IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v288y2023ics0378377423003499.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Challenges in modernizing the subsurface drainage systems in Egypt

Author

Listed:
  • Ritzema, Henk
  • Abdel-Dayem, Safwat
  • El-Atfy, Hussein
  • Nasralla, Magdy Rashad
  • Shaheen, Hanny Saad

Abstract

After completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970, the Egyptian government undertook an ambitious programme to install drainage on all of Egypt’s agricultural lands (approx. 2.7 Mha). In the decades that followed, subsurface drainage was implemented on 2.5 Mha, and drainage practices evolved from manual to large-scale and mechanized. Currently, new or rehabilitated systems are being installed on some 25,000 ha each year. However, modernization is needed to address high maintenance costs, extend the less-than-expected lifespan of the subsurface pipe systems and adapt to ongoing changes in climate and land use, such as shifting cropping patterns and irrigation practices. This paper discusses challenges in modernizing these subsurface drainage systems and makes recommendations for improving the design process to overcome some of the main issues presented. The focus is on a decentralized design approach to facilitate a more participatory process and better account for location-specific conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ritzema, Henk & Abdel-Dayem, Safwat & El-Atfy, Hussein & Nasralla, Magdy Rashad & Shaheen, Hanny Saad, 2023. "Challenges in modernizing the subsurface drainage systems in Egypt," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:288:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003499
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108484
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423003499
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108484?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yuhui Yang & Dongwei Li & Weixiong Huang & Xinguo Zhou & Zhaoyang Li & Xiaomei Dong & Xingpeng Wang, 2022. "Effects of Subsurface Drainage on Soil Salinity and Groundwater Table in Drip Irrigated Cotton Fields in Oasis Regions of Tarim Basin," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Ritzema, H.P., 2016. "Drain for Gain: Managing salinity in irrigated lands—A review," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 18-28.
    3. Ritzema, H.P. & Satyanarayana, T.V. & Raman, S. & Boonstra, J., 2008. "Subsurface drainage to combat waterlogging and salinity in irrigated lands in India: Lessons learned in farmers' fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(3), pages 179-189, March.
    4. Wouter Wolters & Robert Smit & Mohamed Nour El-Din & Eman Sayed Ahmed & Jochen Froebrich & Henk Ritzema, 2016. "Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation in the Nile Delta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-12, April.
    5. Ritzema, H.P. & Nijland, H.J. & Croon, F.W., 2006. "Subsurface drainage practices: From manual installation to large-scale implementation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 86(1-2), pages 60-71, November.
    6. El-Atfy, H. E. & Abdel-Alim, M. Q. & Ritzema, H. P., 1991. "A modified layout of the subsurface drainage system for rice areas in the Nile Delta, Egypt," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 289-302, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Singh, Ajay, 2019. "Poor-drainage-induced salinization of agricultural lands: Management through structural measures," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 457-463.
    2. Abdullah Darzi-Naftchali & Henk Ritzema, 2018. "Integrating Irrigation and Drainage Management to Sustain Agriculture in Northern Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Qian, Yingzhi & Zhu, Yan & Ye, Ming & Huang, Jiesheng & Wu, Jingwei, 2021. "Experiment and numerical simulation for designing layout parameters of subsurface drainage pipes in arid agricultural areas," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    4. Ritzema, H.P., 2016. "Drain for Gain: Managing salinity in irrigated lands—A review," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 18-28.
