Assessment of Surface Irrigation Potential of the Dhidhessa River Basin, Ethiopia

Assessing available water resources and their potential for irrigation water use is vital for sustainable agricultural development and planning. This is particularly of interest in developing countries like Ethiopia, where a small portion of largely accessible land for surface irrigation applications has been utilized, despite the majority of the population relying on agricultural productivity. This study utilized the Dhidhessa River Basin (Ethiopia) as a case study and analyzed the main challenges to balance the sustainable water resources utilization and enhance agricultural productivity of the basin. The study mainly focused on estimating the available water resources and their potential for surface irrigation water use in the basin. This was achieved by utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS)-based tools, a hydrological Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, and a Crop Water and Irrigation Requirements Program of FAO (CROPWAT) model. While the SWAT estimated the water availability in the basin, GIS-tools such as Model Builder were used to map the irrigation potential of the basin. For irrigation water potential assessment, we selected six crops (cabbage, maize, tomato, pepper, groundnut and sugarcane) and estimated their irrigation water requirements using the CROPWAT model. We developed the SWAT model for the period from 1986 to 2012 using the available hydro-meteorological and geo-spatial data. Due to many parameters used in the model, we first performed a parameter sensitivity analysis and identified the most essential/sensitivity parameters via Sequential Uncertainty Fitting-II (SUFI-2). The identified sensitive parameters were subsequently used for model calibration (1989–2000) and validation (2001–2012) procedures achieved via SUFI-2. SWAT was able to reproduce the observed monthly streamflow values with a coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient (NSE) of 0.85 and 0.87 for the calibration period and 0.91 and 0.89 for the validation period, respectively. The findings generally indicated a “good” performance of the model in simulating the hydrology. The annual available water of the basin is 9.26 billion cubic meters (BCM) whereas the 70% and 80% dependable flow is 7.56 and 6.97 BCM, respectively. Based on the Model Builder of ArcGIS, the SWAT estimated available water can potentially irrigate an area of 259,028 ha for slope less than 8%, 643,162 ha for slopes less than 15% and 1,023,581 ha for slopes less than 30%. Moreover, the irrigation water requirements were calculated by the CROPWAT model for the six selected crops indicated that although the need for irrigation water varies depending on the season, the potential irrigation area of the Dhidhessa River Basin is greater than its irrigated land. Therefore, it is concluded that the basin’s surface irrigation systems need to be expanded to enhance the agricultural productivity and improve the livelihood of the basin’s communities and similar basins elsewhere.

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Assessment of Suitable Land for Surface Irrigation in Ungauged Catchments: Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Water ◽

10.3390/w11071465 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1465 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Getenet Nigussie ◽

Mamaru A. Moges ◽

Michael M. Moges ◽

Tammo S. Steenhuis

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Swat Model ◽

Surface Irrigation ◽

Nile Basin ◽

Ungauged Catchments ◽

Blue Nile ◽

Actual Surface ◽

Available Water ◽

Blue Nile Basin

Planning and decision making for new irrigation development projects requires the systematic assessment of irrigable land together with available water resources. The data required are usually not available in developing countries, and therefore a method was developed for quantifying surface water resources and potentially irrigable land in ungauged watersheds in the Upper Blue Nile Basin using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and Multi-Criterion Decision Evaluation (MCDE). The method was tested using the Lah river basin in the Jabitenan district and then applied in the whole area, including ungauged areas. In MCDE, soil type, slope, land use, and river proximity were considered. Onion, Cabbage and Tomato were grown on the identified irrigable areas. The predicted monthly stream discharge agreed well with observed values, with Nash and Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.87 during calibration and 0.68 for validation. The SWAT model calibrated parameters from the gauged catchment were used to simulate the discharge of the ungauged catchments. The potential irrigable land was determined in Jabitenan woreda and included the Rivers like Birr, Tikurwuha, Gunagun, Leza Lah, Geray, Arara, Debolah, Guysa, and Silala, with an area of 460 km2. By evaluating gross irrigation demand of irrigable land with available flow in rivers (both observed and simulated), the actual surface irrigation potential was 47 km2. The main limitation for surface irrigation in all districts was the available water and not the land suitable for irrigation. Therefore, the study suggests that in order to irrigate a greater portion of the irrigable land, water should be stored during the monsoon rain phase for use in the last part of the dry phase.

