Abstract
This paper deals mainly to study and solve field drainage problems in Kamal El-Den Hessen new reclaimed area (1650 hectares), North Sinai Egypt, where many farmers complain about the formation of water ponds in their lands, bad soil drainage, soil salinity, and low yields rate. Intensive field investigations were carried out regarding, topographic survey, digging 22 boreholes, instilling observation wells, measuring groundwater salinity and assessing the existing drainage network. The results showed that ground surface levels were ranging from 1.5 m to 4.28 m above mean sea level, predominated soil was sandy with a permeability coefficient ranged from 0.82 to 2.68 m/day, an impervious clay layer lies at 6.0 to 7.0 m below ground surface, and the groundwater salinity ranges from 4 to 12 dS/m high salinity for water ponds were observed at the observation wells that lay in the lift side of Kamal El-Den Hessen Canal. Lands surrounding Kamal El-Den Hessen Canal have high levels. The measured groundwater depths of the western observation wells were 0.50 m below ground surface and in the eastern wells ranging from 1.0 to 1.50 m. The analysis of results showed that field drainage problems that increased groundwater levels were: 1) infiltration water coming from the high-cultivated areas at the lift bank of Kamal El-Den Hessen Canal, 2) the impervious clay layers increasing the horizontal infiltration towards low lands and increase ponds areas. 3) Main Gelbana Drain cross-section needs dredging. It is recommended to dredge the Main Gelbana Drain and modified its cross-section to collect water from water ponds, filling the lowland areas utilizing sandy soil in the high lands, adopting types of crops grown to match with crop salt tolerant levels and soil and water salinity levels and constructing subsurface drainage network to decrease groundwater levels.
Highlights
The shortage of water resources forces many countries like Egypt to reuse agriculture drainage water of good quality in irrigation or to mix it with Nile fresh water to improve its quality to utilize in the cultivation of newly reclaimed areas [1]
The results showed that ground surface levels were ranging from 1.5 m to 4.28 m above mean sea level, predominated soil was sandy with a permeability coefficient ranged from 0.82 to 2.68 m/day, an impervious clay layer lies at 6.0 to 7.0 m below ground surface, and the groundwater salinity ranges from 4 to 12 dS/m high salinity for water ponds were observed at the observation wells that lay in the lift side of Kamal El-Den Hessen Canal
The results obtained from 22 boreholes soil samples (Table 1) showed that the soil surface layer was sandy soil with thin salt crest and changing to silt soil, the groundwater table was observed at 0.15 m above the ground surface to 1.25 m below ground surface (Table 2)
Summary
The shortage of water resources forces many countries like Egypt to reuse agriculture drainage water of good quality in irrigation or to mix it with Nile fresh water to improve its quality to utilize in the cultivation of newly reclaimed areas [1]. Drainage problems dealt with impermeable soils, the high water table in depression areas, and side hill seepage [7]. The surface drainage may be required to remove excess rainfall or increase irrigation water, especially for soil with low leakage rates [9] [10] [11]. If the water ponds greater than 3 m in diameter or greater than 10 cm deep, the problem should be treated as a depression area [16], installation of boreholes and observation wells are essentially for analyzing the soils and studying the water table depths over time. Excess water percolates into the sandy soil at high elevations In clay soil, it cannot stay downwards and it is forced to move horizontally and to seep out where the sand layer ends. There will be large voids left in the disturbed clay since it is essentially impossible to re-compact it to its original state
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