    5. Xu Dou & Haibin Shi & Ruiping Li & Qingfeng Miao & Feng Tian & Dandan Yu & Liying Zhou & Bo Wang, 2021. "Effects of Controlled Drainage on the Content Change and Migration of Moisture, Nutrients, and Salts in Soil and the Yield of Oilseed Sunflower in the Hetao Irrigation District," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Jouni, Hamidreza Javani & Liaghat, Abdolmajid & Hassanoghli, Alireza & Henk, Ritzema, 2018. "Managing controlled drainage in irrigated farmers’ fields: A case study in the Moghan plain, Iran," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 393-405.
    7. Muhammad Ali Imran & Jinlan Xu & Muhammad Sultan & Redmond R. Shamshiri & Naveed Ahmed & Qaiser Javed & Hafiz Muhammad Asfahan & Yasir Latif & Muhammad Usman & Riaz Ahmad, 2021. "Free Discharge of Subsurface Drainage Effluent: An Alternate Design of the Surface Drain System in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-13, April.
    8. S. A. Prathapar & N. Rajmohan & B. R. Sharma & P. K. Aggarwal, 2018. "Vertical drains to minimize duration of seasonal waterlogging in Eastern Ganges Basin flood plains: a field experiment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 92(1), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Liu, Yi & Hu, Yue & Wei, Chenchen & Zeng, Wenzhi & Huang, Jiesheng & Ao, Chang, 2024. "Synergistic regulation of irrigation and drainage based on crop salt tolerance and leaching threshold," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    10. Li Zhao & Tong Heng & Lili Yang & Xuan Xu & Yue Feng, 2021. "Study on the Farmland Improvement Effect of Drainage Measures under Film Mulch with Drip Irrigation in Saline–Alkali Land in Arid Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    11. Mehdi Jafari-Talukolaee & Henk Ritzema & Abdullah Darzi-Naftchali & Ali Shahnazari, 2016. "Subsurface Drainage to Enable the Cultivation of Winter Crops in Consolidated Paddy Fields in Northern Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-19, March.
    12. Christianson, Laura E. & Hanly, James A. & Hedley, Mike J., 2011. "Optimized denitrification bioreactor treatment through simulated drainage containment," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 85-92.
    13. Feng, Genxiang & Zhu, Chengli & Wu, Qingfeng & Wang, Ce & Zhang, Zhanyu & Mwiya, Richwell Mubita & Zhang, Li, 2021. "Evaluating the impacts of saline water irrigation on soil water-salt and summer maize yield in subsurface drainage condition using coupled HYDRUS and EPIC model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    14. Darzi-Naftchali, Abdullah & Motevali, Ali & Keikha, Mahdi, 2022. "The life cycle assessment of subsurface drainage performance under rice-canola cropping system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    15. Ritzema, H.P. & Satyanarayana, T.V. & Raman, S. & Boonstra, J., 2008. "Subsurface drainage to combat waterlogging and salinity in irrigated lands in India: Lessons learned in farmers' fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(3), pages 179-189, March.
    16. Danni Han & Chao Chen & Fan Wang & Wenping Li & Hao Peng & Qiu Jin & Bo Bi & Hiba Shaghaleh & Yousef Alhaj Hamoud, 2023. "Effects of Subsurface Pipe Drainage Spacing on Soil Salinity Movement in Jiangsu Coastal Reclamation Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.
    17. Singh, Ajay & Krause, Peter & Panda, Sudhindra N. & Flugel, Wolfgang-Albert, 2010. "Rising water table: A threat to sustainable agriculture in an irrigated semi-arid region of Haryana, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(10), pages 1443-1451, October.
    18. Yuhui Yang & Dongwei Li & Weixiong Huang & Xinguo Zhou & Zhaoyang Li & Xiaomei Dong & Xingpeng Wang, 2022. "Effects of Subsurface Drainage on Soil Salinity and Groundwater Table in Drip Irrigated Cotton Fields in Oasis Regions of Tarim Basin," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-14, December.
    19. Erenstein, Olaf, 2009. "Comparing water management in rice-wheat production systems in Haryana, India and Punjab, Pakistan," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(12), pages 1799-1806, December.
    20. Minhas, P.S. & Yadav, R.K. & Bali, Aradhana, 2020. "Perspectives on reviving waterlogged and saline soils through plantation forestry," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:288:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003499. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.