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Assessment of the potential for irrigation development in Albert Nile basin: A case study of Nebbi district

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1274 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nicholas Kiggundu ◽

Charles Bwire ◽

Joshua Wanyama

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Drip Irrigation ◽

Sprinkler Irrigation ◽

Land Suitability ◽

Surface Irrigation ◽

Irrigation Development ◽

Available Water ◽

Irrigation Potential ◽

Water Resources Assessment ◽

Resources Assessment

There has been limited research conducted on irrigation potential in Uganda. The existing studies provide a wide number of estimates of irrigation potential for Uganda and thus constrain reliable medium term planning and investment in the subsector. This research was aimed at assessing the potential for irrigation development in Nebbi District, which cover 195,300 km2, with a view of guiding planning and strategic investment in irrigation. Irrigation potential was assessed as an aggregation of the land suitability, water requirement and the available water for irrigation for three systems (drip, sprinkler and surface). Land suitability evaluation for the three systems was determined based upon topography and soil characteristics. The FAO CROPWAT model was used to determine the water requirements for the selected crops. Water resources assessment was carried out using rainfall data and the stream flow analysis of the available water resources in the study area. For surface irrigation, no area was classified as highly suitable or moderately suitable. Only 0.03% (48.91 ha) is marginally suitable, 36% (68,445.55 ha) currently not suitable whereas 64% (121,606.33 ha) permanently not suitable. For drip irrigation, 58.7% (111,591 ha) is marginally suitable and 25.8% (49,084 ha) is moderately suitable. Furthermore, 15% (28,492 ha) and 0.5% (989 ha) are currently not suitable and permanently not suitable respectively. There was no area classified as highly suitable under drip irrigation. For sprinkler irrigation, 14.1% (26 815.8 ha) of the area is marginally suitable and 0.03% (48.1 ha) is classified as moderately suitable for sprinkler irrigation. 47.5% (90 291.4 ha) and 38.4 % (72 987.2 ha) of the area is currently not suitable and permanently not suitable respectively. The mean capability index (Ci) for surface irrigation was 36.1 (currently not suitable), 45.4 (marginally suitable) for drip irrigation while sprinkler irrigation Ci was 42.8 (marginally suitable). Crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for the selected crops (tomatoes, cabbages and onions) varied from 2.46 to 5.76 mm/day; 2.87 to 5.92 mm/day and 2.87 to 4.78 mm/day respectively. The results from water resources assessment revealed that the total catchment yield was 2.69 x 109 m3 which permits irrigation for an area of 141,817.65 ha. The results showed that drip irrigation system was more suitable for the Nebbi district.

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Attribution of Long-Term Evapotranspiration Trends in the Mekong River Basin with a Remote Sensing-Based Process Model

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13020303 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 303

Author(s):

Shi Hu ◽

Xingguo Mo

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Water Resources ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

River Basin ◽

Mekong Delta ◽

Mekong River ◽

Catchment Management ◽

Mekong River Basin ◽

Area Index ◽

Available Water

Using the Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) leaf area index (LAI), the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and available water resources in the Mekong River Basin were estimated with the Remote Sensing-Based Vegetation Interface Processes Model (VIP-RS). The relative contributions of climate variables and vegetation greening to ETa were estimated with numerical experiments. The results show that the average ETa in the entire basin increased at a rate of 1.16 mm year−2 from 1980 to 2012 (36.7% of the area met the 95% significance level). Vegetation greening contributed 54.1% of the annual ETa trend, slightly higher than that of climate change. The contributions of air temperature, precipitation and the LAI were positive, whereas contributions of solar radiation and vapor pressure were negative. The effects of water supply and energy availability were equivalent on the variation of ETa throughout most of the basin, except the upper reach and downstream Mekong Delta. In the upper reach, climate warming played a critical role in the ETa variability, while the warming effect was offset by reduced solar radiation in the Mekong Delta (an energy-limited region). For the entire basin, the available water resources showed an increasing trend due to intensified precipitation; however, in downstream areas, additional pressure on available water resources is exerted due to cropland expansion with enhanced agricultural water consumption. The results provide scientific basis for practices of integrated catchment management and water resources allocation.

