The potential impact of water allocation policies in

Mahmoudyia Watershed on regional socioeconomic and

environmental aspects

M.Nour El-Din 1, N. S. Donia2, H .El-Gammal 3, H. El-Shazely4

1
Irrigation and Hydraulic Department, Ain Shams University
2
Institute of Environmental Studies and Researches
3
National Water Research Center
4
Ministry of Water Resources& Irrigation

ABSTARCT

In water scarce countries depending on external water supplies, such as

Egypt, water distribution to the different water users is of paramount

importance. Egypt is classified into six zones for different water

management and allocation practices based on hydraulic and climatic

conditions. Mahmoudyia canal watershed, which is located near the

northern edge of the west delta in Behaira governorate, is part of Zone V,

which is characterized by the drainage water reuse as a main irrigation

practice. The Mahmoudia canal command area suffers from inequity of

1
water distribution at the branch canals, unavailability/insufficiency of

irrigation water, deterioration of water quality, and supplementary irrigation

by reuse saline drainage water, which is highly polluted by nutrients,

pesticides, heavy metals, and organic loads.

The water allocation in Mahmoudyia command area depends upon hydro-

meteorological circumstances, upstream and downstream location, and the

higher prioritization of domestic water supply in Alexandria than irrigation

water demands of Kafr El-Dawar or El-Raml districts. In addition, there are

no tools of applying efficient and environmental policy for water allocation

in Mahmoudyia watershed namely; old and deteriorated irrigation system,

unorganized cropping pattern, and inefficient monitoring system for

measuring and collecting the required water levels and discharges data for

integrated water management. Accordingly drainage water of high salinity

and less quality is highly reused in the downstream areas (El-Raml and Kafr

El-Dawar), while the drainage water of the upstream areas (Edko and

Bersik) of low salinity and better quality is rarely reused.

This paper highlights the impact results of improper water allocation in

Mahmoudyia command area namely, decrease in the yield of main crops by

about 10-45%, decrease in farm income by about 10%, and the widespread

2
of water related diseases, which may be attributed to drainage water reuse at

the tail reaches of Mahmoudyia command area.

It is recommended to apply a Decision Support System DSS in the study

area to enable the decision makers to reallocate the irrigation and drainage

water in Mahmoudia districts based on socioeconomic and environmental

aspects. The DSS will also enable the decision makers to study the effect of

applying irrigation improvement interventions and also other scenarios for

using non conventional water resources (desalination) to secure the

additional drinking water requirements for Alexandria as planned in 2050

strategy.

1. Introduction

Agriculture depends mainly on irrigation from the River Nile (55.5 BCM

per year). The needed increase in food production to support the

acceleration of population growth (2.02%) compels the country to use all

sources of water (i.e. drainage water, groundwater and treated sewage

water) for the expansion of irrigated agriculture.

Released water downstream the High Aswan Dam is distributed among

regions through canals and pumps that divert water from the Nile River.

These canals are called main canals. Further down, the canal hierarchy

3
includes secondary, branch and distributary canals. This canal system is

called public canals where the government is responsible for its operation

and maintenance. The public canal system delivers water to private channels

called “Mesqas” serving an area from 50 to 200 feddans. Mesqas feed farm

ditches, which are called “Merwas” serving up to 20 feddans. Water

delivery to each canal is determined based on the anticipated water demands

for different purposes; agriculture, municipalities and industries, etc. Water

delivery is made on continuous bases for main canals where domestic and

industrial demands are abstracted. The branch and distributary canals

system is operated according to agricultural rotation principal. There are two

systems of rotation; two-turn rotation and three-turn rotation. Under the

two-turn rotations, the canal system is divided into two groups. Each canal

group is opened for 7 days and closed for another 7 days resulting in a

length of irrigation interval of 14 days. Under the three-turn rotations, the

canal system is divided into three groups. Each group is opened for 5 days

and closed for another 10 days giving an irrigation interval of 15 days. The

rotation system for rice is usually two-turn rotation with 4 days on and 4

days off. Egypt is divided into six water management zones in terms

different water management and allocation practices based on hydraulic and

4
climatic conditions of how water could be allocated taking into

considerations most of the conditions affecting allocation. (Allam, et

al.2005) The end zone of the system is characterized by the sea coast where

drainage water is disposed to the sea. Mahmoudyia is part of the end zone

V, which is characterized by sea water intrusion; high water table usually

affects areas close to the sea, and drainage water reuse.

