Salinization Processes and Quality Constrains for Irrigation Water Management in Southwest El Minia, Upper Egypt.

Abstract

The present work is devoted to determine sources of groundwater salinity and quality constrains for irrigation water management in the southwest of El Minia Governorate, Upper Egypt. Hydrochemical and multivariate statistical analysis using results of major ions analysis of 67 groundwater samples collected from the study area have been conducted in this work. TDS and major ionic concentrations vary in considerably wide ranges, these increase westward and northward under effect of rock minerals dissolution and upward leakage of saline water. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the methods of Multi Criteria Decision Approach (MCDA) for development a new water quality index is used, it combines eight of the water quality controlling parameters that complementarily express the whole scale of irrigation water quality hazards on soils and plants. The application of the developed irrigation suitability index on the results of collected groundwater samples analysis reflected a significant hazards related to water salinity and quality attributes .The soil salinity degradation and potential yield reduction on typical crops in the study area have been described . The leaching requirements of soil salinity have been determined for management of irrigation water quality.