Abstract
Water with adequate quality and quantity is very important for irrigation to ensure the crop yields. Salinity is common problem in the coastal waters in Bangladesh. The intensity of salinity in the coastal zone in Bangladesh is not same. It fluctuates over the year. Sodium is another hazard which may hamper permeability and ultimately affects the fertility. It can reduce the crop yields. Although surface water is available in the coastal zone of Bangladesh, but its quality for irrigation needs to be monitored over the year. This paper will investigate the overall quality of coastal surface waters. Thirty-three water samples from different rivers were collected both in wet period (October–December) and in dry period (February–April). Different physical and chemical parameters are considered for investigation of the adequacy of water with respect to international irrigation water quality standards and Bangladesh standards. A comparison between the dry and wet period coastal surface water quality in Bangladesh will also be drawn here. The analysis shows that coastal surface water in Bangladesh is overall suitable for irrigation during wet period, while it needs treatment (which will increase the irrigation cost) for using for irrigation during dry period. Adaptation to this situation can improve the scenario. An integrated plan should be taken to increase the water storing capacity in the coastal area to harvest water during wet period.
Highlights
Water and soil salinity are normal hazards in many parts of the coastal area in Bangladesh, affecting different uses of water including irrigation, drinking, household, fisheries, and functioning of the ecosystem (Khanom and Salehin 2012).Characteristics of irrigation water that define its quality vary with the source of the water
Population and food demand in Bangladesh are increasing, while the production in the coastal area is decreasing due to salinity
This study shows that surface water in the coastal districts of Bangladesh is overall suitable for irrigation during October–December, while the river water is inappropriate during February–April without any treatment
Summary
Characteristics of irrigation water that define its quality vary with the source of the water. The quality of water depends on whether the source is from surface water bodies (rivers and ponds) or from groundwater aquifers with varying geology, and whether the water has been chemically treated. Irrigation water quality is related to its effects on soils and cultivated crops and its management. Salinity in the coastal area degrades soil quality which in turn reduces rice production. Due to this salinity problem in the coastal area, many rice fields are converted into shrimp ponds, and total rice production decreases . In the financial year 1997–1998, the area of rice production decreased by 1% compared to that in the 1993–1994, while the total rice production declined by 26% during the same period (Islam 2004)
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