The water quota of each branch canal is set at the beginning of the year on

10-day basis depending upon domestic, industrial, and agricultural water

demands. Matching program is used for identifying agricultural water

requirements. There is inefficient system for continuous monitoring of the

water levels and flows at the Irrigation department within the Ministry of

Water Resources &Irrigation such that the abstraction of domestic and

industrial water demands are not exactly known. There is also lack of check

points on the canal system to ensure equitable water distribution.

The environmental concerns of water allocation must be taken into

consideration in addition to the increasing competition between water

sectors and there is a need to have unique measures to be balanced.

Therefore, performance of water allocation policies must be developed. The

delivery irrigation systems have to be clearly assessed and rehabilitated

5
under these current or expected stressed conditions taking into consideration

the efforts for improving performance of the irrigation system at the macro

and micro levels.

1.1 Objectives of the study

The majority of irrigation water losses occur in the connection between

the regional system and the local (farming) system. Efforts to cut down

these losses through mesqa improvement works are less effective than

assumed by decision-makers. Accordingly, there is a need to apply a

new policy for enhancement water allocation and distribution to

maximize the drainage water reuse taking into account the

environmental concerns. Therefore, this paper aims to:

 Assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of improper

water allocation in Mahmoudyia watershed.

 Suggest a tool to enable the decision makers for more equitable and

environmental friendly water allocation policy in Mahmoudyia

watershed.

 Suggest the different management scenarios for testing the

developed Decision Support System.

6
1.2 Description of the study area

The Mahmoudia canal command area is located near the northern edge of

the west delta in Behaira governorate. The canal runs for a distance of 77

km from the Rosetta branch of the Nile down to the Mediterranean Sea at

Alexandria as shown in figure 1. It serves a total gross area of about

305,000 feddan (net area 240,000 fed the difference is urbanized areas,

roads, and waterways) through 70 branch (distribution) canals. The

Mahmoudia canal command area suffers from inequity of water distribution

at the branch canals, unavailability/insufficiency of irrigation water,

deterioration of water quality, and supplementary irrigation by drainage

water reuse, which is highly polluted by nutrients, pesticides, heavy metals,

and organic loads.

Figure 1 location of Mahmoudyia watershed in the western Nile delta

7
1.3 Existing socioeconomic and environmental problems of

Mahmoudyia watershed

The cultivated area in Mahmoudyia command area suffers from improper

and insufficient water allocation in addition to the old irrigation system

network, which impedes the application of new policies for improvement.

1.3.1 Improper water allocation

The water allocation in Mahmoudyia command area depends upon

upstream and downstream location, high prioritization of domestic water

supply in Alexandria than irrigation water demands of Kafr El-Dawar or El-

Raml districts especially in summer season, cropped area, and cropping

pattern. Accordingly drainage water of high salinity and less quality is

highly reused in the downstream areas (El-Raml and Kafr El-Dawar), while

the drainage water of the upstream areas of low salinity and reasonable

quality is rarely reused.

1.3.2 Water unavailability/insufficiency

Water availability can be expressed in terms of the dependency of farmers

on canal water/drainage water for their irrigation, while water sufficiency

can be expressed in terms of adequacy to meet demand. Preliminary

investigations have shown that drainage water was often used by farmers in

8
the command area, especially in the summer season. The area irrigated from

drainage water in Mahmoudyia watershed is about 40,000 feddan. The

Behira irrigation districts’ reports show that the quantity of reused drainage

water is about 404.3million m3/year, 45% of which is unofficial reuse as

shown in Table1.

1.3.3 Low water productivity

The agricultural revenue of irrigation water in Mahmoudyia watershed is

roughly estimated at LE 0.6/m3. It is higher for the winter crops of berseem

and wheat (LE 0.90 LE/m3, and LE 0.70/m3 respectively); and lower for the

summer crops rice and cotton (LE0.80/m3, and LE0.6/m3 respectively).

