Abstract
Waterways are usually contaminated with wastes from industrial, domestic or irrigation sectors. Organizations in charge have adopted solutions to eliminate this problem; however, the adopted solutions contribute indirectly to modifying canal morphology during maintenance. These are examples of anthropogenic activity, as well as randomly implemented dredging, which expand the canal cross-sections. Egypt is a country which depends on surface irrigation through a huge network of canals. The majority of canals in Egypt are subject to anthropogenic activity which affects their efficiency. This study aims to assess the impact of conjugated instances of anthropogenic activity and dredging on canal morphology and capacity. Five canals were selected in the current study in the Nile Delta, Egypt. These canals are highly affected by two associated factors: anthropogenic activity by users and dredging by the government. The study also aims to determine the effects of a newly adopted policy for saving surface water through restoration of the canals’ originally designed cross-sections. The results showed a clear change in canal morphology, which has increased the volume of water in the affected canals. In some cases, the volume of water has increased by 59%, which could have negative consequences for Egypt’s water resources. Sustainable management of water resources in Egypt requires saving each water droplet, and canal rehabilitation is expected to save about 6.56 million m3/year by the year 2022.
Highlights
Rivers, as well as canals, are waterways, and together they represent a form of surface water feeding
The results reveal noticeable changes in canal cross-sections after decades of dredging, which deform canal shape and distort canal morphology
The results indicate an increase in water requirement after dredging, the increase looks minor in the case of the Goifel canal, but even there, the estimated excess volume per day approaches 0.1832 million m3, which is sufficient for 60,560 people with an average daily consumption of 300 L/day
Summary
As well as canals, are waterways, and together they represent a form of surface water feeding. Reported that anthropogenic activity includes factors which could reduce water quality and contaminate the environment They result from activities in the agricultural sector, such as usage of fertilizers, manures and pesticides, seeds from excess irrigation water back into waterways which may grow into plants, animal husbandry activities and inefficient irrigation practices, and from pollution due to industrial effluents and domestic sewage, and recreational activities on navigation waterways. These undesirable sediment layers reduce the cross-section areas of canals, hindering. Some studies involved in evaluating the quality of surface water due to the anthropogenic activities, such as Singh et al [2], tested the harmony of water quality status of the Upper Ganga
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