Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 1: Introduction: 1.1 Definition, Necessity and Scope of Irrigation
Chapter 1: Introduction: 1.1 Definition, Necessity and Scope of Irrigation
Chapter 1: Introduction: 1.1 Definition, Necessity and Scope of Irrigation
The 1984 drought had a considerable impact on Ethiopia’s development policy, and the
1984 Ten-Year perspective plan allocated top priority to agricultural development with
objective of achieving self sufficiency in food production, establishing a strategic reserve
meeting the raw material requirement of industries and expanding output of exportable
agricultural products to increase foreign exchange earnings.
Traditional small scale schemes: These includes up to 100 ha in area, built and
operated by farmers in local communities. Traditionally, farmers have built small scale
schemes on their own initiative with government technical and material support. They
manage them in their own users’ associations or committees and irrigate areas from 50 to
100 ha with the average ranging from 70 to 90 ha. A total of 1,309 such schemes existed
in 1992 covering an estimated area of 60,000ha.
Water users’ associations have long existed to operate and manage traditional schemes.
They comprise about 200 users who share a main or branch canal and further grouped in
to several teams of 20 to 30 farmers each.
These schemes are generally based on run-of - diversion of streams and rivers and may
also involve micro dams for storage. On-farm support from the respective agricultural
departments and maintenance of head works by water, mines and energy sections as well
Modern private schemes: up to 2000 ha, owned and operated by private investors
individually, in partnership, or as corporations. Medium to large scale irrigation schemes
in Ethiopia are private enterprises. The private estates are the pioneers in the development
of medium and large scale irrigation development projects in the upper Awash during the
1950s and 1960s. During the 1990s some private schemes, mostly in the form of limited
companies re-emerged with the adoption of market based economic policy but have
expanded relatively slowly.
Public Schemes: of over 3,000 ha, owned and operated by public enterprises as estate
farms. They are recently developed irrigation schemes during the late 1970s. Gode West,
Omo Ratti and Alwero- Abobo began late in the 1980s and early in the 1990s but have
not yet been completed. Public involvement towards large scale schemes was withdrawn
due to government changes and most of such schemes with the exception of Fincha
sugare estate have been suspended. Large scale schemes being operated by public
enterprise extend over an area estimated at 61,000 ha. Oromiya and Affar account nearly
87% of all irrigation schemes and about 73% of this is located in Awash valley. The
SNNPR and Somali regions contain 9.9 and 3.3 percent respectively, WSDP (2003).
Another study conducted by FAO argues the estimation of the potential irrigable land by
WAPCOS is over estimated. That of the total potential irrigable area identified by
WAPCOS, some 3 Mha of the soils or 90% of that of the total were classified as only
marginally suitable and in some case non-suitable with the technology available. The
main reason for this is the predominance of vertisols and nitosols in the areas identified.
Theses soils are characterized by high clay content, restricted damage and difficult
workability. To avoid water logging under irrigated conditions it is necessary to adopt a
low cropping intensity or to install expensive sub-surface drainage. Either alternative
significantly reduces the economic viability of irrigation. However, such soils are
frequently classified as highly suitable for rice production.
Ethiopia has a rich water resources potential, but water can be very short in many places.
Except for the Awash and the Omo, all the large rivers originating in Ethiopia flow into
neighboring countries. Unlike in the past Ethiopia is now taking genuine steps towards
Ethiopia has not developed irrigation to the potential it has, i.e. according to the
availability of physical resources, land and water. At present only a little more than
3% of the irrigable land is currently irrigated both in large and medium scale. The
development of irrigated areas in the country has also been unevenly spread. Over
70% of the area developed for irrigation to date is in the Awash River basin. Most of
the development has been in the Awash valley, which is the most accessible basin to
Addis and has the best infrastructure to support irrigation development.
