1 Mekelle University the School of Graduate Studies Faculty of Dry Land Agriculture and Natural Resources Assessment of the Wate
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Mekelle University The School of Graduate Studies Faculty of Dry Land Agriculture and Natural Resources Assessment of the Water Resources potential and quality in the Gergera Watershed Atsbi-Womberta Woreda, Eastern Zone, Tigray, Ethiopia. By Hailay Berhane A thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree InTropical Land Resource Management Advisers Principal Advisor Dr. EyasuYazew Co-Advisor Dr. Negussie Haregewen Dr. Seleshi Bekele March 7, 2008 1 DECLARATION This is to certify that this thesis entitled “Assessment of Water Resources potential and quality in the Gergera Watershed Atsbi-Womberta Woreda, Eastern Zone, Tigray, Ethiopia” Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of M.Sc, in Tropical Land Resource Management to the School of Graduate Studies, Mekelle University, through the Department of Land Resource Management and Environmental Protection, done by Mr.Hailay berhane, Id. No.GS/S 024/97 is an authentic work carried out by him under our guidance. The matter embodied in this project work has not been submitted earlier for award of any degree or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief. Name of the student: Hailay Berhane; Signature _____ ______ Date _____ Name of the supervisors: 1. EyasuYazew (PhD); Signature_________ Date______ 2. Negussie Haregeweny (PhD); Signature_________Date______ 3. Seleshi Bekele (PhD); Signature_____________Date______ i ABSTRACT Water demand is increasing with population growth and agricultural practice leading into industrialization. Hence, the information on spatial and temporal availability of water will be helpful for the optimum utilization and sustainability of water resource. Seasonal and Spatial pattern of water availability was computed based on the water balance to facilitate better management of available water resources. The study was conducted on gergera watershed where in between -39º 30' – 39º 45' E and 13º 30' – 13º 45' N with an area extent of 8.02 km2. Various maps, such as location map, geological map, soil map, land use map and drainage map of the area were produced using field survey data as well as topo maps.the dominant lithologies those out crop in the area are Metavolcanic (phyllite), sand stone (Adigrat and Enthicho) and alluvial deposited. Currently, seven land use classes were identified in the area. These are grazing, cultivated, settlement, forest, bushes and shrubs, swamp and bare land. Based on USDA soil textural classification scheme, the soil coverage of the area classified in to four different soil classes:-sand, sandy loam, sandy clay and sandy clay loam. Secondary data concerning the climate of the area were obtained from Wukro and Senkata metrological stations. Rain fall distribution of the area is monomodal having one dry and rainy season with seven dry and three rainy seasons. The mean annual rain fall of the area is found to be 609.7mm with an average temperature of 17.4oc which makes the area to fall under temperate zone. Evapotranspiration was determined by using FAO-Penman Monteith method. Accordingly the annual evapotranspiration is found to be 0.7129*106m3. The net runoff is determined using a curve number method and was found to be 1.86*106m3.and net infiltration that recharge the ground water system. It has obtained by using water balance concept and equals 0.7308*106m3.The geology of the area was mapped at a scale of 1:50000 and it constituent’s basement rock, sandstone and alluvial deposits (i.e. gravel, sand, and clay) units. Faults, fractures and foliations are the main geological structures. Thus, units and structures control the groundwater flow direction of the study area.In the hydrogeological investigation around 68 hands dug wells inventoried out of these only 48 were productive at present the rest are dried and collapsed. Based on the pumping test data analysis conducted mainly on 6 representative wells, Accordingly, the potential of many of the aquifers was found to be low to moderate due to inadequate partially penetration of the water- bearing formations. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT I grateful beyond words on how to thank my advisor Dr. Eiasu yazew for his genuine and constructive advice, for his supervision and reviewing my work sacrificing his golden time from the very beginning up to what is now, for his continuous encouragements and friendly treatment, the lack of which this research paper would not have been possible. I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my co-advisor Dr Nguse Haregewen for providing me valuable and constructive comments to update my thesis I would like to thanks my co-adviser, Dr.sleshi in commenting my proposal from the early beginning and his assisting in providing his personal reference materials and constructive comments to update my thesis. I extend my sincere to our department of LaRMEPof Mekelle University for supplying me relevant instruments and materials; so that I was able to use the materials at hand. I would like to thanks Dr. Nata Tadese, Applied Geology Department head, for his willingness to analysis water samples in the department’s laboratory. With out their assistance, I could not able to finalize my studies. I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Gebremedhin for his appreciable supporting during the field and editing my finalized work.’ I would like thanks to ILRI’ for its encouraging service to the full filling the financial support for Research, and transport. I would like to thank Ato Zelalem who contributed a lot in the GIS related works. The local people in Gergera watershed for their kindly collaboration during the entire field work. I also grateful to various individuals that in one way or another contributed for the preparation of this research. Finally, I would like to express my deepest and heart felt thanks to our families who were always on my side and whose sympathy cooperation and love many rough ways smooth iii ACRONONYMS AAS Atomic absorption spectrometer AET Actual Evapotranspiration AMC Antecedent Moisture Content AWC Available Water Capacity AWCRZ Available Capacity of Root Zone DDW Drawdown Fig Figures GIS Geographical Information System GPS Geographical positioning System HDW Hand dug well ILWIS Integrated Land and water Information System K Hydraulic Conductivity Km kilometer Km 2 square kilometer L/s liter per second m meter min. Minute m2 square meter m3 cubic meter PET Potential Evapotranspiration s(m) drawdown in meter SAR Sodium Absorption Ratio S.W.L Static Water Level T Transmissivity t time TDS Total Dissolved Solid t/t Recovery rate mm millimeter iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 classification of saline water ………………………………………………. 18 Table 2 USDA clssificatio of salt-affected soils................................................................19 Table 3 Sodium hazard of water based on SAR values.....................................................19 Table 4 Arial extent and proportion 0f the land use..........................................................27 Table 5 Arial extent and proportion of each soil textures.................................................29 Table 6 Mean monthly rainfall..........................................................................................32 Table 7 Classification scheme of monthly rainfall values..................................................33 Table 8 Seasonality of rainfall in the study area...............................................................34 Table 9 Extrapolated mean monthly max,min,and Average temperature……………….35 Table 10 Mean monthly rainfall and mean monthly air temperature................................36 Table 11 Mean monthly wind speed (m/s) at Senkata station……………...................... 37 Table 12 Mean monthly relative humidity (%) at Senkata station .....................................38 Table 13 Mean monthly sunshine hours at Senkata station...............................................39 Table 14 Potential evapotranspiraton ...............................................................................54 Table 15 Available water capacity of root zone of each land use.....................................55 Table 16 for cultivated land with AWCRZ= 300 mm.......................................................56 Table 17 for grazing land with AWCRZ= 150mm ...........................................................56 Table 18 for forest with AWCRZ =500mm........................................... ………………...56 Table 19 for Bushes and shrubs with AWCRZ =100mm..................................................57 Table 21 Sites of infiltration measurement........................................................................58 Table 22 Summery of water balance.................................................................................60 Table 23 Standard of transmissivity……………………………………………………...69 Table 24 Results of the continuous pumping test of the 6 hand dug wells.......................69 Table 25 Major, minor and trace inorganic constituents...................................................72 Table 26 EC, PH, TDS, Alkalinity, Hardnes and SAR value of water sample..................73 v Table 27 TDS classes of water......................................................................................... .75 Table 28 Degree of hardness of water……………………………………………………76 Table 29 Water type and balance error...............................................................................78 Table 30 Modified after WHO 1984, Maximum permissible limit of water constituents.79 Table