Ahmed A. Al-Naeem
Department of Soil and Environment, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Hofuf, Al-Ahsa, 11982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Parvaiz A. Cheema
Former Civil Engineer, HIDA, Hofuf, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
Ghulam Hussain
National Center for Water Technology (NCWT), KACST, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh, 11442, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
One of the major problem of arid regions is inadequate irrigation supplies to sustainable irrigated agriculture. Al-Ahsa oasis is one of the largest irrigated agriculture areas in Saudi Arabia. Presently, urban and rural expansion have caused serious impact on the existing water resources which resulted in poor land productivity. The main objective of this study was to develop a hydrological model for sustainable irrigated agriculture in Al-Ahsa Oasis considering the climate, spring discharge, spring water level, main water aquifers and their water level, drainage discharge, potential evaporation, precipitation, crop water requirements and urban water use in the Oasis. Regression equations were used to develop hydrological model. The results showed that the extraction of groundwater from Neogene aquifer affects the spring levels more than the extraction from Alat or Al-Khobar aquifer. The regression analysis indicated a strong interaction between the aquifers. The Alat and Al-Khobar aquifers were found closely interconnected. The study provided a guidance to the policy makers to decide the extent of water extraction from the Neogene aquifer. A significant decline was observed in the water level of springs. The study highlighted more pumping of groundwater by digging new wells to replace spring discharge for water supply to meet the growing water needs of agriculture sector. In conclusion, the study results can help Hassa Irrigation and Drainage Authority (HIDA) for long-term planning of water resources to maintain at least the existence agricultural productivity of Al-Ahsa oasis.
PDF References Citation
Received: June 24, 2013;
Accepted: August 27, 2013;
Published: November 21, 2013
How to cite this article
Ahmed A. Al-Naeem, Parvaiz A. Cheema and Ghulam Hussain, 2013. Development of Hydrological Model for Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture in Al-Ahsa Oasis. Journal of Applied Sciences, 13: 5572-5583.
DOI: 10.3923/jas.2013.5572.5583
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jas.2013.5572.5583
DOI: 10.3923/jas.2013.5572.5583
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jas.2013.5572.5583
REFERENCES
- Bastiaanssen, W.G.M., E.J.M. Noordman, H. Pelgrum, G. Davids, B.P. Thoreson and R. Allen, 2005. SEBAL model with remotely sensed data to improve water-resources management under actual field conditions. J. Irrigation Drain Eng., 131: 85-93.
CrossRef - Bharati, L., C. Rodgers, T. Erdenberger, M. Plotnikova, S. Shumilov, P. Vlek and N. Martin, 2008. Integration of economic and hydrologic models: Exploring conjunctive irrigation water use strategies in the Volta Basin. Agric. Water Manage., 95: 925-936.
CrossRef - Cai, X., D.C. McKinney and L.S. Lasdon, 2003. Integrated hydrologic-agronomic-economic model for river basin management. J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 129: 4-17.
CrossRef - Kannan, N., J. Jeong and R. Srinivasan, 2011. Hydrologic modeling of a canal-irrigated agricultural watershed with irrigation best management practices: Case study. J. Hydrol. Eng., 16: 746-757.
Direct Link - Kite, G., 2000. Using a basin-scale hydrological model to estimate crop transpiration and soil evaporation. J. Hydrol., 229: 59-69.
CrossRefDirect Link - Leavesley, G.H., S.L. Markstrom, P.J. Restrepo and R.J. Viger, 2002. A modular approach to addressing model design, scale and parameter estimation issues in distributed hydrological modelling. Hydrol. Process., 16: 173-187.
CrossRefDirect Link - Refsgaard, J.C. and M.B. Abbott, 1996. The role of distributed hydrological modelling in water resources management. Water Sci. Technol. Library, 22: 1-16.
CrossRef