Assessment of Water Balance and Traditional Surface Irrigation Practices in the Northern Nile Delta

Abstract

Water balance analysis helps in managing water supply. Therefore, matching between water supply and demand is very important to overcome water shortage.This study aims at presenting comprehensive analysis to understand the nature of operating system in the traditional surface irrigation systems aiming to establish a comprehensive analysis to sustain the irrigation system, considering the problems of water supply, inequity, water quality deterioration, and poor irrigation and drainage management. Analysis in this study was done in two hubs. Firstly, study the parameters affecting water supply and demand; secondly, assessing water availability, adequacy, equity and distribution of irrigation during 24 hours’ cycle.The study area is located in Kafr El-Dawar irrigation district, El-Beheira governorate in the western part of the Nile Delta.The findings show that the differences in water balance per feddan (feddan is an Egyptian land unit equals 4206 m2) at all tertiary canals (meskas) are small; At the head of the canals, no night irrigation or drainage water reuse events during the irrigation seasons were observed; and the irrigation rotation is irregular. These findings elaborate that the location on the canal and the presence of subsurface drainage are mainly affecting the water balance in the study area.