El-Salaam Canal project, Sinai II. Chemical water quality investigations Original Research Article

The emphasis on increased reuse of drainage water for irrigation is essential as Egypt expands its agricultural base to meet the food requirements for rapidly population growth rate. The Government of Egypt implemented El-Salaam Canal project to reuse drainage water, to create new communities along the Canal and to re-charting Egyptʹs population map. Diverting considerable amounts of drainage water after blending of the Nile water to newly reclaimed areas for irrigation of 643,560 acres of new lands in the northeastern Delta and northern Sinai peninsula are planned by using El-Salaam Canal water. This paper is concerned with the physical and chemical properties of El-Salaam water. The study was carried out monthly from February 2004 to January 2005. Seven locations were selected to cover the sampling program monthly. The parameters measured were: water flow rate current, air and water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, TDS, hardness as CaCO3, total hardness. Na, K, Mg, Fe, bicarbonate, chloride, carbonate, hydroxide, sulfate phosphate and silicate were determined. The analyses indicated the variation of the quality of water from month to month. The canal water was characterized by high TDS, high values of heavy metals and high concentrations of dissolved organic compounds, so the study proved that the El-Salaam water canal is not suitable for irrigation and drinking purposes and needs treatment.