LOCAL APPLICATION OF THE TECHNIQUE UNDERGROUND CATCHMENT TUNNELS Khettara

LOCAL APPLICATION OF THE TECHNIQUE

TKWB

Technique: UNDERGROUND CATCHMENT TUNNELS - Khettara Local name: KHETTARA Site: Tafilalet, MOROCCO LOCATION Continent: Africa Country: Morocco Site: Tafilalet region Coordinates: 31.43 -4.34 DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCAL VARIANT OF THE TECHNIQUE The Tafilalet is a historical region located in the southeast of Morocco and since 1997 makes up part of the region Meknès-Tafilalet. The region of Tafilalet is primarily a rocky plain where two rivers, the Ziz and Rheris, can be found. The Ziz valley (oued Ziz) extends on a plateau (or Hemada) south of the Atlas Mountains. At the gates of the desert, the area presents a Saharan climate. Most of the khettara are located on the right bank of the Rheris oued between Fezna and Hannabou at an altitude of 800-850 meters. To the west, this area is bordered by a mountainous area called Jbel Ougnate and to the east by a desert area called Marjha.  The khettara draw from the groundwater of the Quaternary Period. Groundwater recharge is accelerated by the river Rheris and lower courses of its chain of Anti Atlas tributaries to the north. Only 24 khettara are productive while 45 khettara are dry, particularly in northern part of the region (in Fezna and El Jorf). It can be assumed that irrigation pumping has accelerated the process of abandonment. Khettara production is concentrated mostly in the sourthern part of the area (Monkara, Krair, Bouya and Hannabou). Each khettara has a name and is owned by the ksar for which it flows. At each ksar, one or more khettara are present and they are managed and maintained by the family of the ksar.  The khettara are not simple adductive channels of water from a specific origin, or underground wells at the place of use, but they drain, during their linear development, the permeable layers soaked in the water of the inferior flow, and they produce open water. The water circulation is accomplished by using gravity from the beginning of the khettara, through the village, and up to the crops, by exploiting the slight slopes of the land toward the center of the depression. The slope of the khettara tunnel must be sufficient to allow the water flow but kept to a minimum to limit the erosive action that causes the lowering of the clogging of the underground path. Through the centuries, the technique of khettara has allowed for the sedimentation of a rich and complex habitat system. The underground tunnels are detectable on the surface by digging wells and ventilation.   PROSPETTIVE DI SOPRAVVIVENZA Technique in danger of disappearance. IMAGES TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE DATA Technique UNDERGROUND CATCHMENT TUNNELS - Khettara Icon Cathegory C - Water management Identification code C13b   Other applications of the technique RELATED TECHNIQUES A8 MAZE-LIKE TRAPS C13b UNDERGROUND CATCHMENT TUNNELS Author: IPOGEA www.ipogea.org Reference: Bibliography: AA.VV. Qanat Bibliography. The First International Conference on Qanat, in Perse et Anglais, Yazd, Iran, 2000 Goblot, H., Les Qanats, une technique d'acquisition de l'eau, Mouton, Paris, 1979 DeepeningDownload PDF