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> A team of hydrologists, engineers, and social scientists is hoping to strengthen the water security of Lima and other Peruvian cities through analysis of a 1,
by vanderZwan 7y ago
> A team of hydrologists, engineers, and social scientists is hoping to strengthen the water security of Lima and other Peruvian cities through analysis of a 1,400-year-old nature-based system developed by pre-Inca mountain communities. The technique uses a canal system that diverts water from streams to small ponds or spreads it over rocky hillslopes that act as natural sponges. This slows the flow of water down the mountains, preserving it into the dry season.
Isn't that exactly what swales in permaculture practices intend to do as well? Did the permaculture community copy this from indigenous techniques perhaps?
> Like most modern cities, Lima relies on gray infrastructure like reservoirs and dams for water diversion and storage. Gray infrastructure alone, however, has its drawbacks. It is often expensive and challenging to implement. It also has a static threshold, unable to adapt to shifting environmental conditions.
> Natural (green) infrastructure can be much more dynamic and cost-effective than gray infrastructure. Green infrastructure is a broad category that can include planting native grasses to prevent erosion and maintaining wetland health to hold and filter water. Crucially, communities can use it in addition to the dams and reservoirs already in place, amplifying their effectiveness and providing a buffer when their threshold is exceeded.
This reminds me of a few articles I've seen in the last years about a German city that is trying to be better at coping with lots of rainfall by installing lots of green areas specifically designed to hold a lot of water, while at the same time reducing the heat island effect.
- agumonkey 7y agoI'm gonna say this century will about revisiting our 'mastering of nature'. we have the means and the need.
- cmrdporcupine 7y agoKeyline design predates Permaculture One. It was introduced by P A Yeomans as a means of dryland farming in Australia. It's a somewhat similar concept to the Inca system described here. Basically trenches are run horizontally with a very slight slope from a 'keypoint' where water enters a topography. This slowly distributes water throughout the land, producing fertile and moist regions between the lines. This in turn is predated by decades of contour plowing, and thousands of years of terrace farming.
- ptah 7y agoIn the permaculture training i took he was extensively credited whenever his ideas were discussed by lecturer
- rapnie 7y agoIn a lot of Dutch towns and cities new neighborhoods are designed to have a system of Wadi's [0] where rooftop rainwater is directed to instead of to the sewer system. These are usually dry, but fill up when it rains. They provide attractive green spaces between the buildings and road network where plants, flowers and other fauna can thrive. Other cities, like Apeldoorn, are providing subsidies to decouple the rainwater drain from the sewer to let the water infiltrate in your own garden instead. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi
- technothrasher 7y agowhere plants, flowers and other fauna can thrive. Calling plants and flowers "fauna" makes me think of Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors. Not sure a bunch of man eating plants between the buildings would be optimal civil engineering.
- ptah 7y agoyes, this is extensively taught in permaculture. it is based on pa yeoman's keyline design. not sure why this article thinks it's new