__NOTOC__ <small{{Language-title box|english_link= Water Portal />Rainwater Harvesting / Groundwater recharge / Sand dam | french_link= Coming soon | spanish_link= Coming soon | hindi_link= वाटर पोर्टल / वर्षाजल संचयन / भूजल पुनर्भरण / रेत बांध - सैंडडैम | malayalam_link= Coming soon | tamil_link= Coming soon | korean_link= Coming soon | chinese_link=沙坝 | indonesian_link= Bendungan pasir | japanese_link= Coming soon }}
[[Image:94px-Icon_sanddam.png|right|80px]]
[[Image:Sand dam.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Sand dam construction in Kitui, Kenya. Photo: M. Hoogmoed.]]
'''Sand dams ''' are a simple, low cost and low maintenance, replicable rainwater harvesting technology. They provide a clean, local water supply for domestic and farming use and are suited to semi-arid areas of the world.
Regions with highly erratic rainfall often have rivers with temporary seasonal sandy bed streams. They only experience heavy water run-off for short periods of time after rain. During such periods of high flows, large quantities of sand are transported downstream. Some sand can get trapped on the upstream sides of rock outcroppings along the stream. The sand traps form natural water storing aquifers. Sand dam technology provides a means to reproduce this water collecting mechanism and to increase the size of existing aquifers.
===Suitable conditions ===
[[Image:Sand dam flood.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Sand dam during flooding. Photo: [http://www.rainfoundation.org/index.php?id=151 RAIN Foundation.]]]
Sand dams can be constructed and used for household, community and even municipal uses. There are examples of sand dams which are connected via infiltration galleries, off-take wells and pump stations into municipal piped water systems.
<br>
===Resilience to changes in the environment===
====Drought====
The following project utilize sand dams.
<br>
{|style="border: 2px solid #e0e0e0; width: 4060%; text-align: justify; background-color: #e9f5fd;" cellpadding="2"
<!--rsr logo here-->
|- style="vertical-align: top"
|[[Image:project 393.jpg|thumb|center|140px|<font size="2"><center>[http://rsr.akvo.org/project/393/ RSR Project 393]<br>Dawa Eresa Subsurface and Sand Dam project</center></font>|link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/393/ ]]
|[[Image:project 404.jpg|thumb|center|140px|<font size="2"><center>[http://rsr.akvo.org/project/404/ RSR Project 404]<br>Feasibility Study for Rainwater Harvesting</center></font>|link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/404/ ]]
|[[Image:project 674.png|thumb|center|140px|<font size="2"><center>[http://rsr.akvo.org/project/674/ RSR Project 674]<br>Wateroogst: <br > Konso Woreda/Eshimale</center></font>|link=http://rsr.akvo.org/project/674/ ]]
|}
<br>
<br>
===Manuals, videos and links===
* MANUAL: [http://www.rainfoundationsamsamwater.orgcom/fileadmin/PublicSite/Manualslibrary/Sand_dam_manual_FINAL.pdf A practical guide to sand dam implementation]. Rainwater Harvesting Implementation Network (RAIN).
* MANUAL: [http://www.samsamwater.com/library/Manual_on_SAND_DAMS_in_Ethiopia.pdf Manual on sand dams in Ethiopia]: A practical approach on sand dam site selection, design and construction. A tool for combining sand dams with other rainwater harvesting structures. ERHA (Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association) and RAIN Foundation.
* MANUAL: [http://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/before-the-deluge-coping-with-floods-in-a-changing-climate-3987 Before the Deluge: Coping with Floods in a Changing Climate]. How to adapt to floods caused by climate change. International Rivers Network.
* MANUAL: [http://practicalaction.org/docs/technical_information_service/sand_dams.pdf Sand Dams: Feasible Rainwater Harvesting Technology for Arid and Semi-arid Lands]. Practical action.
* DOC: [httpshttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwescoordwescoord.or.ke%2Fdocuments%2FSandDams%2FFAQsonSandDams/documents/SandDams/FAQsonSandDams.doc&ei=VEWNUcXjMJCK9gSY_oCQCQ&usg=AFQjCNFxQR3BMwTlMMAkH77Q9-Vgyyj55A&sig2=ipWV5PXKshcFesepNeOdcw&bvm=bv.46340616,d.eWU FAQs on Sand Dams]. Provided by Excellent/ASDF with input from Dabane Trust.
====Videos====
====Links====
* [http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/home Excellent: Pioneers of San Sand Dams].* [http://wwwacaciawateruk.sanddamstandaardsite.org www.sanddam.org nl/pg-29143-7- All information on sand dams]* [http://acaciawater.com/site/pages89562/engpagina/homewelcome.php html ACACIA Water]. The strength of Acacia Water is the specialization in the field of groundwater, while at the same time being able to place issues in a broader perspective and to link up with other fields of action. As a result we often work in a multidisciplinary environment with a broad variety of expertise.
* [http://www.iah.org/recharge IAH]. IAH-MAR is a forum for information on the work within the international groundwater community on the management and enhancement of aquifer recharge, a vital tool in the sustainable management of the world's underground water resources.