Project-Surface Water- Degar

Degar

Degar is a flat land with a very low slope and short earthen walls that is created to control runoff and flood cultivation. In Sistan and Baluchestan province, which is a dry and semi-arid region, the rainfall pattern causes runoff and erosion. Therefore, in this province, especially in the Chabahar region and Dashtyari village, this system is used to control runoff. Degar has a flood gate and a runoff channel. After entering from the flood gate, the runoff is spread over the plain land and some of it also infiltrates the soil, while reducing the intensity of the flood, creating land for flood farming and recharging groundwater.
 

In southern Baluchestan, it generally rains in two seasons, winter and summer. The surface of this area is covered with a thick layer of impermeable formations and the water that falls on the ground cannot penetrate it and is lost as surface flow. Also, the rainfall pattern in dry and semi-arid regions causes runoff and erosion in the area. Local people, relying on indigenous knowledge and traditional methods, have been able to build structures that can effectively control and utilize runoff. The construction of Huteg and Degar systems is one of these methods, and these systems are often located next to each other.
Degar is an earthen basin with very short walls (less than 1.5 meters high) and a large area (1 to 25 hectares) that is created to control runoff and flood cultivation in very flat and fine-grained coastal plains of Chabahar, especially in the Dashtyari district. Degar is built in fine-grained silty and clayey areas on a surface with a very slight slope. This system is distributed in Bahu Kalat, Kahrir, and Zarabad in the south of Sistan and Baluchestan province, and in the Chabahar area, in the villages of Dashtyari and Plan, Nubandan, Kahrir, and Zarabad, respectively.
Degar is often square in shape and its main components are a flat land, a short earthen wall, a flood gate, and a flood channel, which are built manually. In fact, it is made of soil and is built by skilled workers and sometimes with the help of machinery (tractors).After the Degar is filled with water, the villagers or the owners of the Degar close the inlet channel to prevent the water from returning, which is called Parband. In this system, the runoff is spread over the plain land and some of it infiltrates the soil, while reducing the intensity of the runoff, creating land for flood farming and recharging groundwater.Degar is used to cultivate cereals, forage, palm trees, vegetables, and legumes.
The common role of Degars and Hutegs can be summarized as follows:

- Utilizing an appropriate indigenous method for water extraction that is in line with sustainable development.
- Preventing water loss and soil erosion, as Degar prevents water from flowing.
- Having a positive effect on soil properties and helping to increase its fertility.
- Increasing water infiltration into the aquifer.
- Being low-cost and easy to prepare, and if developed, can create jobs for local residents.
- Degar can be implemented as a natural resources project without social and cultural problems, and can lead to greater participation and promotion of natural resources culture.