Innovative Solution of the Irrigation System Management Between Aswan and Esna

Abstract

The management of irrigation systems has gained importance over the last five decades due to a tremendous increase in irrigated land in Egypt. Climate change has negative impacts on management of irrigation water resources and agriculture sectors. This paper aims to suggest a strategy to adapt climate changes impacts in water resources irrigation. This could be achieved by use clean energy in irrigation in south of Egypt. There has been a growing realization of possible improvement of water irrigation management for the reach between Aswan High Dam (AHD) to Esna barrage at the south of Egypt. New water irrigation management strategies could provide water to the agricultural land, which facing increasing challenges in locating reliable water supplies for their cultivated land under climate change impacts. The existing irrigation system in this reach depends on usage of more than 82 irrigation pumps stations, which required high capital and energy costs on the east and the west side of the Nile River banks. The objective of this research is eliminated the existing irrigation pump stations on the east side of the riverbank and design a pipeline to convey the water from AHD reservoir (discharge point) to Esna barrage with total length 169 km. The research is carried out through three modules dependent on each other, Remote Sensing (RS) module, Geographic Information System (GIS) module, and hydraulic modeling of the proposed pipeline module. The Modis images were downloaded to develop vegetation map and calculate agriculture area. The total calculated cultivated area was estimated to be 206692 feddan (86810.64 ha) in East side of River Nile at year 2015. The data of irrigation pumps locations were collected. According to collected data, 34 outlets nodes were established to supply the water for different cultivated land zones. The pipeline was designed according to irrigation requirements at the irrigation nodes. Hydraulic modeling of the pipeline was carried out to properly size the pipeline based on its proposed alignment, and future water irrigation demands. The proposed pipeline solution will provide more reliable and less cost-effective strategy to meet future water supply needs and to adapt climate changes impacts in water resources by using clean energy. In additional, the pipeline will provide multiple benefits such as harvest renewable, low-cost electricity and will clearly help reduce energy consumption. The proposed solution needs to meet various requirements of operating authorities to satisfy crop water requirements.