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History of Irrigation 1

History of Irrigation 1. At least 6 major irrigation based civilizations arose between 2000 and 6000 years ago: In Mesopotamia: Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians The Egyptians formed the longest lasting irrigation society The Indus Valley in present day Pakistan

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History of Irrigation 1

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  1. History of Irrigation 1

  2. At least 6 major irrigation based civilizations arose between 2000 and 6000 years ago: In Mesopotamia: Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians The Egyptians formed the longest lasting irrigation society The Indus Valley in present day Pakistan The Yellow River Basin in China Ancient irrigation

  3. Harappan Civilization

  4. The Indus Valley Length: 3.200 km Originating in the Tibetan Plateau Civilizations: Harappan c. 3300–1300 BC Indo-Aryansc.1700 - 600 BC

  5. The Shaduf The people of Indus prospered on the foundations of an agriculture based system of irrigation and fertility, maintained by silt-bearing floods

  6. Indus valley • Ancient irrigation history using a network of inundation canals aligned with natural drainage canals • Based on maintaining fertility by silt bearing floods • The canals flowed for 4-5 months during the monsoon – then as drainage canals • They did not cause water logging

  7. Later irrigation based cultures arose in the western hemisphere, central Mexico, Peru and the US Southwest All reflected a common threat of vulnerability and environmental deterioration. Hohokam A.D. 300-900 build the first large-scale irrigation in the US Hohokam - Arizona

  8. Hohokam - Arizona • Advanced canal network along the Gila River dug out over centuries • The biggest canal 30 feet wide, 7 feet deep and 8 mile long enough to irrigate 8.000 acres • Could tap the entire spring run-off, channeling it to their fields high above the riverbed • As in Mesopotamia this resulted in increased salinity and finally to abandonment of the area

  9. Irrigation’s modern era Major irrigation sources The Indus Valley:Indus River The Nile China:Yellow River Yangtze River United States:Colorado River Columbia River Groundwater: Ogallala Aquifer Edwards Aquifer

  10. Colonization - technology • Colonial powers wanted increase in production and export to mother country • Change to European technology allowed bigger dams and longer and bigger canals • Technology implemented in a different environment, causing problems • In England big and straight canals not a problem, but in Pakistan and India problems with siltation and erosion of canals a major issue

  11. Colonization - technology • The new irrigation technology disrupted many local small-scale irrigation systems which had functioned for centuries: • Haveli system: • Rainwater during the wet season was held in fields by earth embankments 2 to 12 hectares. • At beginning of dry season they drain the fields and plant the crop – water enough in soil profile to grow the crop • Tank (dugout) system • Store rainwater and run-off from wet seasons • 2 million tanks in India irrigate 3.5 mil. ha

  12. The Indus - Pakistan Located on the river Indus 50 miles northwest of Islamabad. Was completed in 1974. It is the world’s largest earth and rock-filled dam. Sedimentation has reduced its capacity by 30%

  13. The Indus in Pakistan • With the Tabela Dam on the Indus and Mangla Dam on the Jhelum river and associated canal system the Indus Basin Irrigation system became the world largest contiguous irrigation network – 14 million hectares • Accounts for 6% of worlds irrigated area

  14. ◄Geographic Guide ◄Africa ◄Maps Gibraltar► The Nile River Atbara The White Nile The Blue Nile curitibabrasilsalvadoramerica nortecuritiba brazil seach for best sites country trips airline tickets, education, leisure links. imoveis curitibahotel curitiba

  15. The Nile • Irrigation’s greatest challenge: Sustain tens of millions of people in a land that gets virtually no rain • A narrow strip of green and life in a sea of desert • This strip and the fertile delta has supported Egypt’s civilization for millennia • But the type of irrigation that sustain its people today is markedly different from its past – driven by population growth

  16. The Nile: Length 6.700 km Source: The White Nile: Lake Victoria, Uganda The Blue Nile: Lake Tan, Ethiopia River Atbara Major Dams: Roseires Dam Sennar Dam Aswan High Dam Owen Falls Dam

  17. Owens Falls in Uganda Uganda, as Ethiopia, is predominantly using their dams on the Nile for hydropower and not irrigation. However the potential is there – could cause conflict with Egypt

  18. Sennar Dam in Sudan Build in 1920, 45 m high and 3 km long Supply irrigation water to 60% of Sudan’s agriculture

  19. The Nile • Prior to 1800, cultivated area and population peaked about 100 A.D. at which time Egypt supplied the Roman empire with vast quantities of grain • Flood based irrigation only supported crop production 1/3 of the year - one winter crop • Build large flat-bottomed basins for growing crops along the river bank • They sluiced water into these basins when the river was in flood using simple gate structures • Water left on fields 40 to 60 days and then drained back into the river downstream • Plenty of water so salt never built up in the soil

