International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—The study examines the irrigation water quality for North Sinai Development Project (NSDP). The water resources investigated are agriculture wastewater mixed with Nile freshwater in a ratio of 1:1. This study focuses on the quality of irrigation water used in the reclamation and cultivation of 75,000 acres of the South-East EL-Kantra Canal lies in the NSDP. Six monitoring locations along the canal path were chosen for examination. Water samples were collected every month during the period from Dec. 2007 to Nov. 2014. The water parameters were set using the Egyptian irrigation water standards, based on the local Decree 92/2013 for the Executive Regulation of Law 48/1982, concerning the protection of the Nile River and its waterways from pollution, as well as the United States Environmental Agency, USEPA 2012 Guidelines for reclaimed water quality for irrigation. The results of the study clearly demonstrate restrictions to irrigate the uncooked vegetables and uncooked crops for human. The need for increasing the mixed Nile freshwater portion or pretreatment of the agriculture wastewater prior to mixing with the Nile freshwater to satisfy Egyptian irrigation water standards and USEPA 2012 as several water quality results, such as BOD, DO, and fecal coliform, are unacceptable. As a suggestion, we recommend using aerated lagoons, stabilization ponds or wetlands to treat polluted agriculture wastewater before adding to the Nile river water to satisfy Egyptian irrigation water criteria.

Index Terms—East South EL-Kantra Canal, agriculture wastewater, reuse, salinity, irrigation.

Mohamed Gabr is with Civil Engineering Department, High Institute for Engineering and Technology, New Damietta, Egypt (e-mail: m_egabr@yahoo.com).
Medhat El-Zahar was with Port Said University, 42523, Port Said, Egypt. He is now with the Department of Civil Engineering, Giza Engineering Institute, El-moneb, Giza, Egypt (e-mail: medhat.elzahar@gei.edu.eg, melzahar@yahoo.com).

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Cite: Mohamed Gabr and Medhat El-Zahar, "Study of the Quality of Irrigation Water in South-East El-Kantara Canal, North Sinai, Egypt," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 142-146, 2018.