6.3 Recommended practices for spring management along roads

PHOTO 6.4

Road surface damage caused by seep created by a road opening, Mugu, Nepal

Source: © MetaMeta (www.roadsforwater.com). Used with the permission of MetaMeta (www.roadsforwater.com). Further permission required for reuse.

TABLE 6.3 Recommended practices for spring management along roads

SPRING TYPE

Spring with concentrated discharge

DESCRIPTION OF USE

Not used

Used for agriculture

Used for domestic water supply Used for domestic water supply and storage

Spring or seep with diffuse discharge Not used

Used for agriculture

Source: MetaMeta (www.roadsforwater.com). SPRING MANAGEMENT

Retaining wall with weep holes or with longitudinal drain to collect excess water and traverse drains (French mattresses) underneath the road

Retaining wall with longitudinal drain to collect excess water and traverse drains (French mattresses) underneath the road

Spring box (capture) and conveyance to benefit community, or tap fitted onto protected spring Spring box (capture) and conveyance to benefit community; include possibility of spring closure (tap) to store water inside the mountain aquifer (especially in karst areas) Develop road drainage in up-road section to collect seepage and convey to safe place

Use gravel section in road to convey water to agricultural land

By controlling the outflow of springs, water can be better retained in the area. equipping the orifice of a spring with a gated outlet and even a tap makes it possible, in some cases (especially karst springs or fracture springs), to store spring water in the mountain aquifer and prolong its availability.

Bioengineering Bioengineering encompasses a range of vegetative measures to stabilize slopes along mountain roads. Vetiver is commonly used for this purpose. Because of its