Assessment of agricultural drainage water reuse for irrigation in El-Behira Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

ABSTRACT Agriculture sector and food security of Egypt are under stresses due to the shortage of freshwater budget. Agricultural drainage water reuse can be considered as the most appropriate solution to overcome the irrigation water shortage. Quality of the reused drainage water is of concern, particularly in arid regions, such as Egypt, due to salinity problems. Therefore, water quality assessment for reuse projects is essential. The objective of this work is to assess three different drainage water reuse projects in El-Behira Governorate, Egypt, based on experimental records and water quality index approach. Thirty-six water samples were seasonally collected from three different projects during 2017. Drainage water, freshwater and blended water were evaluated according to the Egyptian and international (FAO) guidelines for drainage and irrigation water. Moreover, CCME-WQI and NSF-WQI were applied to assess the drainage and irrigation water according to the Egyptian standards. Most the recorded parameters for drainage and irrigation water exceeded the permissible limits. The results confirmed the “Poor” and “Marginal” water quality status of all studied drains (drainage water) according to the Egyptian standards. The water quality status of all studied canals (blended water) was classified as “Bad” according to NSF-WQI. These results confirm that current drainage and blended water in the study are shouldn’t be used. To avoid deterioration of the soil, crops, food security elements and health protection, treatment systems for drainage water are urgently recommended. Drainage water reuse projects should be carefully installed, and water quality assessment should be accompanied with these projects. This study is the base for an ongoing pilot project of using a low-cost drainage water improvement technology which can be considered as a supplemented tool to drainage water reuse.