The spells of drought during the last two decades have led to increased interest in
irrigation development. Irrigation is thus expanding in the Wabi-Shebelle and Genale
rivers and in the Ziway-Meki area of the rift valley. There are also a number of
proposals for further irrigation schemes in several of the other basins including the
Omo River, Rift valley lakes and Baro-Akobo. Following the decentralization of
governance, there are now a number of regional initiatives to develop irrigation,
especially at the small and medium scales, building on existing traditional small-scale
irrigation systems, and augmenting them with the diversion of streams and the
construction of earth dams. Irrigation development in Ethiopia, as in other countries,
Some of the adverse effects of irrigation development on the environment are: The
development of medium and large scale irrigation projects causes a displacement of
the indigenous population engaged in pastoral modes of life. Clear examples include
the displacement of 60,000 Afar pastoralists from the Amibara irrigation project in
the Middle Awash (Mac Donald, 1990) and unspecified number of kereyou
pastoralists during the establishment of the Metehara sugar plantation in the upper
Awash.
With respect to the use of irrigation for crop production in the highlands, the success
has been little. The existence of small scales irrigation by small holders in parts of
Shewa. Tigray Harerege, Gojjam, North omo and few others is known. But the
constraints of small scales of irrigation in the highlands of Ethiopia are physical,
know-how. Capacity and climatic ones.
Until last year Ethiopia did not have a coherent water resource policy. Lack of an
irrigation policy precluded the preparation of a strategy for he sub-sector which
would have identified development targets and priorities. The large number of
different agencies involved particularly in medium and large scale irrigation created
considerable difficulties in coordination of activities leading to overlap of
responsibilities and inefficient use of scarce human, financial and physical resources.
Defined institutional responsibilities and allowed rational planning of future
manpower requirements and its development. The sub-sector also suffered from
unnecessary institutional and fragmentation.
2. Some salt present in soil react to produce nourishing food products only in the
presence of water
The following factors should be considered when assessing irrigation water quality.
A, Sediment: its effect depends upon the type of irrigated land when fine sediment from
water is deposited on sandy soils the fertility is improved on the other hand if the
sediment has been derived from the eroded areas it may reduce the fertility or decrease
the soil permeability. Sediment water creates troubles in irrigation canals as it increases
their siltation and maintenance costs. In general ground water or surface water from
reservoirs, etc does not have sufficient sediment to cause any serious problems in
irrigation.
The proportion of sodium ions present in the soil is generally measured by a factor
called sodium-absorption ratio (SAR) and represents the sodium hazards of water. SAR is
defined as:
Na
SAR =
Ca Mg
2
E, Potentially toxic elements: elements like Boron, Selenium, etc may be toxic to
plants.
Concentration of Boron exceeding 0.3 PPM may be toxic to certain plants.
>0.5 PPM dangerous to nuts, citrus fruits.
Dates. Beets, asparagus are quite tolerant. Even for the most tolerant crops its
concentration should not exceed 4 PPM. Boron is present in various soaps. Wastewater
containing soap, etc should be used with great care in irrigation.
Guidelines for the interpretation of water quality for irrigation water
(FAO, 1976)
Irrigation Water quality Parameters:
The following guidelines can be used in assessing the water quality for irrigation.
I. Salinity status: ECw and TDS
II. Infiltration capacity: this can be done by estimating SAR and ECw, salinity &
sodium content.
III. Specific ion Toxicity: Na , Cl, B, Other trace elements: Al, As, Be, Cd, Co,
Cr, Cu, F, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, etc
IV. Miscellaneous effect: Nitrogen NO3 - N, Bicarbonate (HCO3) - for overhead
irrigation
Note: In Ethiopia, Small scale irrigations are those which have command areas <200 ha,
medium scale 200-3000 ha And large scale >3000 ha.
With this respect, Ethiopia has a total potentially irrigable area of about 3,637,000 ha,
which is 27.55% of the total cultivable area. From which
o For small scale irrigation 165,000-400,000 ha.
o For medium and large scale irrigation 3,300,000 ha.
Basically, the development of water resources for irrigation requires the conception,
planning, design, construction, and operation of various facilities to utilize and control
water and to maintain water quality.
