Experimental Validation of a Linearized Kinematic Wave Equation for Micro-Catchment Water Harvesting Design

A series of laboratory experiments was carried out on a sandy loam soil, for testing the predictive ability of a linearized analytical solution of the kinematic wave equation used for runoff estimation in micro-catchment water harvesting design. The experimental set-up comprised an inclined flume containing the soil sample and a rainfall simulator. The flume represented the Contributing Area (CA) of a micro-catchment. By applying various rainfall intensities, the runoff from the flume was recorded for a variety of conditions, including the initial soil water content and the slope of the flume. Comparison between experimental and predicted runoff hydrographs showed satisfactory agreement.