Cauvery Calling — FAQs — Part 4
My previous posts about Cauvery Calling are here:
(11) Why are we talking about saving the rivers when there are floods everywhere in India?
One common misunderstanding is that because a river has flood, it does not need revitalisation. One needs to understand the scientific basis for rivers overflowing with flood waters. When there is rainfall, if there is enough blockade for that water, it would flow slowly. Because there is no blockade for that rain water, it flows fast as a flood.
All floods, whether fluvial (when rivers burst their banks) or pluvial (when rainfall overwhelms drainage systems before it reaches rivers), are caused because the rain cannot soak into the soil fast enough. Instead, it runs rapidly over the surface of the land.
The effects of trees on the soil are much more significant. Fallen tree leaves build up a deeper, humus-rich soil, which is criss-crossed by thick surface roots that intercept the overland flow of rain water. Meanwhile, sub-surface roots penetrate deep into the soil, drying it out and increasing its permeability. These mechanisms are well-established, and point to trees as a possible solution to flooding.
Forests can retain excess rainwater, prevent extreme run-offs and reduce the damage from flooding. By releasing water in the dry season, forests can also help provide clean water and mitigate the effects of droughts.
This report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) provides an overview of the water-retention potential of forests.
https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/forests-can-help-prevent-floods
The report shows that water retention potential tends to increase along with the extent of forest cover in a water basin. Compared to basins with a forest cover of 10%, total water retention is 25% and 50% higher in water basins where the forest cover is more than 30% and 70%, respectively.
(12) Is there any part of amount going to the government and if so, how much?
No part of this amount being raised for #CauveryCalling is going to the government. In fact, Government is going to contribute a certain amount towards the subsidies for farmers who are moving to AgroForestry for the initial 3 to 4 years.
(13) Will farmers all leave rice & wheat and get into AgroForestry?
As part of Cauvery Calling campaign, farmers are being asked to move towards AgroForestry in a maximum of 1/3rd of their farmland. No farmer is being asked or move away from farming of their crops like rice or wheat.
(14) Is it validated that AgroForestry can revive water levels?
Yes, this is a proven system across the world. In countries like Israel, it has been taken to the next level in fact.
Agroforestry can improve crop productivity in several ways: increasing soil organic matter, infiltration and water storage; improving soil physical properties and biological activity; and enhancing nutrient supplies through nitrogen fixation and reduced leaching and soil erosion.
Among plants, trees are by far the most effective evapo-transpirers. Complementing oceans, trees form the other half of the planet-wide system known as the rain or water cycle. A typical tree breathes out 250 to 400 or more gallons of water per day through the amazingly large surface area of its leaves (an acre of forest can contain well over 1,000 acres of leaf surface area).
It’s almost impossible to overstate trees’ ability to humidify air and thereby maintain the rain cycle far from oceans. While some rainfall evaporates directly from the ground and from small plants (this can amount to most of a light rain), evapotranspiration by trees accounts for the great majority of inland rain.
Research has shown that some tree species grown on the upper levels of terraces of Southwest Uganda have beneficial effects on evaporation and soil water content in adjacent cropping areas.
Another role of trees on farms is in providing shade, helping to maintain soil moisture. This is proving especially important in the Great Green Wall, an initiative to revegetate a corridor extending from Senegal in the west of Africa to Djibouti in the east. Here, trees are providing shade and fertilizing the soil so that less water is lost and crops can be grown.
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