Comparison of Water Harvesting Methods in Lozenge-Shaped Micro Catchments

In order to introduce the most suitable method to reduce evaporation from soil surface and increase soil moisture،، lozenge shaped micro catchments under different treatments were analysed in a sloppy hill side. The main aim of these micro catchments is to collect and pass the surface water toward the end of the micro catchments and infiltrate water into soil. This not only increases soil moisture at micro catchments، but also has considerable effects on the aquifer water level and reduction of soil erosion and sediment production. In this research six treatments and three replications were considered. Daily rainfall، runoff، evapotranspiration and the soil moisture in each catchment in 30 and 50 cm depths were regularly measured over a three-year period. The ground surface of micro catchments was covered by gardening plastic to produce more runoff and، in turn، increase the performance of the proposed method.. The results showed that the best treatment to reduce evaporation form soil (water retention) in the depth of 30 cm is Treatment b (i. e. plastic coverage and gravel cover) whereas in the depth of 50 cm Treatments b and d (the characteristics of Treatment b + filter) are considered as the best ones.. The increase of soil moisture retention for three continuous years and general condition at the depth of 30 cm were 4. 41%، 2. 40%، 2. 62% and 2. 62%، respectively. These figures for depth of 50 cm were 1. 68%، 1. 20%، 1. 84% and 1. 21% with a 95 percent probability.