Analysis of Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Elbahi Micro-Dam Catchment, Near Jigjiga Town, Ethiopia Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Construction of micro dams to harvest the available surface water resources of dry land area is inevitable. Elbahi micro-dam is located near to Jigjiga town in Ethiopia Somali Regional state; it was constructed from 1986-1993 with multi-purpose dam to serve the community as a source of water supply for irrigation, domestic and livestock consumptions, and to protecting Jigjiga town from flood problems. Elbahi-micro dam watershed has bi-modal rainfall distribution. The larger amount of mean monthly precipitation of Elbahi-micro dam watershed received during the main rainy season which extends from March to May while the second rainy season when lesser amount of mean monthly precipitation received extends from July to September. The mean annual precipitation in Elbahi micro dam watershed is estimated as 550.1mm. The major soil classes in the Elbahi micro-dam watershed are; Dystric nitisols (48%), Vertic cambisols (50%) and chromic luvisols (2%), which affect soil degradation differently. land use land cover of the study area shows the presence of five class's; shrub land (1.87%), grassland (19.60%), bare land (1.33%), cultivated land (76.7%) and urban land (0.5%). range of slope; in the area has 4 scale ranges; 0-5 %-upper part of the watershed which shews gentle and flat slope, 6-10%, 11-20% and 21-30% in the lower part of the watershed to the left side (chena-ksen) of the catchment. This implies that the Elbaih-micro dam is prone to sedimentation, loss of the reservoir capacity, and the sustainability is under question.