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Efisiensi Penyaluran Air Irigasi BKA Kn 16 Lam Raya Daerah Irigasi Krueng Aceh

Rona Teknik Pertanian ◽

10.17969/rtp.v8i1.2684 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 19-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Andriani Asarah Bancin ◽

Dewi Sri Jayanti ◽

T. Ferijal

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Loss ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Water Delivery ◽

Surface Irrigation ◽

Secondary Channel ◽

Irrigation Network ◽

Irrigation Area ◽

Average Water ◽

Delivery Efficiency

Abstrak. Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) Krueng Aceh memiliki jaringan irigasi permukaan teknis untuk mengairi 7.450 ha lahan sawah di Kabupaten Aceh Besar. Peningkatan tekanan pada sumber daya air yang tersedia untuk irigasi dan kebutuhan lainnya, terutama selama musim kemarau, membutuhkan jaringan irigasi yang memiliki efisiensi yang tinggi untuk menyalirkan air irigasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efisiensi penyaluran dan jumlah kehilangan air di saluran sekunder dan tersier dari jaringan irigasi pilihan yaitu Jaringan Lam Raya.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa efisiensi penyaluran rata-rata untuk BKA Kn 16 Lam Raya adalah 52,47%. Rata-rata kehilangan air dan efesiensi penyaluran air di saluran sekunder berturut-turut adalah 0.048 m3/dtk dan 81,11%. Kehilangan tersebut disebabkan oleh penguapan 2,73 x 10-7 m3/dtk, rembesan 0,00212 m3/dtk dan faktor lainnya 0,04548 m3/dtk. Kehilangan air rata-rata di saluran tersier adalah 0.01 m3/dtk yang merupakan kehilangan akibat adanya penguapan 5,046 x 10-8 m3/dtk, rembesan 0,00033m3/dtk dan faktor lainnya 0,00994 m3/dtk. Hal tersebut menyebabkan efisiensi penyaluran air di saluran tersier sekitar 71,88%. Namun, kinerja jaringan irigasi masih dikategorikan baik karena memiliki efisiensi penyaluran air yang lebih besar dari 60%. Kehilangan air di saluran tersier sebagian besar disebabkan oleh banyak bagian dinding dan dasar saluran yang rusak, dan adanya vegetasi dan sedimen pada saluran yang memperlambat aliran air. Conveyance Efficiency Of Irrigation Water At BKA Kn 16 Lam Raya Krueng Aceh Irrigation Area Abstract. Krueng Aceh Watershed has technical surface irrigation network to irrigate 7.450 ha of paddy fields in Aceh Besar District. Increasing pressure on available water resources for irrigation and other needs, particularly during dry season, requires an irrigation network having a higher level of efficiency to deliver irrigation water. This study aims to determine the delivery efficiencies and amount of water loss in secondary and tertiary channels of selected irrigation network. Lam Raya network was selected for the study area. Results showed that average delivery efficiency for BKA Kn 16 Lam Raya was 52.47%. The average water loss and water delivery efficiency in secondary channel were 0,048 and 81,11%, respectively. The loss was caused by evaporation 2.73 x 10-7 m3/s, seepage 0.00212 m3/s and other factors 0.04548 m3/s. The average water loss in tertiary channels was 0,01 m3/s contributed by losses from evaporation 5.046 x 10-8 m3/s, seepage 0.00033 m3/s and other factors 0.00994 m3/s. It caused tertiary channel's water delivery efficiency was approximately 71,88%. However, performance of irrigation network was classified as good since it has water delivery efficiency greater than 60%. Water loss in tertiary channel largely due to many parts of wall and base of the channels were broken, and the presence of vegetation and sediment in the channel slowed the water flow.

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Supplemental irrigation potential and impact on downstream flow of Karkheh River basin in Iran

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-20-1903-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 1903-1910 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Behzad Hessari ◽

