How does the Karez system work?
Karez are constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by sloping tunnels, which tap into subterranean water in a manner that efficiently delivers large quantities of water to the surface by gravity, without need for pumping.
What is the significance of qanat system in relation to today’s shortage of water?
Although qanat technology is ancient, it is not anachronistic. The use of qanat systems could prove crucial in mitigating the effects of the world water crisis in the dry areas where they are found. However, this potential is being squandered as qanats are falling into disuse and are being abandoned at a rapid pace.
How did a qanat work?
Qanats are constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by a gently sloping tunnel which carries a water channel. Qanats efficiently deliver large amounts of subterranean water to the surface without need for pumping.
How does the Karez help the Xinjiang desert?
The Karez Well System is an important ancient irrigation system that is still used in Turpan, Xinjiang, in Northwest China. (Karez is the Uyghur word for ‘well’, from the Persian for ‘channel’.) The tunnel system provides water for local people to drink as well as to water their crops.
How does Karez provide water agriculture?
ABSTRACT: Karez is an indigenous method of irrigation in which groundwater is tapped by a tunnel. After running for some distance the tunnel comes out in the open and the water is conducted to the command area. Karez irrigation is practised in 22 countries from China to Chile including Pakistan.
In which province the Karez system of irrigation is used?
Karez are an important traditional irrigation system used by farmers in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
What is Karez irrigation system?
Karez is an indigenous method of irrigation in which groundwater is tapped by a tunnel. After running for some distance the tunnel comes out in the open and the water is conducted to the command area. Karez irrigation is practised in 22 countries from China to Chile including Pakistan.
Why was the qanat system important?
Qanats, as an ancient invention, are still appropriate methods for supplying water in arid and semi-arid areas. They have had vital role in forming civilizations and villages, also empowering cooperation among water users through shared water management.
Why was the qanat so important?
The qanat system enabled settlements and agriculture but also inspired the creation of a desert-specific style of architecture and landscape involving not only the qanats themselves, but their associated structures, such as water reservoirs, mills, irrigation systems, and gardens.
Where is Karez used in Pakistan?
province of Balochistan
Karez irrigation is practised in 22 countries from China to Chile including Pakistan. In Pakistan it is confined to the province of Balochistan which has a tribal society. Karez is an old and stable irrigation system of Pakistan. It is a community enterprise managed by tribal tradition and run by social control.
What is karez irrigation system?
Where is karez used in Pakistan?
What happened to the qanat/Karez in Afghanistan?
Several Karezes have been destroyed in the more than 40 years of war in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion in December 1979. Farmers have begun to abandon them and have shifted to mechanised borewell systems. Kutty said the importance of the Qanat / Karez was so much that their destruction was impossible.
How to solve Afghanistan’s water crisis?
The authors say this is done through three types of water management and irrigation systems in Afghanistan: Surface water or canals, underground water or borewells and Qanat / Karez. The last system had the potential to be the answer to many problems of water in Afghanistan, the authors noted. But would it survive the second stint of the Taliban?
Why is the karez system important to Afghanistan?
And if that is not solace enough, here are some more points of the system’s importance that the paper mentions. Karez systems cover eight per cent of irrigated land in Afghanistan. They are the only source of water in the majority of rural communities in southern and southwestern regions of Afghanistan.
What is a Karez System?
Karez systems cover eight per cent of irrigated land in Afghanistan. They are the only source of water in the majority of rural communities in southern and southwestern regions of Afghanistan. They are energy efficient and green since they use the force of gravity rather than any machines running on fuel.