Basic Vocabulary
The main terms used in discussing traditional water harvesting include:
Bunds.--Permeable Ridges constructed from earth or stones
Catchment Area.--Area from which water is collected (see Micro-Catchment)
Contour.--Imaginary line connecting points of the same elevation in a landscape.
Infiltration.--Water percolating into the ground.
Runoff.--Water movement from rainfall downslope.
Runoff capture.--percentage of rainfall captured by runoff. Ranging from a few percentages to 50%.
Micro-catchment.--A small catchment area from a few square meters to around 1000 square meters.
Permeable.--A medium that allows water to flow through it.
Soil.-- The top part of the ground produced under the effect of vegetation.
Slope.-- The inclination of the surface of the ground measured as percent or angle. Slopes are characterized as gentle or steep.
Storage.--Accumulation of water in the ground through infiltration, in natural depressions, or in artificially created reservoirs, pools or cisterns.
Wadi bed.--floor of wadi channel.
Fig. 3.-- Water cycle showing relationship between rainfall, runoff and groundwater
