Abstract

ORTIZ GUZMAN, Margarito; ARAGON SULIK, Manuel Dino  and  MORALES DOMINGUEZ, Valentín Juventino. Ferrocement dam, a low cost option for harvesting rainfall: case study. RIHA [online]. 2012, vol.33, n.2, pp. 11-20. ISSN 1680-0338.

Mexico like other countries suffers from water shortages despite having a rainfall pattern of 500-1000 mm a year. The state of Oaxaca, located southeast of the country, has a high marginality especially in Mixteca zone and water is a primary factor of development. The National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), in agreement with San Jerónimo Silacayoapilla authorities, built an innovative ferrocement dam in an intermittent stream in order to retain rainwater. For the construction of these works, the site must comply with some specific features, the soil class being the most significant. The depth to the water table enabled groundwater recharge and water emerged three kilometers downstream where the community built two earth dikes for storage, use in greenhouses and irrigation support.

Keywords : ferrocement; small dams; development; rural community; low cost dam.

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