Afghanistan Visual Watershed Assessment

Kabul, 2006

This training was prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) team of Sarah Librea-USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (Development Resources Specialist), Jon Fripp (Civil Engineer), Chris Hoag (Wetland Plant Ecologist), and Dan Robinett (Rangeland Management Specialist) -USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Fripp, Hoag, Robinett were the primary authors of this material. The U.S. AID provided funding support for the USDA team.

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Watershed Assessment

Then

Management and Rehabilitation

To select appropriate management and rehabilitation, the technical experts need to gather enough

information to be able to:

• Understand the current condition of the watershed

• Understand how the site relates to the watershed

• Understand how the site should function

• Understand how it is functioning today

• Understand what caused the site to be in the condition that it is today

• Identify suitable goals and objectives

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• We need to use the right management practices and the right rehabilitation techniques in the correct locations.

• We need to know what sort of management strategies work best in what parts of the watershed.

• We need to be able to select appropriate rehabilitation treatments when management alone is not sufficient.

To accomplish this, we need to:

• Be able to assess the condition of the watershed.

• Understand how the parts of a watershed should behave naturally.

• Understand what suitable goals are for each watershed.

• Understand the sort of management practices and rehabilitation treatments that may be appropriate

AndWe need to realize that any management practices or rehabilitation treatment has to be acceptable to those who use the land

The technical experts need to be able to:

•Determine where the site is in the watershed.

•Determine if the zone goals are being met.

•Assess if they can be met and how they relate to the goals and objectives.

How much vegetative cover is on the site?

What sort of vegetative cover is on the site and is it suitable?

Is there erosion on the site and if so, how bad is it?

Is there deposition on the site?

What is the possible cause?

Technical experts need to understand the advantages and

disadvantages of different management strategies

and rehabilitation treatments

•Keep the soil where it is and encourage infiltration

•Keep the soil from being blown away by the wind•Keep too much sediment from being deposited•Manage and use

•Let the water and sediment flow through•Protect and strengthen the banks

Collection Zone

Transport Zone

Deposition Zone

Different techniques match different management strategies

•Vegetative planting •Grazing Management•Terraces/hillside ditches•Check dams

•Wind breaks•Wetland Restoration•Agriculture Management

•Riparian Buffers•Stream Crossings•Soil Bioengineering•Riprap stone•Deflectors

What are the risks associated with:•The problem•The goal•The project

The solution should match the problem

The smallest project that will achieve the goal is best

When will vegetative planting be sufficient and when do you need to install terraces, hillside ditches or a check dam?

Afghan Visual Assessment Form

• We created a form to help you ask questions during your assessment.

• The form will help you describe what you saw.

• The form will help you record what you see.

• The form will provide a record of what you saw so that you can design a plan.

• There is a separate form for each watershed zone plus a general collection form and a recommendation form.

• This is the first form to fill out.

• This is the general overview information form that describes where you are and what you see.

• Describe the reason you are there.

• Describe the reason for the conditions that you observe.

• List your goals and objectives.

Overview of Site

• This is the form for the collection zone

• Record what you see in the collection zone

• Describe the landuse

• Describe the land conditions that you see

• Describe the erosion you see and where it is (on the slope, in the gullies, or from the terraces)

• Describe the condition of the vegetation

• Grazing capacity

• Grazing use

Collection Zone

Transport Zone• This is the form for the

transport zone.

• Record what you see in the transport zone.

• Describe the stream condition.

• Describe the condition of the banks that you see.

• Describe the streambed and the cross section shape.

• Describe the condition of the riparian zone.

Deposition Zone• This is the form for the

deposition zone.

• Record what you see in the deposition zone.

• Describe the landuse.

• Describe the condition of the land that you see.

• Describe any wetlands that you see.

• Describe any windbreaks you see.

• Describe the vegetation that you see (crops, pasture, trees, shrubs, and cover crops).

• This is the form to put everything together on.

• Record what management changes you recommend.

• List the possible rehabilitation treatments that you recommend.

• Describe and draw your recommended treatments.

• Answer the questions about goals and objectives, and how your recommendations will affect the problems that you observed in each zone.

Watershed Recommendations

Your Task• Select a group leader• Review the site, identify problems (vegetation, erosion, not

enough water, bad water quality)• Interview the village leader• Find his goals• Is the goal: specific, reasonable, and achievable?• Does the goal address the problem?• Rephrase the goal if necessary• Assess the watershed with the goals in mind• Recommend management practices• Collect data and recommend treatment practices• Your group should draw the plan on some paper• Will your proposal solve the problems?• Be prepared to present your discussions, goals,

measurements and recommendations

We will practice in the Qarga Hills so you can do this analysis in the future.

The End