Abstract:
Irrigation development is one of the key strategies to increase agricultural production to
generate profit. One of the main factor rain fed dependent agriculture is rainfall variability
and unreliability occurrences. Due to this effect, crops are failed and consequence, food
insecurity often turns into famine. Surface water and land resource potential for surface
irrigation was assessed before any structure is launched. The main problem on this study area,
potential of irrigable area, available water and irrigation water demand for dominant crops
were not known. In order to alleviate this problem, assessment of surface water and land
resource potential for surface irrigation was assessed. To meet the main objective, land
suitability, available water and irrigation water demand was assessed in this thesis.
Materials used to assessing surface irrigation potential were GIS, CROPWAT8.0, and PCP.
Land suitability was assessed by using GIS model. The most determinant factors of surface
irrigation were land use/cover, slope and soil suitability was assessed for this study. Soil
suitability was examined in terms of soil depth; texture and drainage for surface irrigation
using GIS model.
Overall soil suitability for surface irrigation was obtained two suitability class namely
moderately suitable and marginal suitable. The area of each suitability 7040ha (19.31%) is
covered by moderately suitable and 29,410ha (80.69%) is covered by marginal suitable for
surface irrigation. Land suitability potential was evaluated by overlying soil, slope and land use/cover. Based on
this analysis suitability area of surface irrigation is 11.85 % highly suitable, 53.58%
moderately, suitable, 30.45% marginal suitable and 4.12% were not suitable from the total
study area for surface irrigation. On average, to irrigate this irrigable area
2,558.5mm/growing period of water is needed for wheat, sunflower, barely, pepper and
maize.
Throughout the season irrigation water demand was greater than available stream flow. The
total irrigable area due to the available stream flow was about 813.98ha (2.33%) of the total
identified irrigable area for wheat, sunflower, barely, pepper and maize. To irrigate this land
129.75m3
/s gross irrigation water is supplied to the field for these crops. Hence, irrigation
water demand is greater than the available stream flow the decision maker should take the
mitigation measure by increasing upland infiltration, pumping water from the lake, and
exploring water from ground and construct soil water conservation.