These figures show that there may be scope (from a macro-economic

viewpoint to increase the productivity of Nile water by shifting part of the

production to high-yielding cash crops

9
Table1 Quantity and quality of reused drainage water in Mahmoudyia

watershed

District Branch Canal Drain used Area Annually Annually Average

for reuse irrigated officially unofficially drainage

from reused reused water

drainage drainage drainage water salinity

water (fed) water MCM dS/m

MCM

Mahmoudyi Hamad El-Atf 3800 15.2 1-2

a Minesy

Abo El-Qinawia Gabour El- 2500 31.5 1.5-2

Hommos Gharbi

El-Ziny El-Ziny 2500 31.5 1.5-2.5

drain

Mehalet Keil Shereshra 2500 31.5 1.5-2.5

Sidy Azab Sidy Azab 2500 31.5 1.5-3

drain

Balaqter El-Ziny 2500 31.5 2-3.5

Kafr El- El-Baslkon El- 2500 31.5 2-4

Dawar Kharbotly

&El-

Baslkon

El-Saarania Desons 7500 31.5 63 3-4

El-Raml El-Beda Abies 8800 70.4 3-5

Mariot El-Manshia 4400 35.2 3-5

10
Total 39500 220.5 183.8

1.3.4 Water quality deterioration

Canals and drains in the Mahmoudia command area, are used by industry,

urban centres and rural settlements as outlets to discharge untreated

wastewater. Residents dump solid waste into the canals and drains and on

public land, namely the embankments. This blocks the flow in drains and

canals and polluted water is carried to downstream fields, outfalls, or to

irrigation canals from which diluted drainage water is reused for irrigation

purposes. Although the upstream drainage water in Edko and Bersik drains

of less salinity (1000-2500 mg/L) and microbiological pollution (10 5-

106MPN/100mL) it is rarely reused, while the drainage water in Abo

Hommos, and Abies drains is frequently reused although it is of higher

salinity (2000-7000 mg/L) and more microbiological pollution (10 6-

107MPN/100ml) as shown in figures 2-3. The drainage water reuse

concentrates in the downstream areas due to improper water allocation. The

widespread of water related diseases may be attributed to drainage water

reuse at the tail reaches of Mahmoudyia command area.

11
Figure 2 Total dissolved solids (TDS) in Edko and Bersik drains to the left,

and Abo Hommos, and Abies drains to the right

Total Dissolved Solids Concentration along Edko Drain

from July 01 to Dec. 05

3500
Total Dissolved Solids Concentration in Abo Hommes, Abies, El-Ramel Districts
from July 01 to Dec. 05 3000

2500
9000

8000 2000

(mg/l)
TDS
7000
1500
6000

5000
1000
(mg/l)
TDS

4000
500
3000

2000
0
1000

Date
WE03 WE07
Date WE08 EG48/1982 Guidelines
Abo Hommes Abies Maximum Salinity for Mixing
El-Ramel EG48/1982 Guidelines
Maximum Salinity for Mixing

Figure 3 Faecal coliform concentrations in Edko and Bersik drains to the

left, and Abo Hommos, and Abies drains to the right

Faecal Coliform Bacteria along Edko Drain

from Aug 01 to July 04 Faecal Coliform Bacteria in Abo Hommes, Abies, El-Ramel Districts
from Aug 01 to July 04
10000000

100000000

1000000
10000000
/100 ml

/100 ml

1000000
100000
Faecal coliform MPN
Faecal cliform MPN

100000

10000
10000

1000 1000

100
100

Date
Date
Abo Hommes Abies El-Ramel EG48/1982 Guidelines

WE03 WE07 WE08 EG48/1982 Guidelines

12
1.3.5 Degradation of agricultural lands

Due to inadequate maintenance of subsurface drainage network, water

logging, salinization, sedimentation, urbanization and desertification have

been raised.

1.3.6 Lack of environmental sound systems

The environmental aspects are not taken into consideration in the human

activities in Mahmoudyia watershed and accordingly over-fishing, lack of

rural sanitation and insufficient solid waste management problems have

been raised.

