Inventory and characterization of the Meskat system as runoff harvesting practice in Tunisian Sahel

Since antiquity, the Meskat system was adopted practice to sustain olive tree cultivation in the Tunisian Sahel region. This technique was based on the runoff harvesting from catchment area to irrigate downstream plots planted with olive trees as blocks. This paper aims to study the spatial distribution and characterization of Meskat system. A set of maps and satellite data were used and integrated into a geographic information system to perform the inventory of the Meskat system used in Sousse region. The sizing of this system was based on the estimation of the ratio between a catchment area (impluvium) and the cropped area of each entity, called “K ratio”. The results showed that Meskat system is implemented in five watersheds in Sousse region; especially Wadi Hamdoun watershed is the most fitted. Meskats are installed, mostly, on soils characterized by medium to fine textures, poorly suitable for infiltration. The K ratios vary from 0.04 to 6.62 with 0.76 as average. For all Meskat system 87% had K ratio less than 1.5 which is the ideal ratio for optimum olive production, indicating that the system seems to be undersized.