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Modelling Small-scale Storage Interventions at the Basin Scale
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  • Robyn HORAN,
  • Pawan S Wable,
  • Veena Srinivasan,
  • Helen Elizabeth Baron,
  • Virginie Keller,
  • Kaushal K K Garg,
  • Nathan Rickards,
  • Mike Simpson,
  • Helen Houghton-Carr,
  • Gwyn Rees
Robyn HORAN
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Pawan S Wable
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
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Veena Srinivasan
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
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Helen Elizabeth Baron
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Virginie Keller
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Kaushal K K Garg
ICRISAT, ICRISAT
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Nathan Rickards
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Mike Simpson
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
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Helen Houghton-Carr
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Gwyn Rees
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford
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Abstract

Recently, there has been renewed interest in the performance and functionality of traditional small-scale storage interventions (check dams, farm bunds and tanks) used across India for the improvement of local water security. The Central Groundwater Board of India is encouraging the construction of such interventions for the alleviation of water scarcity. It is of critical importance to understand the hydrological effect of these interventions at basin scales to maximise their effectiveness. The quantification of small-scale interventions in hydrological modelling is often neglected, especially in large-scale modelling exercises. A bespoke version of the GWAVA model was developed to assess the impact of interventions on the water balance of the Cauvery Basin and two smaller sub-catchments. Model results demonstrate that farm bunds appear to have a negligible effect on the estimated average annual streamflow at the outlets of the two sub-catchments and the basin whereas tanks and check dams have a more significant effect. Interventions generally were found to increase evaporation losses across the catchment. The model adaption used in this study provides a step-change in the conceptualisation and quantification of the consequences of small-scale storage interventions in large- or basin-scale hydrological models.