1.3.7 Institutional imperfections

Although the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation have established

branch canal water user associations, and District water boards in most of

Mahmoudyia water shed, there are still institutional problems such as

improper enforcement of regulating rice cultivation; improper water rights,

and water conflicts between beneficiaries.

13
2. Approach and Methodology

The impact indicators have been identified and a literature review has been

carried out to identify the method of computation and the required data for

each indicator.

2.1 Sample selected branch canals

Twelve branch canals was used to represent Mahmoudyia watershed

districts on the basis that each district is represented by three branch canals

distributed in the head/ middle/ tail reaches. The selected (sample) branch

canals were distributed at the head, middle and tail reaches, to measure the

equity in distribution of water supply, water use efficiency and resulting

difference/ disparity in on-(off-) farm income.

2.2 Data collection and computations

The study was conducted during the years 2006-2009. The impact indicators

and the required data of each indicator were identified as follows:

 Water levels and discharges at the strategic locations of main and

branch canals. As far as possible, water flows/ discharges were

measured using the available ultrasonic flow-meters USFMs

belongs to the Ministry of Water Resources &Irrigation.

14
 Calibrations of sluice gates and water level-discharge relationships

are also used.

 Cropping pattern, actual evapotranspiration and crop yields by using

remote sensing technology and Surface Energy Balance Algorithm

for Land (SEBAL) developed by Water Watch, Netherlands.

 The allocated irrigation water upstream and downstream the system

2.3 Methodology

To assess the impact of improper water allocation in Mahmoudyia

watershed, different indicators were developed, namely:

2.3.1 Water Use Index (WUI)

WUI is a well-established measure of the amount of water supplied to an

irrigated area. It is the measured volume of water supplied to a defined area

divided by the crop-specific water demand arising from that area (its ET or

Evapo-transpiration). WUI thus measures water supply to an area,

standardized for the area to be covered, the mix of crops to be grown, and

the climate conditions of the locale. This will require cropping information

15
for the canals concerned. WUI is a non-dimensional parameter and

measured over a time within an irrigation unit. This concept is related to the

available water supply, demand and management intensity in an irrigation

system. WUI is also used to assess the equity of water distribution. A land

use classification is obtained by converting raw satellite images into a map

with meaningful classes. The basis for the differentiation between classes is

the differences in reflective behaviour of land cover types. The Surface

Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is an image-processing

model that calculates actual (ETact) and potential evapotranspiration rates

(ETpot) as well as other energy exchanges between land and atmosphere.

The key input data for SEBAL consists of raster values of spectral radiance

in the visible, near-infrared and thermal infrared part of the spectrum.

Hence, the measurements are unique for every pixel. Satellite radiances are

converted into land surface characteristics such as surface albedo, leaf area

index, vegetation index and surface temperature. Additional input used in

deriving the land surface characteristics are digital elevation models (DEM)

and a land use maps. The land use map differentiates only between water,

vegetated areas, bare soil and built-up area.

2.3.2 Crop yield

16
The SEBAL algorithm is also used to compute and map biomass growth and

accordingly the crop yield.

2.3.3 On-farm income

The on-farm income was calculated based on the FARMOD developed by

the World Bank, and includes the production, revenues, and costs of

agriculture economic activity. The prices of the crops were used based on

Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation MALR Economic analysis

report, 2009.

2.3.4 Incidences of water related diseases

The water-related diseases are relatively high in the tail reaches of

Mahmoudyia watershed as reported by the Ministry of Health and

Population and the Ministry of State of Environmental Affairs

(Environmental profile of Behira governorate 2007. However, one of the

major polluting sources is the unorganized reuse of drainage water in

agriculture.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 WUI

17
In order to estimate the WUI values in summer 2008 and winter season

2008/2009, different indicators must be evaluated namely, cropping pattern,

actual evapo-transpiration, and water discharges at the inlet of each

irrigation district.

3.1.1 Cropping pattern

The obtained land use classification is presented in tables 2 and 3.

