«Agriculture in Tafila»: Water Traps are Feasible Solutions to Combat Drought
Amman2 min read
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The Director of Agriculture in Tafila Governorate, Engineer Bilal Al-Hlul, said that the directorate, through the Forestry and Pastures Department, has started implementing the construction of water traps in a number of random sites within the forest areas in the governorate.
Al-Hlul explained that water traps are pits, ditches, and earthen and stone barriers designed in specific shapes and sizes around tree falls and surface runoff channels, with the aim of slowing down the movement of rainwater, retaining it, and directing it directly to the roots instead of being lost through evaporation or runoff. He added that these traps act as a low-cost water harvesting system that increases the soil's ability to retain moisture for as long as possible, making it an effective agricultural tool for reducing environmental degradation and replenishing groundwater.
He pointed out that the main objective of this field intervention is to study the response of forest trees to modern water harvesting operations and to evaluate the efficiency and quality of these water traps in collecting rainwater and directly benefiting from it to support plant wealth and protect the environment. He noted that this experiment primarily seeks to monitor the direct impact of water harvesting on improving the water status of the soil and enabling forest trees to benefit from collected rainwater during rainy seasons.
He pointed out that this approach helps significantly in revitalizing the growth and vitality of trees and supporting their natural ability to self-renew, thereby preserving the forest vegetation cover and reducing the consequences of drought, water scarcity, and the decline in rainfall that the governorate has witnessed in recent years. He confirmed that specialized technical cadres and teams are responsible for implementing and monitoring this experiment in four strategic and main forest sites, including the forest at the entrance to the governorate, the Baranis Forest, the Aabal Forest, and the Aima Forest. He explained that the evaluation of the efficiency of these traps and the periodic monitoring of their results will determine the success of the experiment and the possibility of expanding its application and dissemination in the future in other sites and forest areas, ensuring the reinforcement of the strategy for forest sustainability, protection, and enhancement of their environmental efficiency in the face of harsh climatic conditions and water scarcity.
