The Qarano is a river of the Nile basin. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien in northern Ethiopia, it flows eastward to empty in the Giba and Tekezé River. [citation needed]

Qarano
The Qarano River at Mitslal Afras
Qarano River is located in Ethiopia
Qarano River
Qarano River in Dogu’a Tembien
Location
CountryEthiopia
RegionTigray Region
District (woreda)Dogu’a Tembien
Physical characteristics
SourceAddilal
 • elevation2,246 m (7,369 ft)
MouthGiba River
 • location
May Qarano in Emni Ankelalu municipality
 • coordinates
13°36′34″N 39°23′10″E / 13.6094°N 39.3861°E / 13.6094; 39.3861
 • elevation
1,753 m (5,751 ft)
Length15.2 km (9.4 mi)
Width 
 • average7 m (23 ft)
Basin features
River systemSeasonal river
LandmarksTufa dam at outlet
WaterfallsNear outlet
TopographyUndulating, with minor cliffs
The river in the radial drainage network of Dogu’a Tembien

Characteristics

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The Qarano is a confined ephemeral river, locally meandering in its narrow alluvial plain, with an average slope gradient of 45 metres per kilometre. With its tributaries, the river has cut a deep gorge.[1]

Flash floods and flood buffering

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Qarano valley

Runoff mostly occurs in the form of high runoff discharge events that occur in a very short period (called flash floods). These are related to the steep topography, often little vegetation cover and intense convective rainfall. The peaks of such flash floods have often a 50 to 100 times larger discharge than the preceding baseflow.[1] The magnitude of floods in this river has however been decreased due to interventions in the catchment.

At Addilal and on other steep slopes, exclosures have been established; the dense vegetation largely contributes to enhanced infiltration, less flooding and better baseflow.[2] Physical conservation structures such as stone bunds[3][4] and check dams intercept runoff.[5][6]

Boulders and pebbles in the river bed

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Boulders and pebbles encountered in the Qarano river bed can originate from any location higher up in the catchment, and are either made of Antalo Limestone[7] or freshwater tufa[8]

Natural boundary

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During its course, this river passes through three municipalities and constitutes different borders.[9] On the various parts:

Trekking along the river

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Trekking routes have been established across and along this river.[10] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[11]

  • Trek 23, along the upper part of the river

In the rainy season, flash floods may occur and it is advised not to follow the river bed. [12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Amanuel Zenebe, and colleagues (2019). The Giba, Tanqwa and Tsaliet rivers in the headwaters of the Tekezze basin. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_14. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  2. ^ Descheemaeker, K. and colleagues (2006). "Runoff on slopes with restoring vegetation: A case study from the Tigray highlands, Ethiopia". Journal of Hydrology. 331 (1–2): 219–241. doi:10.1016/j.still.2006.07.011. hdl:1854/LU-378900.
  3. ^ Nyssen, Jan; Poesen, Jean; Gebremichael, Desta; Vancampenhout, Karen; d'Aes, Margo; Yihdego, Gebremedhin; Govers, Gerard; Leirs, Herwig; Moeyersons, Jan; Naudts, Jozef; Haregeweyn, Nigussie; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, Jozef (2007). "Interdisciplinary on-site evaluation of stone bunds to control soil erosion on cropland in Northern Ethiopia". Soil and Tillage Research. 94 (1): 151–163. doi:10.1016/j.still.2006.07.011. hdl:1854/LU-378900.
  4. ^ Gebeyehu Taye and colleagues (2015). "Evolution of the effectiveness of stone bunds and trenches in reducing runoff and soil loss in the semi-arid Ethiopian highlands". Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie. 59 (4): 477–493. Bibcode:2015ZGm....59..477T. doi:10.1127/zfg/2015/0166.
  5. ^ Nyssen, J.; Veyret-Picot, M.; Poesen, J.; Moeyersons, J.; Haile, Mitiku; Deckers, J.; Govers, G. (2004). "The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia". Soil Use and Management. 20: 55–64. doi:10.1111/j.1475-2743.2004.tb00337.x.
  6. ^ Etefa Guyassa and colleagues (2017). "Effects of check dams on runoff characteristics along gully reaches, the case of Northern Ethiopia". Journal of Hydrology. 545 (1): 299–309. Bibcode:2017JHyd..545..299G. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.12.019. hdl:1854/LU-8518957.
  7. ^ Sembroni, A.; Molin, P.; Dramis, F. (2019). Regional geology of the Dogu'a Tembien massif. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains — The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  8. ^ Moeyersons, J. and colleagues (2006). "Age and backfill/overfill stratigraphy of two tufa dams, Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia: Evidence for Late Pleistocene and Holocene wet conditions". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 230 (1–2): 162–178. Bibcode:2006PPP...230..165M. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.07.013.
  9. ^ Jacob, M. and colleagues (2019). Geo-trekking map of Dogu'a Tembien (1:50,000). In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  10. ^ Description of trekking routes in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. GeoGuide. SpringerNature. 2019. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID 199294303.
  11. ^ "Public GPS Traces tagged with nyssen-jacob-frankl".
  12. ^ Nyssen, Jan (2019). "Logistics for the Trekker in a Rural Mountain District of Northern Ethiopia". Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains. GeoGuide. Springer-Nature. pp. 537–556. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_37. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.