Liman irrigation system

A Liman (from Greek λιμήν) in Israel is the name for an artificial earthen construction used to collect floodwater by damming a desert wadi.

[1] Limans were built in order to fight desertification without depleting groundwater resources, which are becoming increasingly rare in arid ecosystems.

[3] The aim of building limans is to stop flash floods and to increase water infiltration, thus sustaining the growth of drought-hardy tree species and vegetation underneath them.

Limans are structures with small dams which catch runoff from a wadi to hold about 400-600mm of water, which suffices for the growth of drought-hardy tree species.

[5] Overall, any drought-hardy species are suitable, such as tamarind, acacia, prosopis, pistachio, eucalyptus, date palm and carob[citation needed].