Hydrochemical Assessment of the Irrigation Water Quality of the El-Salam Canal, Egypt

Abstract

The El-Salam canal in Egypt is considered an important stream of fresh water for the agricultural sector that extends from the Nile River to Sinai, while it is subjected to several anthropogenic stresses. In this study, five-georeferenced stations (named from S1 to S5) were monitored along the El-Salam Canal before El-Sahara of the Suez Canal, via the estimation of the WQ index based on major cations and anions analysis including salinity hazard, permeability index, residual sodium carbonate, magnesium hazard, sodium percentage, sodium adsorption ratio, Kelley index, potential salinity, total hardness, and irrigation water quality index (IWQI). The sequence of average concentration of cations in water were Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+. The major cations constitute around 60% of the total dissolved salts. While the sequence of major anions in water were SO42− > HCO3− > Cl− > CO32−. These cations and anions showed an increasing trend from S1 (intake of the canal) to S5 (before El-Sahara) of the El-Salam Canal. Moreover, the order of heavy metals was Zn < Cd < Cr < Ni < Fe < Mn < Co < Cu < Pb. According to the US EPA (1999) guidelines, the levels of Fe and Zn in the El-Salam Canal are within the permissible limits for drinking and irrigation purposes, while Mn, Pb, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, and Cd were detected at higher concentrations than those recommended. The value of IWQI in water samples varied from 40.26 to 114.82. The samples of S1 showed good water, the samples of region S2 (after mixing with Faraskour drainage) showed poor water quality, samples of regions S3 (after mixing with the El-Serw drain waters) and S5 (before El-Sahara) fell under the very poor water category and samples of region S4 (after mixing with the Hadous drainage) showed unsuitable water. Croplands irrigated with such water will not be exposed to any alkaline risks but will be exposed to the risk of salinity, which is more severe after mixing at the S3 and S4 sites. It is recommended to treat the drainage water before mixing with the irrigation water of El-Salam Canal to raise the suitability of irrigation water for crops, particularly for the Hadous drain.

Environmental risk assessment and chemical contamination with heavy metals in the sediments of three drains, south of Manzala lake (Egypt)

“…Cr was positively correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with Co, Cd, and Pb (r = 0.610, 0.743, and 0.641, respectively) in a Pearson correlation coefficient (r) analysis of heavy metals (Table 3). Zhang et al [43] and El-Amier et al [31] reported the positive correlation of Cr with Co, Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu contents. El-Amier et al [31] and Alhassan et al [44], in contrast to our findings, found that Cr is negatively correlated with Ni.…”

“…Zhang et al [43] and El-Amier et al [31] reported the positive correlation of Cr with Co, Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu contents. El-Amier et al [31] and Alhassan et al [44], in contrast to our findings, found that Cr is negatively correlated with Ni. Cobalt had a strong positive linear correlation with Cd and Pb (r = 0.707 and 0.562, respectively), while cadmium had a weak positive linear correlation with Ni (r = 0.566).…”

“…Heavy metal concentrations and bioavailabilities in sediments are not fixed in time; they are influenced by a variety of factors [30,31]. Table 2 shows the typical amounts of HMs (Fe, Cd, Cr, Co, Ni, and Pb) in surface sediments from 15 sites throughout the three drains.…”

Assessment of water resources for water irrigation purposes in Bintan island

“…Concentration of sodium (Na + ), calcium (Ca 2+ ), and magnesium (Mg 2+ ) is expressed in meq.L -1 . The categories of SAR shows in Table 3 [16,17]:…”

Status of Water Quality from Agriculture Drains in Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India

“…Implementation of irrigation techniques reduces the natural water flows and also contaminates the water with nutrients, major ions and other trace elements which will generate environmental impacts. Ameir et al [2] assessed irrigation water quality of EI-Salam canal, Egypt and recommended to treat the drainage water before mixing with irrigation water. Gola et al [3] assessed drain water used for irrigation for the Delhi region and found varied concentrations of multiple heavy metals which makes the drain water unsuitable for irrigational purposes.…”