Streams
"Ribeiras" (streams) run through all the islands, however none of these are fed by perennial sources. These streams come from the rain, which erodes the relief and returns the water to the sea. Some of them flow into valleys in which silt has been deposited, which gave rise to the best agricultural land, particularly on the islands of Santiago (Principal, Flamengos, Santa Cruz), Santo Antão (Grande, Torre, Paúl) and S. Nicolau (Ribeira Brava). As well as enabling agriculture, the streams also play an important role in making inland areas and the sea accessible, often extending for many kilometres of flat mineral sediment, which is almost always dry, thus functioning as roads.
Following independence, Cape Verde developed a vast construction program of small dams to the torrent of rain in the slope of the streams, as a way of securing rainwater, with interesting results. In 2006 a medium-size dam was completed in Ribeira de Poilão (in S. Lourenço dos Órgãos, Island of Santiago), for agricultural use, with a storage capacity of 671,000m³, and the construction of others has been announced, in Santiago and in Santo Antão.
"Ribeiras" (streams) run through all the islands, however none of these are fed by perennial sources. These streams come from the rain, which erodes the relief and returns the water to the sea. Some of them flow into valleys in which silt has been deposited, which gave rise to the best agricultural land, particularly on the islands of Santiago (Principal, Flamengos, Santa Cruz), Santo Antão (Grande, Torre, Paúl) and S. Nicolau (Ribeira Brava). As well as enabling agriculture, the streams also play an important role in making inland areas and the sea accessible, often extending for many kilometres of flat mineral sediment, which is almost always dry, thus functioning as roads.
Following independence, Cape Verde developed a vast construction program of small dams to the torrent of rain in the slope of the streams, as a way of securing rainwater, with interesting results. In 2006 a medium-size dam was completed in Ribeira de Poilão (in S. Lourenço dos Órgãos, Island of Santiago), for agricultural use, with a storage capacity of 671,000m³, and the construction of others has been announced, in Santiago and in Santo Antão.
