Evaluation of Drainage Water Quality of El Hoks Drain at North Nile Delta, Kafr El-Sheihk Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

There is a severe shortage in irrigation water supply in North Delta area, especially Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. The shortage in fresh water supply in farmlands located on the tail end of irrigation canals has to be replenished by the available drainage water. So, the current work focused on assessing water quality of El-Hoks Drain for irrigation with respect to its contents of ammonium-N (NH4-N), nitrate-N (NO3-N), salts, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), boron (B) and some heavy metals. Sixty water samples were collected from ten branch drains' discharge in El-Hoks Drain during winter (2017/018) and summer (2018) seasons. According to FAO (1985) and Egyptian standards (Law 48/1982), results showed that BOD, COD and NO3-N are the main pollutants, which BOD and COD values are classified between bad to slight and moderate, whereas, NH4-N and NO3-N values fall within the normal range for irrigation, but it is in the abnormal range based on the Egyptian standards. DO Values are in the normal range for irrigation according to Egyptian standards. Also, values of heavy metals Cu, Mn, Pb and Cd exceed the allowable limits for irrigation except Ni which falls within the normal range. B values in water samples fall between bad and good. Meanwhile, pH values ranged from 7.37 to 7.95, EC values ranged from 1.16 to 2.71 dSm-1 , while SAR values varied from 5.74 to 8.64 which are suitable for irrigation and their values were higher in winter than in summer.

Quantitative Estimation of Saline-Soil Amelioration Using Remote-Sensing Indices in Arid Land for Better Management

“…In the study case, saline soils should be treated, and subsequently sodic soils, in order to reduce the concentration of salts to the appropriate degree for the growth of plant roots and even the appropriate depth for the roots [114][115][116][117][118][119][120].…”

“…Cotton and sugar beet are the most important salt-tolerant crops, while sugar cane, fava beans, and peas are the least tolerant of salinity. Most vegetable crops are moderately resistant to salinity, while most fruit crops, especially deciduous, are sensitive to salinity [114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124].…”