Table 2 Cropping pattern of Mahmoudyia watershed during summer 2008

Orchard Vegetable Total

District Rice Cotton Maize s s (fed)

Mahmoudyia 8500 5500 7500 1232 1000 23732

Abo Hommes 34500 17253 25880 4319 4313 86265

Kafr El- 23604.

Dawar 3 15736 23604 7868 7868 78681

El-Raml 10202 10202 20404 7651 2550 51009

239687

18
Table 3 Cropping pattern of Mahmoudyia watershed during winter 2008/2009

Alfa Sugar Orchar Vegetable Total

District Wheat Alfa beet d s (Fed)

Mahmoudyia 11866 9492.8 711.96 474.64 1186.6 23732

Abo Hommes 43132.5 34506 2587.95 1725.3 4313.25 86265

35406.4

Kafr El-Dawar 5 31472.4 1574 7868 2360 78681

22954.0

El-Raml 5 20403.6 1020 5101 1530 51009

239687

3.1.2 Estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ET)

The average evapotranspiration of rice for the selected branch canals in the

Mahmoudyia watershed areas. The total range is from 720 mm to 820 mm.

The average for Mahmoudia is 784 m. The averages of ETact of

Mahmoudyia districts are very close to each other. Within the figure still

there is variability to be seen, but on the other hand the difference between

the highest evapotranspiration and lowest evapotranspiration is less than

15%. The average values of ETact for the main crops in summer 2008 and

winter 2008/2009 has also been calculated as shown in Table 4.

Table 4: ET results of the summer period for various types of agricultural land use.

19
Crop Acreage(fed) Eta (mm) Standard deviation

Rice 76806 784 43

Cotton 48691 913 47

Maize 77388 724 73

Orchard 21070 788 67

3.1.3 Average water supplies

Figures (4 and 5) present the average daily of irrigation water supply (total

water supply excluding municipal water consumption) downstream both

calibrated sections during both seasons. During summer season, water

supply downstream the first section was steadier than water supply

downstream Kafr El-Dawar regulator. The coefficient of variations

increased from 5% downstream the first section to 13% downstream second

section. During winter season, the steadiness downstream both sections

decreased and it was obvious downstream the second section. Coefficient of

variations increased from 15% downstream the first section and to 31%

downstream the second section. The period, when water supply reached its

maximum steadiness levels, was during July and August 2008 and the

period, when water supply reached its minimum steadiness levels, was from

20
January to March 2009. From the two figures, the following could be

concluded regarding water supply in El-Mahmoudia canal:

 Municipal water consumed around 40% of total water supply for the

entire area downstream the first section. Downstream Kafr El-Dawar

regulator, municipal water consumed 72% of total water supply.

During winter seasons, the ratios increased from 46% downstream

the first section to 76% downstream the second section.

 The equity is missing in the canal and there is a big difference

between the region upstream Kafr El-Dawar and the region

downstream the regulator.

 The variation of water supply values increased downstream Kafr El-

Dawar regulator and it increased in winter than in summer.

Figure 4: Average daily and water supply downstream El-Mahmoudia

intake during summer 2008 and winter 2008-09

21
Figure 5: Average daily water supply values for El-Mahmoudia canal

downstream Kafr El-Dawar regulator during summer 2008 and winter 2009

Table 5: Calculations of WUI in district level within Mahmoudyia watershed

Annual Annual Total

Annual
Net Annual Allocated Reused Annual
industrial
cult. municipal fresh drainage water used ET act
District water WUI
area water req. water for water for for MCM/yr
Req.
(fed) MCM agriculture Agriculture agriculture
MCM
MCM MCM MCM

Mahmoudyia 23732 9.125 2.92 237 15.2 253 137 1.8

Abo

Hommes 86265 58.4 2.92 690 157.5 848 570 1.5

Kafr El- 78681 73 89.79 551 126 677 520 1.3

22
Dawar

El-Raml 51009 900.82 173.375 316 105.6 422 337 1.2

Total 239,687 1,041 269 1,794 404.3 2,200 1,564 1.4

Table 5 presents the calculated average values of WUI varied from 1.8 in

Mahmoudyia district, 1.5 in abo Hommes, 1.3 in Kafr El-Dawar and

decreased to 1.2 in El-Raml district at the downstream of Mahmoudyia

watershed. Low WUI values (WUI’s < 1.15) (indicating insufficient or poor

water supply) occur much more frequently than high WUI’s in Kafr El-

Dawar and El-Raml districts.