  20. The Nile • The flow in the canals was strong enough to prevent siltation. Siltation in the basins beneficial as fertilizer • Ditches and canals were short and irrigation systems very local • Early 19th century the population exploded and crop production started to fall short of needs • In 1861 a series of diversion dams build across the Nile north of Cairo followed by a number of other dams. Aswan Dam completed by British engineers in 1902, expanded twice by 1934 • This allowed two to three crops a year and fundamentally changed irrigation in Egypt

  21. The Nile • The River did not flood anymore – irrigation depends on perennial canal irrigation only • Soil constantly moist all year round • Even with low salinity content this change has caused a build up of salt as water evaporates • In 1928 water scholars warned about the threat of salinization of the land and that the big dams would hold bag the silt that had replenished the fertility of the floodplain for millennia • Trend in cotton yields already suggested decline in soil fertility

  22. The Blue Nile flowing down from the Ethiopian Plateau rainy season April to October

  23. The Aswan High Dam transformed Egypt’s irrigated agriculture from a seasonal system to a perennial one Resolution from the International Space Station

  24. The Nile Delta The Delta is sinking: Northeast corner by 5 mm a year Northwest corner by 3 mm a year A former delta village is now 2 km out to sea

  25. The Yellow River, China

  26. Yellow River Animaqing Peak Bayabkala Mountain Animaqing Mountain Bayankala Mountain Hetao Plain Dari Yellow River Hetao Irrigation Area

  27. In 1949 irrigation was depressed after the war Still 19.5 mil ha under irrigation, about the same as India at the time Millions of peasants set to work on repairing and expanding systems Over next 35 years build more than 83,000 reservoirs, repaired or constructed 177,000 km of dikes, sunk 2.3 mil wells and brought 29 mil more hectares under irrigation Heisan Gorge Mountain Grassland The Flood Hukou fall

  28. Peoples Victory Irrigation district was completed in 1952 The first of more than 100 irrigation districts in Henan and Shnadong provinces over next decade By 1990 4.4 mil hectares irrigated Nearly a third as much as the Yangtze River

  29. Great Man-Made River Project Started in 1980 - the Great Man-Made river project is the largest engineering scheme currently being carried out in the world. The 4 meter diameter pipe is about 1600 Km long and transfers 6.5 million cubic meters of water/day Rapid development of coastal Areas and increased population Have placed a severe strain on the coastal water supply. Some now attributes the drying of the Ubari Lakes and various water holes to the side effect of the project

  30. Competition for water severe – constant litigation over water Without Colorado River water no Imperial Valley Flowed into gulf of Mexico, but not anymore 1922 Colorado River Compact - 7 states 1928–36 construction of Hoover Dam First high span dam major accomplishment Followed by many others Parker Dam supply LA and San Diego 1963 US Supreme court made explicit allocations to each state and Indians Prompted the Central Arizona project - mountain tunnel and aqueduct to supply Phoenix and Tucson Colorado River Basin

  31. Unique hydrology and gradient Second largest run-off in US Given much of the wealth to the N.W. - Minerals and fertile soils Half the hydroelectric energy in the US Irrigate 7.8 mil. acres – arid part of Washington, Oregon and Idaho: wheat, corn, potatoes, peas, alfalfa etc Columbia River Basin

  32. Columbia River basin • Columbia Basin Project turned the desert area of central Washington into another US bread basked • Irrigates 0.5 mil. acres and can expand to 1.1 mil • The biggest hydroelectric power capacity in the US • Individual irrigation authorities regulate timing and volume of extraction locally • But the cumulative impact is felt downstream • Some areas more affected than others – The effect on Snake River more severe than main stream • Minidoka project – thousands of miles of canals supply 1.1 mil. acres

  33. Groundwater recharge 1960 - 1990 Only 2.5% of the water available is freshwater. Of that approximately 68.9% is locked in glaciers and permanent snow cover, and 30.8% is groundwater – many countries therefore rely on it. Only 0.3% is in rivers and lakes

  34. Groundwater • An important resource • 2 billion people depend on it for drinking • 40% of the worlds food is produced by it • But little attention was given to it until recently – out of sight out of mind • Pollution and depletion of rivers are obvious and reported in media, while depletion and pollution of groundwater can be hidden for years • Also provide ‘base flow’ for many rivers

  35. Groundwater Aquifers: • North America: Ogallala Aquifer The Edwards Aquifer The High Plain Aquifer • South America: Amazon Basin Aquifers Puelches Aquifer • Africa: Nubian Sandstone Aquifer The Northwest Sahara Aquifer System Congo Basin • Asia: Erdos Basin Aquifer Huang-Hai-Hai Plain Aquifer Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra • Arabien Shield: Mukalla Aquifer Umm-Er-Radhuma Aquifer • Australia: Great Artesian Basin Aquifer

  36. Populations in mega-cities depending on groundwater Typically groundwater would provide at least 25 % of the water supply to such a city.

  37. Groundwater for towns • Even more widespread in smaller towns and rural communities • E.g. in the Huang-Huai-Hai aquifer system in China: 160 mil. people • 1/3 of Asia’s drinking water • In the US more than 95% of the rural population

  38. Extent of groundwater used for drinking water in Asia and Latin America

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