Investigations of the development of irrigation projects need multi-disciplinary
approach. Specialists of different discipilines, such as, Soil and water specialist,
Engineers (Irrigation and civil), Agronomist, Geologist, and Socio-economist required.
When the idea of an irrigation project is conceived (after reconnaissance survey), the data
to be collected at the feasibility study stage are :
1. Physical data: Location, size, phsiography (description of land form which includes
only physical aspects), climate, etc.
2. Hydrological data: Precipitation, Evaporation, transpiration, stream flow, sediment,
water quality etc.
3. Agricultural data: Land classification, crop water requirements, types of crops etc
4. Geological data: Rock & Soil types, ground water, minerals, erosion, etc.
5. Cartographic data: Topographic & other maps of the area.
6. Ecological data: Types of vegetation, fish & wild life.
7. Demographic data: Population statistics, data of people etc.
8. Economic data: Means of transportation, market, land taxes, etc.
9. Legal data: Water rights, land ownership administrative pattern, etc
10. Data in existing project: Types of Location of various projects.
11. Data on public opinion: Opinions of different section of the society
12. Flood control data: Records of past flood, extent of damage caused, drainage
requirements etc
Private concessionaires who operated farms for growing commercial crops such as
cotton, sugarcane and horticultural crops started the first formal large scale irrigation
schemes in the 1950s in the upper and lower Awash Valley. In the '60s irrigated
agriculture was expanded in all parts of the Awash Valley and in the Lower Rift Valley.
During the Derge era, all private farms were nationalized, thereby ending the highly
motivated but embryonic private sector. The government pursued the development of
medium and large-scale irrigation schemes as State Farms, initiating a number of
schemes dispersed in many parts of the country that ranged from Amibara Irrigation
Project in the Middle Awash to Alwero Irrigation Project in Gambella and Gode-West
Irrigation near Gode town. Following the downfall of the Dergue, the current government
until recently withdrew from expanding State Farms and further construction of medium
and large-scale irrigation.
While the development of small-scale irrigation schemes has continued under Regional
Water, Mines and Energy Bureaus, the development of medium and large-scale irrigation
has virtually ceased since the mid 90s until recently. This is due to the withdrawal of the
Federal Government from running state development enterprises such as irrigated state
farms, following the adoption of market based economic policy.
The private sector has also been reluctant to fill the gap created by this withdrawal.
Private consultancy firms and construction contractors, on the other hand, have quickly
emerged with the coming in to force of a market based economic policy. Private
irrigation farmers have also commenced operation in the Awash, Meki-zway, and Woito
valleys, albeit on a small and medium scale.
The Country has a total area of about 1.13 million km2, with estimated arable land
resources of potential of 55 million hectares, or approximately 50% of its land mass
(UNDP-FAO, 1984).Despite the huge arable land resources potential, only 14% of the
country's total land mass is being utilized for crop cultivation.
The following criteria are used for classification of irrigation projects in Ethiopia:
Small Scale under 200 ha
Medium scale 200 to 3,000 ha
Large scale Over 3,000 ha
IRRIGATION POTENTIAL
Based upon the various river basin master plans and land and water resources surveys,
the aggregate irrigation potentials of Ethiopia have been estimated to be 2,523,000
million hectares, net. The gross irrigation potential would be about 3.7 million hectares.
The total area irrigated till 1991 was 176015 ha, this figure had increased to 197,250 ha
in 1998. According to data recently compiled by MOWR 2004/5 from different master
plan studies and regions the area under irrigation in the country has increased to about
250,613 ha. This is due to rapid increment of the area under traditional irrigation.
The projects are found in the Awash Basin. A total of 90,000ha Irrigation area with all its
infrastructure & Dams design completed. With in the coming one year it is assumed that
all of is construction works will be completed.
2. Ethiopian Nile Irrigation & Drainage Projects: These projects are found in the
Abbay & Tekeze Basins.