This proves that large inequity in water supply exists between and within

different irrigation districts in Mahmoudyia watershed canals. It was

demonstrated that variations in ETact between districts and branch canals

are considerable and that these cannot be explained sufficiently on the

ground of differences in cropping mix.

Differences in WUI values can be attributed to variations in water supply

rather than to differences in crop water consumption.

3.2 Main crops yield

The biomass production routine in SEBAL is based on solar radiation

absorption by chlorophyll and the conversion of this energy into a dry

23
matter production by means of light use efficiency. The accumulated yield

production values for the main crops were calculated using MODIS and

Landsat a 30 m pixel resolution during the summer of 2008 and winter

2008/2009. The biomass is converted into crop yield using a conversion

factor, which is crop specific. Figure 6 presents the decrease of the main

crops yields from upstream to downstream areas of Mahmoudyia watershed.

For example, the yield of cotton in Mahmoudyia watershed during summer

2008 varies from 3 ton/ha (8 Kintar/fed) in the upstream areas of

Mahmoudyia to 1.8 ton/ha (4.8 kintar/fed) in the areas irrigated from

drainage water.

Figure 6 Decrease of main crops yields from upstream to downstream of

Mahmoudyia watershed

24
3.3 On- farm income

The on-farm income varies from 6,800 LE/Fed/Year in Mahmoudyia and

Abo Hommos districts to about 6,100 LE/Fed/Year in El-Raml district due

to the low yields of the main crops irrigated from drainage water especially

the sensitive crops to salinity as vegetables as shown in figure 7.

Figure 7 Variations of on-farm income within Mahmoudyia watershed

3.4 Incidence of water related diseases

The number of cases of typhoid and paratyphoid diseases in Beheira

governorate, registered in 2007, were 1123 and 998 respectively and the

maximum number of cases was registered in the downstream areas in Kafr

El-Dawar. Similarly the maximum number of Hepatitis A&B was registered

in the downstream areas of Mahmoudyia watershed in Kafr El-Dawar

25
district as shown in figure 8 (Behira Environmental Profile 2007). This can

partially be attributed to the health hazards associated with the unorganized

drainage water reuse in Mahmoudyia watershed due to the improper water

allocation.

Figure 8 Incidences of water related diseases in Mahmoudyia watershed

4. Conclusion and Recommendations

The results of this study highlight the impact of improper water allocation in

Mahmoudyia command area namely:

 Decrease in the yield of main crops by about 10-45%,

 Decrease in farm income by about 10%,

 Increase in the widespread of water related diseases, which can

partially be attributed to the health hazards associated with the

26
 unorganized drainage water reuse in Mahmoudyia watershed due to

the improper water allocation.

It was recommended to apply a Decision Support System DSS in the study

area to enable the decision makers to reallocate the irrigation and drainage

water in Mahmoudia districts based on socioeconomic and environmental

aspects. The DSS will also enable the decision makers to study the effect of

applying the full package of irrigation improvement on water allocation and

also other scenarios for using non conventional water resources

(desalination) to secure the additional drinking water requirements for

Alexandria which will increase by 80% as planned in 2050 strategy.

5. References

"M. Allam, F. El-Gamal and M. Hesham" Options méditerranéennes

2005, Series B, n°52, Irrigation Systems Performance in Egypt

"Egyptian Ministry of state of environmental Affairs" Environmental

Profile of Behira Governorate, 2007, Cairo, Egypt.

"Egyptian Governorates Human Development Reports", Behira

Governorate, 2005

IIIMP, 2009, Baseline study 2008-2009 presented to the World Bank.

27
"Economic Affairs Sector at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land

Reclamation", Economic analysis report, 2009.

"Water Management Research Institute, 2010", Technical report winter

2008-09, Monitoring & Evaluation of Integrated Irrigation

Improvement and Management Project (IIIMP)

"Water Watch, 2009", Remote Sensing Study for the Impact Monitoring of

the Integrated Irrigation Improvement and Management

Project, Wageningen, the Netherlands.

