The Horizontal Covered Well (Draining Gallery) Technique as a Model for Sustainable Water Use

Abstract

Among the techniques for capturing nearby groundwater, the covered horizontal well (draining gallery) stands out in its different types of water mine, qanat, and cimbre. The water collected by these means is used to supply people and livestock, in irrigation, in the movement of hydraulic devices, etc. Because they are carried to the surface by gravity (without the need for energy) and because only the recharging of the groundwater table that takes place after the rains are captured, they serve as models for sustainable water use. The measured flow is variable depending on the rainfall and infiltration, but the quality of the water makes it its own water resources of great interest at the local level. The study area is the territory of the Southeast of Spain (more than 22,000 km2), with a rich hydraulic heritage. The research is a regional analysis (diachronic and compared) of several socio-hydric systems, with extensive fieldwork.