Adam Ibrahim Mohamed - Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
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Authors
Elizabeth Dunn
Issue Date
2016-03
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Agriculture , Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Adam Ibrahim Mohamed is a farmer in Zum Zum village, North Darfur. He is now benefiting from a dam that was constructed with help from Practical Action. Before the dam, Adam struggled to grow crops because of the lack of water. He is 52 and married with 9 children (2 girls and 7 boys.) Adam has seen conflict and war tear his community apart and have disastrous effects on the environment. Today, the village is surrounded by desert, where trees had once stood. The war has forced women, men and children from their homes, and they have had no other choice but to cut down trees to use for firewood, just so they can cook food for their families. Trees help preserve the water cycle by returning water vapour back into the atmosphere. Without trees, there is less rainfall and land becomes barren, which impacts on farmers' ability to grow crops. Year after year, Adam would watch his crops fail, simply because there was no water. He earned a small income which was just enough to send his children to school. However, everything changed for Adam when Practical Action helped to build a dam for his community - water stored by it can now reach hundreds of hectares and everyone is now able to farm their land. “The dam was constructed in my farm, on 40 hectares of land. It was very hard before the dam. We all gathered as a community and we had our own water harvesting technique [terraces]. Water only reached 10 hectares before the dam.” “Last year, when Practical Action came, they said they wanted to construct the dam. They consulted us. There have been big changes after the dam was constructed. Water can reach hundreds of hectares.” “Since 1940, Amrumba village had not had water and now they do. Thanks to God for that. Wherever water reaches, crops are grown. Thanks to God, after construction there is peace inside ourselves.” “As families, we have responsibilities. Feeding our families, sending our children to school. Our life has improved and our children will continue to get an education... I have 3 sons in university in Khartoum and my daughter is now going. They are studying economics, English literature and social studies.”