ABSTRACT
The natural low flow of a catchment area is a valuable resource in semi-arid and arid lands. Large scale implementation of physical Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) structures can modify the hydrological processes of a catchment by changing the partitioning of the incoming rainfall on the land surface, both in positive and negative ways. The literature lacks studies which investigate the low flow response to SWC interventions and quantify the hydrological impacts at a larger scale. A combination of statistical test, Indicators of Hydrological Alteration and catchment and model-to-model comparison approach was applied to understand the impact of SWC on low flows. Low flows are the actual flow in a river during the prolonged dry period or during periods without rainfall. The literature showed limited studies to quantify the impacts at larger scale or catchment level. The chapter investigates low flow responses to integrated catchment management interventions in Geba catchment of Upper Tekeze headwaters using a paired catchment comparison approach.
