The 3R approach is advocated by SASOL Foundation in partnership with MetaMeta, which “provides research and consultancy services in water governance, and offers specialised communication products geared to the international resource management & development sectors.”
3R involves
Recharge is about optimizing the infiltration of rainfall and runoff water thus improving groundwater recharge and soil moisture replenishment.
Retention keeps water in the area and slows down the outflow. It helps to make groundwater easily available. Likewise many small reservoirs act as storage that retain runoff and make it available for reuse.
Reuse makes the water recharged and retained available as drinking water, for productive use or to provide ecologic services. Reuse entails also recycling water multiple times.
Some of the technologies used to achieve this include:
- Terracing and bunding
- Pitting
- Contour ploughing
- Vegetation cover
- Vetiver strips
- Organic Matter in soil
- Mulching
- Deep trenches
- Recharge ponds and pits
- Vetiver Recharge System
For more information on 3R, please visit http://www.bebuffered.com