"Water Watch, 2010", A scientific description of SEBAL procedure

Retrieved 2010-04-08.

28
 ‫األثار الناتجة عن سياسات تخصيص وتوزيع المياه فى زمام ترعة المحمودية وفقا لإلعتبارات‬

‫االقتصادية واالجتماعية والبيئية‬

‫‪4‬‬
‫أ‪.‬د‪.‬محمد نور الدين‪ ,1‬د‪ .‬نهى دنيا‪ ,2‬د‪ .‬حسين الجمال‪, 3‬م‪.‬هشام الشاذلى‬

‫‪ 1‬كلية الهندسة جامعة عين شمس‬

‫‪ 2‬معهد الدراسات والبحوث البيئية‬

‫‪ 3‬المركز القومى لبحوث المياه‬

‫‪ 4‬وزارة الموارد المائية والرى‬

‫المستخلص‬

‫يعتبر توزيع المياه لمختلف القطاع‪u‬ات والمس‪u‬تخدمين ذو أهمي‪u‬ة بالغ‪u‬ة وخاص‪u‬ة فى البالد ذات الن‪u‬درة‬

‫المائية التى تعتمد على إمدادات المي‪uu‬اه من خ‪u‬ارج ح‪u‬دودها علم‪uu‬ا ب‪uu‬أن مص‪u‬ر تنقس‪u‬م إلى س‪u‬تة من‪uu‬اطق‬

‫مختلفة من حيث أنظمة وممارسات توزيع وإدارة المياه طبقا للظروف المختلفة هي‪u‬دروليكيا ومناخي‪u‬ا‪.‬‬

‫ويقع حوض تقسيم المي‪u‬اه لترع‪u‬ة المحمودي‪u‬ة فى الج‪u‬زء الش‪u‬مالى من غ‪u‬رب ال‪u‬دلتا بمحافظ‪u‬ة البح‪u‬يرة‬

‫وتعتبر جزء من المنطقة الخامس‪u‬ة من من‪uu‬اطق إدارات المي‪uu‬اه وتق‪u‬ع فى نهاي‪uu‬ة ش‪u‬بكة ال‪u‬رى فى مص‪u‬ر‬

‫وتعتمد بشكل جزئى على إعادة إس‪u‬تخدام مي‪uu‬اه الص‪u‬رف ال‪u‬زراعى‪ .‬ويعتم‪uu‬د تخص‪u‬يص وتوزي‪uu‬ع مي‪uu‬اه‬

‫الرى فى الترع الفرعية على الظروف الهيدرولوجية والمناخي‪uu‬ة والموق‪uu‬ع بالنس‪uu‬بة لترع‪uu‬ة المحمودي‪uu‬ة‬

‫كذلك يتم إعطاء أولوية إلحتياج‪uu‬ات محافظ‪uu‬ة اإلس‪uu‬كندرية من مي‪uu‬اه الش‪uu‬رب عن إحتياج‪uu‬ات ال‪uu‬رى فى‬

‫هندستى كف‪u‬ر ال‪u‬دوار والرم‪u‬ل وخاص‪u‬ة فى فص‪u‬ل الص‪u‬يف فض‪u‬ال عن عوام‪u‬ل ال‪u‬تركيب المحص‪u‬ولى‬

‫والمس‪u‬احة المنزرع‪u‬ة‪ .‬فض‪u‬ال على ذل‪u‬ك التوج‪u‬د أدوات لتط‪u‬بيق سياس‪u‬ة فعال‪u‬ة لتوزي‪u‬ع المي‪u‬اه ت‪u‬راعى‬

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‫اإلعتبارات البيئية وذلك بسبب نظام الرى القديم والمتهالك والتركيب المحصولى غير المنظم ونظ‪uu‬ام‬

‫الرصد والمراقب‪uu‬ة غ‪uu‬ير الفع‪uu‬ال لمناس‪uu‬يب المي‪uu‬اه والتص‪uu‬رفات بحيث ال ي‪uu‬ؤدى لجم‪uu‬ع البيان‪uu‬ات الكافي‪uu‬ة‬

