Irrigation Water Potential And Land Suitability Assessment Of Muger Sub-Basin, Upper Abbay Basin

Abstract

Irrigation Is An Important Factor In Improving Food Security By Increasing Agricultural Production. The Development Of Irrigation And Water Management For Agriculture Has A Significant Role In Improving Productivity And Reducing Vulnerability To Climate Change. This Study Was Concerned With Surface Irrigation Potential Assessment In The Muger Sub Basin Using Geo-Spatial Techniques. The Study Was Identified Suitable Land, Available Surface Water Crop Water Demand, And Supply For Dominant Crops Grown In The Sub-Basin, And Also Produced Suitability Maps For Surface Irrigation Development. To Identify Suitable Land The Land Suitability Parameters Were Used Such As Land Slope, Soil Parameters, Proximity, And Land Cover Land Uses. The Suitability Of Each Parameter Was Analyzed Individually And Then The Weighted Overlay Analysis Was To Get The Overall Suitable Land. The Result Revealed That 0.7% (5652.48 Ha) Highly Suitable, 15.1% (123237.7 Ha) Moderate Suitable, 67.3% (551156 Ha) Marginally Suitable And 16.9% (138753.5 Ha) Unsuitable. The Stream flow Was Assessed With The Arcswat Model With An Interface Arcgis. The Model Calibration And Validation Using Observed Streamflow. The Result Showed That Model Performance Evaluation Statistics Coefficient Of Determination, Nash-Sutcliffe Model Efficiency, And Relative Volume Error For Calibration Were 0.79, 0.78, And 7% Respectively and For Validation 0.82, 0.8, And 3% Respectively. This Shows That A Good Agreement Between The Simulated And Observed Values. The Crop Water Requirement Of Selected Crops Was Identified By The CROPWAT Model Using Climate Data, Soil Data, And Crop Data. The Comparison Of Stream flow With The Gross Irrigation Water Requirements For Selected Crops And Identified Sites For Surface Irrigation. So, The Irrigation Potential In The Study Area Was Found 136720.12 Ha (37.2%) Of The Total Suitable Land In The Sub-Basin. To Irrigate The Remained Suitable Land Of 543326.4 Ha, It Requires 1261.1 M3/S, And To Achieve It, A Water Storage Structure Is Required. The Identified Surface Irrigation Potential Assists policymakers In the Development of Irrigation Projects. This Study Considered Only Slope, Land Use Land Cover, And Soil Physical Properties But Other Suitability Factors Like, Socioeconomic, Environmental Issues, Soil Chemical Characteristics, And Irrigation Method Should Be Studied.