Adriana Bruggeman ◽

Ali Mohammad Akhoond-Ali ◽

Theib Oweis ◽

Fariborz Abbasi

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Environmental Flow ◽

Supplemental Irrigation ◽

Irrigation Potential ◽

Winter Crops ◽

Downstream Flow ◽

Karkheh River Basin

Abstract. Supplemental irrigation of rainfed winter crops improves and stabilises crop yield and water productivity. Although yield increases by supplemental irrigation are well established at the field level, its potential extent and impact on water resources at the basin level are less researched. This work presents a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based methodology for identifying areas that are potentially suitable for supplemental irrigation and a computer routine for allocating streamflow for supplemental irrigation in different sub-basins. A case study is presented for the 42 908 km2 upper Karkheh River basin (KRB) in Iran, which has 15 840 km2 of rainfed crop areas. Rainfed crop areas within 1 km from the streams, with slope classes 0–5, 0–8, 0–12, and 0–20 %, were assumed to be suitable for supplemental irrigation. Four streamflow conditions (normal, normal with environmental flow requirements, drought and drought with environmental flow) were considered for the allocation of water resources. Thirty-seven percent (5801 km2) of the rainfed croplands had slopes less than 5 %; 61 % (3559 km2) of this land was suitable for supplemental irrigation, but only 22 % (1278 km2) could be served with irrigation in both autumn (75 mm) and spring (100 mm), under normal flow conditions. If irrigation would be allocated to all suitable land with slopes up to 20 %, 2057 km2 could be irrigated. This would reduce the average annual outflow of the upper KRB by 9 %. If environmental flow requirements are considered, a maximum (0–20 % slopes) of 1444 km2 could receive supplemental irrigation. Under drought conditions a maximum of 1013 km2 could be irrigated, while the outflow would again be reduced by 9 %. Thus, the withdrawal of streamflow for supplemental irrigation has relatively little effect on the outflow of the upper KRB. However, if the main policy goal would be to improve rainfed areas throughout the upper KRB, options for storing surface water need to be developed.

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Analysis of Irrigation Water-use Structure in Tone River Basin by a Synthetic Hydrologic Model

JOURNAL OF JAPAN SOCIETY OF HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES ◽

10.3178/jjshwr.3.27 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 27-35

Author(s):

Hajime TANJI

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Hydrologic Model ◽

Irrigation Water Use

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Supplemental irrigation potential and impact on downstream flow of Karkheh River Basin of Iran

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-9-13519-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 13519-13536 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

B. Hessari ◽

A. Bruggeman ◽

A. Akhoond-Ali ◽

T. Oweis ◽

F. Abbasi

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Stream Flow ◽

Water Productivity ◽

Environmental Flow ◽

Flow Conditions ◽

Supplemental Irrigation ◽

Irrigation Potential ◽

Downstream Flow ◽

Karkheh River Basin

Abstract. Supplemental irrigation of rainfed winter crops improves and stabilizes crop yield and water productivity. Although yield increases by supplemental irrigation are well established at the field level, its potential extent and impact on water resources at the basin level are less researched. This work presents a GIS-based methodology for identifying areas that are potentially suitable for supplemental irrigation and a computer routine for allocating stream flow for supplemental irrigation in different subbasins. A case study is presented for the 42 908 km2 upper Karkheh River Basin (KRB) in Iran, which has 15 840 km2 of rainfed crop areas. Rainfed crop areas within 1 km from the streams, with slope classes 0–5%, 0–8%, 0–12% and 0–20%, were assumed to be suitable for supplemental irrigation. Four stream flow conditions (normal, normal with environmental flow requirements, drought and drought with environmental flow) were considered for the allocation of water resources. Thirty-seven percent (5801 km2) of the rainfed croplands had slopes less than 5%. Sixty-one percent (3559 km2) of this land was suitable for supplemental irrigation, but only 22% (1278 km2) could be served with irrigation in both fall (75 mm) and spring (100 mm), under normal flow conditions. If irrigation would be allocated to all suitable land with slopes up to 20%, 2057 km2 could be irrigated. This would reduce the average annual outflow of the upper KRB by 9%. If environmental flow requirements are considered, a maximum (0–20% slopes) of 1444 km2 could receive supplemental irrigation. Under drought conditions a maximum of 1013 km2 could be irrigated, while the outflow would again be reduced by 9%. Thus, the withdrawal of steam flow for supplemental irrigation has relatively little effect on the outflow of the upper KRB. However, if the main policy goal would be to improve rainfed areas throughout the upper KRB, options for storing surface water need to be developed.

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Modelling stream flow and quantifying blue water using a modified STREAM model for a heterogeneous, highly utilized and data-scarce river basin in Africa

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-18-2287-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 2287-2303 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

