Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5752374 | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies | 2017 | 16 Pages |
â¢Existing (6.4 million ha) and additional planned (3.8 million ha, 2050) irrigation schemes will heavily stress water resources.â¢Assuming today's poor irrigation infrastructure, the total consumption is predicted to increase to 123 km3 yrâ1 (2050).â¢Water savings via improved irrigation technology will not be able to meet the additional needs of planned areas
The Nile River Basin covers an area of approximately 3.2 million km2 and is shared by 11 countries. Rapid population growth is expected in the region. The irrigation requirements of Nile riparian countries of existing (6.4 million ha) and additional planned (3.8 million ha, 2050) irrigation schemes were calculated, and the likely water savings through improved irrigation efficiency were evaluated. We applied SPARE:WATER to calculate irrigation demands on the basis of the well-known FAO56 Crop Irrigation Guidelines. Egypt (67Â km3Â yrâ1) and Sudan (19Â km3Â yrâ1) consume the highest share of the 84Â km3Â yrâ1 total (2011). Assuming today's poor irrigation infrastructure, the total consumption was predicted to increase to 123Â km3Â yrâ1 (2050), an amount far exceeding the total annual yield of the Nile Basin. Therefore, a key challenge for water resources management in the Nile Basin is balancing the increasing irrigation water demand basin-wide with the available water supply. We found that water savings from improved irrigation technology will not be able to meet the additional needs of planned areas. Under a theoretical scenario of maximum possible efficiency, the deficit would still be 5Â km3Â yrâ1. For more likely efficiency improvement scenarios, the deficit ranged between 23 and 29Â km3Â yrâ1. Our results suggest that that improving irrigation efficiency may substantially contribute to decreasing water stress on the Nile system but would not completely meet the demand.Study RegionThe Nile River Basin covers an area of approximately 3.2 million km2 and is shared by 11 countries. Rapid population growth is expected in the region.Study FocusRecord population growth is expected for the study region. Therefore, the irrigation requirements of Nile riparian countries of existing (6.4 million ha) and additional planned (3.8 million ha, 2050) irrigation schemes were calculated, and likely water savings through improved irrigation efficiency were evaluated. We applied a spatial decision support system (SPARE:WATER) to calculate the irrigation demands on the basis of the well-known FAO56 Crop Irrigation Guidelines.New Hydrological Insights for the RegionEgypt (67Â km3yrâ1) and Sudan (19Â km3yrâ1) consume the highest share of 84Â km3yrâ1 (2011). Assuming today's poor irrigation infrastructure, the total demand were predicted to increase to 123Â km3yrâ1 (2050), an amount far exceeding the total annual yield of the Nile Basin. Therefore, a key challenge for water resources management in the Nile Basin is balancing the increasing irrigation water demand and available water supply.We found that water savings from improved irrigation technology will not be able to meet the additional needs of planned areas. Under a theoretical scenario of maximum possible efficiency, the deficit would still be 5Â km3yrâ1. For more likely efficiency improvement scenarios, the deficit ranges between 23 and 29Â km3yrâ1. Our results suggest that improving irrigation efficiency may substantially contribute to decreasing water stress on the Nile system but would not completely meet the demand.