into the ground, by means of an impermeable wall built inside the earth, blocking the descent of water through the "bedrock". The underground dam forms a temporary artificial ebb in which the land remains wet for a period of two to five months after the rainy season, allowing planting even in the dry season.
It is therefore a technology of inclusion, as it allows better living conditions for farming families, guaranteeing income and food security. The technology is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), being, in 2018, among the finalist initiatives of the ODS Brazil Award, in the category "Teaching, Research and Extension".
Click on the image below to learn more about these underground dams, through a video of about 5 minutes, showing the 3 types of dams and their conditions.
And here for some other references about it:
We thanks the reader Cecilia Damasceno for the tip on the article.
Regarding underground solutions, it is worth remembering our post about the Qanats, from August 2022 "Seville: technique from 1,000 years ago against the city's warming".
