SWAT Literature Database for Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Title:Assessment of suitable land for surface irrigation in ungauged catchments: Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia 
Authors:Nigussie, G., M.M.A. Moges, M.M.A. Moges and T.S. Steenhuis 
Year:2019 
Journal:Water 
Volume (Issue):11(7) 
Pages: 
Article ID:1465 
DOI:10.3390/w11071465 
URL (non-DOI journals): 
Model:SWAT 
Broad Application Category:hydrologic only 
Primary Application Category:irrigation impacts or irrigation BMP scenarios 
Secondary Application Category:hydrologic assessment 
Watershed Description:12,000 km^2 Jabitenan District, which consists of ten distinct drainage areas and is located in the Blue Nile Stream System in northwest Ethiopia. 
Calibration Summary: 
Validation Summary: 
General Comments: 
Abstract:Planning and decision making for new irrigation development projects requires the systematic assessment of irrigable land together with available water resources. The data required are usually not available in developing countries, and therefore a method was developed for quantifying surface water resources and potentially irrigable land in ungauged watersheds in the Upper Blue Nile Basin using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and Multi-Criterion Decision Evaluation (MCDE). The method was tested using the Lah river basin in the Jabitenan district and then applied in the whole area, including ungauged areas. In MCDE, soil type, slope, land use, and river proximity were considered. Onion, Cabbage and Tomato were grown on the identified irrigable areas. The predicted monthly stream discharge agreed well with observed values, with Nash and Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.87 during calibration and 0.68 for validation. The SWAT model calibrated parameters from the gauged catchment were used to simulate the discharge of the ungauged catchments. The potential irrigable land was determined in Jabitenan woreda and included the Rivers like Birr, Tikurwuha, Gunagun, Leza Lah, Geray, Arara, Debolah, Guysa, and Silala, with an area of 460 km2. By evaluating gross irrigation demand of irrigable land with available flow in rivers (both observed and simulated), the actual surface irrigation potential was 47 km2. The main limitation for surface irrigation in all districts was the available water and not the land suitable for irrigation. Therefore, the study suggests that in order to irrigate a greater portion of the irrigable land, water should be stored during the monsoon rain phase for use in the last part of the dry phase. 
Language:English 
Keywords:blue nile basin; irrigation potential; multi criterion decision evaluation; swat