‫لإلدارة المتكاملة للموارد المائي‪u‬ة فى الح‪u‬وض‪ .‬ل‪u‬ذلك يع‪u‬انى زم‪u‬ام ترع‪u‬ة المحمودي‪u‬ة من ع‪u‬دم عدال‪u‬ة‬

‫توزيع مياه الرى على مستوى الترع الفرعية وكذلك عدم كفاية مياه ال‪uu‬رى فى الهندس‪uu‬ات الواقع‪uu‬ة فى‬

‫نهاية الزمام وكذلك تدهور نوعية مياه ال‪uu‬رى واس‪uu‬تخدام مي‪uu‬اه الص‪uu‬رف ال‪uu‬زراعى عالي‪uu‬ة الملوح‪uu‬ة فى‬

‫الرى فضال عن تلوثها بمتبقيات المبيدات والمغذيات والمعادن الثقيلة واألحم‪uu‬ال العض‪uu‬وية فى ال‪uu‬وقت‬

‫الذى توجد فيه إمكانية إلعادة استخدام مياه الص‪uu‬رف ال‪uu‬زراعى ذات ملوح‪uu‬ة أق‪uu‬ل ونوعي‪uu‬ة مقبول‪uu‬ة من‬

‫مصرفى إدكو وبرسيق واليتم إستخدامهما لرى المناطق الشمالية من زمام ترعة المحمودية‪.‬‬

‫لذلك تلقى هذه الورقة البحثية الضوء على النتائج المترتبة على عدم التخصيص المناسب لمياه ال‪uu‬رى‬

‫(إقتص‪uu‬اديا وإجتماعي‪uu‬ا وبيئي‪uu‬ا) فى زم‪uu‬ام ترع‪uu‬ة المحمودي‪uu‬ة والمتمثل‪uu‬ة فى نقص إنتاجي‪uu‬ة المحاص‪uu‬يل‬

‫الرئيسية المنزرعة فى نهايات الزمام بحوالى ‪ %45-10‬وك‪uu‬ذلك نقص ال‪uu‬دخل ال‪uu‬زراعى للم‪uu‬زارعين‬

‫بحوالى ‪ %10‬باإلض‪u‬افة إلى زي‪u‬ادة مع‪u‬دل األم‪u‬راض المنقول‪u‬ة بالمي‪u‬اه وذل‪u‬ك بهندس‪u‬تى الرم‪u‬ل وكف‪u‬ر‬

‫الدوار فى نهايات زمام ترعة المحمودية‪ .‬لذلك توصى الورقة البحثية بتطوير وتط‪uu‬بيق نم‪uu‬وذج فع‪uu‬ال‬

‫لدعم إتخاذ القرار لتحسين إدارة مياه الرى بزمام ترعة المحمودي‪uu‬ة لتمكين متخ‪uu‬ذى الق‪uu‬رار من إع‪uu‬ادة‬

‫توزي‪u‬ع مي‪u‬اه ال‪u‬رى وإس‪u‬تخدام مي‪u‬اه الص‪u‬رف ال‪u‬زراعى بن‪u‬اء على الن‪u‬واحى اإلقتص‪u‬ادية واإلجتماعي‪u‬ة‬

‫واإلعتبارات البيئية‪ .‬ك‪uu‬ذلك يمكن لمتخ‪uu‬ذى الق‪uu‬رار عن طري‪uu‬ق تط‪uu‬بيق النم‪uu‬وذج دراس‪uu‬ة س‪uu‬يناريوهات‬

‫مستقبلية تأخذ فى إعتبارها تأثير أعمال تطوير الرى الجارى تنفي‪uu‬ذها حالي‪uu‬ا بزم‪uu‬ام ترع‪uu‬ة المحمودي‪uu‬ة‬

‫على تغيير سياسة توزيع مياه الرى وكذلك إمكانية إستخدام تحلية مياه البحر للوفاء بالزيادة المتوقع‪uu‬ة‬

‫فى إحتياجات مياه الشرب لسكان محافظة االسكندرية فى االستراتيجية الموضوعة لسنة ‪.2050‬‬

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