Rainwater harvesting to recharge local aquifers in Honduras

Abstract

The initiative of the project was born with the problem of water in the peri-urban area of the city of Tegucigalpa, which is in the upper part of the Choluteca River basin where communities are supplied with small springs, coming mostly from fractured volcanic rocks of low-medium flow. In addition, the urban growth of the city of Tegucigalpa is increasingly reaching the highest parts for both urbanization and agriculture, facing processes of land degradation in the recharge areas. Changing climate impacts with more extensive droughts and more intense rains make these springs increasingly impacted in their recharge. The proposal intends to promote infiltration with galleries, prior to restoration processes with resilient trees with pivoting roots that in the long term can increase the infiltration. Infiltration galleries are an option that can be used in the following rainy season. The peri-urban community of La Bodega in the municipality of Santa Ana, south of the city of Tegucigalpa, was chosen, this community of 390 families has a system of springs that are used jointly for water supply. Four systems of infiltration galleries were built in conjunction with the community and the Junta de Agua, and the flow of the springs, rainfall and temperatures in the area are still monitored. The community of the winery is monitored by several actors to disseminate and train in water and adaptation to climate change topics as a pilot relation between community and academy