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Falling in love with swales

December 30, 2009

Posted by dv under Uncategorized

7 Comments

Why do I love swales? Let me count the ways:

Swales, strategically dispersed on a property will increase water security
Swales can make a property drought proof
Swales store water underground, a storage that is the lowest in cost, clean, secure, accesible
and of nearly infinite capacity.
Benefits of a medium sized swale network can radiate to fileds miles around
Swales enable effortless integration of aquaculture
Trees on swale mounds require little or no irrigation
A series of swales planted out with trees, enhance transpiration activity, which in turn increases
humidity, decreases temperature and encourages greater rainfall
Swale trenches can be used as access paths or as crop areas
Swales locations can be triggers to determine other farm facilities to be placed in mutually
beneficial relationships.
Swales unveil and blend with the natural landscape of a given property with effortless ease.
Areas between swales can be developed as ever-hydrated pastures, crop areas or orchards
Swales become ready windbreaks for crops like bananas and slender trees planted in their lee
As swale mounds discourage trespass, they develop into reserve habitats for small animals,
nesting birds and soil fauna, ever enriching the soil.
When built with well designed escape sills, swales manage floods without damage
Where wildfire risks exist, swales can mitigate them.
Swales can be effectively deployed everywhere- from backyards to multiple square mile
watersheds. What limits them are our imagination and will
Bill Mollison has toyed with the idea of a political party that promises if it came to power, a
Permaculture based revival of Australia as a sustainably productive, drought and fire proof continent.
Never mind the odds against its coming to power are formidable- we can at least marvel at the vision
in the manifesto Tamara Griffiths put together using Bills words. I quote from it:
In most countries, 80% of rainfall runs off or evaporates. Thus only 12% is available for agriculture
or domestic needs. We must legislate for the construction of thousand of miles of swales on farms, as
large contour ditches that fill in every heavy rain (>10mm/day). In 3 to 6 hours, such water soaks in,
and is immune to evaporation or run-off! This water, over years and centuries, feeds tree roots,
springs, and valley streams. Swales enable forests, and forests are both passive condensers of night
air, and active cloud generators for rainfall. If we clear the ridges, 40% of orographic rain ceases. If
we clear the plains, most condensation and clouds fail to form. Thus, swales precede forests. Forests
precede precipitation.
Havent you fallen in love yet?

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7 Responses to Falling in love with swales

kedar_til

January 5, 2010 at 1:38 pm

Dear DV,
Dont know how it may help, but in watershed developments, CCTs need to be done on entire
catchment area of watershed to get full effect. So, in your case, is it possible for you to do 1-2
swales on the west side outside of your property? The percolated water will benefit the borewell.

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gskishore

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December 31, 2009 at 9:05 pm

Dear DV, Thanks for the article. It is like a new year eves gift.
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papramod

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December 31, 2009 at 2:58 pm

Dear DV, thanks for such a insight.. I have approached Ringo to check if he can visit my farm and
help me in planning.. this is a great help and I badly needed this.

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dv

December 31, 2009 at 11:00 am

sorry, kedar
i have reset it as public, a moment ago
-dv
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kedar_til

December 31, 2009 at 10:51 am

Hello DV,
Can not see the slideshow. Getting message that This video is private. How can I see it?
Kedar
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chandrakant

December 31, 2009 at 6:32 am

Dear DV
Wishing you and the team at point return a happy and pleasant new year. On reading, how can one
not fall in love with swales? If Only a marginal farmer( if I may use that word)be educated in the
virtues of swale, that would be more effective than policy makers groping around committees to
implement. Thanx a lot for en lighting. chandrakant
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v.r.janardhanam

December 30, 2009 at 4:42 pm

Dear DV,
It is amazing how you get the strength to do such wonderful things. Obviously it is your love of
nature that is making you do all these things. I wish you all the best for the New Year and may the
swales give you all the joy that you wish for. Hats off boss
sarath
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A primer on swales