J. K. Kiptala ◽

M. L. Mul ◽

Y. A. Mohamed ◽

P. van der Zaag

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Blue Water ◽

Distributed Models ◽

Low Flows ◽

Spatially Distributed ◽

Stream Model

Abstract. Integrated water resources management is a combination of managing blue and green water resources. Often the main focus is on the blue water resources, as information on spatially distributed evaporative water use is not as readily available as the link to river flows. Physically based, spatially distributed models are often used to generate this kind of information. These models require enormous amounts of data, which can result in equifinality, making them less suitable for scenario analyses. Furthermore, hydrological models often focus on natural processes and fail to account for anthropogenic influences. This study presents a spatially distributed hydrological model that has been developed for a heterogeneous, highly utilized and data-scarce river basin in eastern Africa. Using an innovative approach, remote-sensing-derived evapotranspiration and soil moisture variables for 3 years were incorporated as input data into the Spatial Tools for River basin Environmental Analysis and Management (STREAM) model. To cater for the extensive irrigation water application, an additional blue water component (Qb) was incorporated in the STREAM model to quantify irrigation water use. To enhance model parameter identification and calibration, three hydrological landscapes (wetlands, hillslope and snowmelt) were identified using field data. The model was calibrated against discharge data from five gauging stations and showed good performance, especially in the simulation of low flows, where the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency of the natural logarithm (Ens_ln) of discharge were greater than 0.6 in both calibration and validation periods. At the outlet, the Ens_ln coefficient was even higher (0.90). During low flows, Qb consumed nearly 50% of the river flow in the basin. The Qb model result for irrigation was comparable to the field-based net irrigation estimates, with less than 20% difference. These results show the great potential of developing spatially distributed models that can account for supplementary water use. Such information is important for water resources planning and management in heavily utilized catchment areas. Model flexibility offers the opportunity for continuous model improvement when more data become available.

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Technical Efficiency of Irrigation Water Use of Robusta Coffee Production in the Dong Nai River Basin (Vietnam): A Case Study of Lam Dong Province

10.1007/978-3-030-81443-4_36 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 565-577

Author(s):

Nguyen Dinh Tien ◽

Tran Nhat Lam Duyen ◽

Nguyen An Thinh ◽

Nguyen Truc Le

Keyword(s):

Technical Efficiency ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Coffee Production ◽

Robusta Coffee ◽

Irrigation Water Use

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Evaluation of effectiveness of the water management strategies with the focus on agricultural water use: A case study on Upper-Sakarya River Basin in Turkey

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-16055 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Beyza Özel ◽

Yasemin Demir ◽

Oğuz Başkan ◽

Emre Alp

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Availability ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Cropping Pattern ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

Efficient Management ◽

Sakarya River ◽

Technical Measures

Water, energy and food nexus is an integrated framework suggests that the security of one resource is inevitably linked to another&#8217;s. Water availability assures healthy food production whereas agriculture is the dominant user of global freshwater. Water stress due to population growth, climate change or malpractices threatens food security. Within the scope of water for food governance, the water efficiency of agricultural irrigation has to be improved to aid sustainable water and agricultural management. The study investigates water availability and withdrawals, evaluates water resources management scenarios in the agricultural sector in the Sakarya River Basin, Turkey&#8217;s third-largest river basin. Demand-oriented management scenarios propose a variety of technical measures which include improvements in irrigation technology, shifts in the cropping pattern and water-saving irrigation strategies. The effectiveness of scenarios was evaluated using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system developed for the upper sub-basin where significant agricultural activities are held with approximately 1 million ha of total effective arable land. WEAP is an integrated water resources system modeling that operates based on the principle of water balance accounting. A climate data set of precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were applied across each sub-basin, partitioned into land-use classes. A one dimensional, two-bucket model for each land-use class transmits water as surface runoff, interflow, percolation, baseflow and evapotranspiration components. The model was calibrated and validated for observed streamflow, reservoir volume, and irrigation water amount. The mean annual precipitation and evapotranspiration in the upper sub-basin are 387 mm/a and 245 mm/a respectively. Agriculture is the dominant user of both surface water and groundwater resources and accounts for the %88 of total water withdrawals in the upper sub-basin. Impacts of agricultural management on irrigation water supply and flow dynamics of streamflow gauges were evaluated upon each measure. When compared to a historic baseline scenario, efficient management measures can save irrigation water up to %10 by shifting crop patterns from sunflower to safflower, %6 by establishing drip irrigation instead of sprinkler, %4 by applying deficient irrigation on cereal cultivated areas. Furthermore, mean streamflow increases by %8 in June where deficient irrigation strategy is practiced on cereals, by %9 in October where cropping pattern is shifted from sunflower to safflower. After a review of various technical measures related to the efficient management of water resources, the study concluded that sustainable agricultural development is possible by adapting conservative agricultural practices that assure water and food security.

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