The Integration of FAO-CropWat Model and GIS Techniques for Estimating Irrigation Water Requirement and

ABSTRACT In the Gaza Strip irrigation practices are only based on the farmer's own experience, they determine when and how t

Household Water Balance is a Strategy toward Water Security: Abasan Al-Kabera as a Case Study

Researchers adopt models prepared for the developed countries as solutions for environmental problems in countries lacking the technical and economic management of these models. In this study, a viable model at household level is adopted to reuse the grey water to contribute to the water balance. Abasan Al-Kabera is studied specifically due to its rural and urban characteristics. The model constitutes of rain water collection from rooftops and public buildings as well as graywater reuse in flashing the toilet while the surplus will be injected through the unit of rainwater. The total inflow to the aquifer from storm water accounted for 1,756,875 m3/year out of it 146,060 collected from the rooftops of public buildings and household rooftops while the recovery of greywater is 571,536 m3/year, additionally the estimated return flow from irrigation equals 506220 m3/year, resulted in total inflow of 2,483,256 m3/year. While the outflow components are domestic demand 738,895 m3/year and agricultural demand equals 1,687,400 m3/year assuming all the agricultural lands are planted according to the structural plan of Abasan, giving total outflow of 2,426,295. In conclusion the water balance is achieved, but it required to adopt proper storm water collection system in the level of household and from agricultural areas. Moreover the greywater treatment and reuse systems should be developed and enhanced to guarantee the quality of groundwater recharge

The Effect of Long Term Irrigation by Treated Effluent on Boron Accumulation in Soil and Citrus Plants

The aim of the current research is to assess the long term effect of boron concentration in treated wastewater on citrus plants cultivated in various soil textures. Boron concentrations of treated wastewater used in sandy and clay soil were 1.45±0.37 and 1.03±0.45 mg/l, respectively. In sandy soil, Boron concentrations were 0.53 ± 0.15 and 3.94 ± 0.97 mg/ kg soil showed significant variation at p < 0.05 between the top 0- 30 and the second layer 30- 60 cm, respectively, while the leaves of citrus have boron concentration of 104.1 mg/kg dry weight. In clay soil boron concentrations were 0.79 mg/kg in both soil layers and in citrus leaves was 267.1 mg/kg dry weight which slightly exceeds the recommended limits 250 mg/kg dry weight. Therefore, the fate of Boron depends mainly on the soil texture; in the sandy soil leaching to deeper layers is occurred, while boron is accumulated in clay soil and citrus leaves. Thus, the municipal treated wastewater could be used safely to irrigate citrus cultivated in sandy soil textures

Cations and Anions in Sewage Sludge from Gaza Waste Water Treatment Plant

This paper determined cations and anions concentrations, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), and heavy metals content in sewage sludge collected from the drying beds of wastewater treatment plant in Gaza. The aim was to test the possibility of using this sewage sludge as an alternative source of mineral fertilizers. Many instruments were used in this work: flame photometry (K, Na), EDTA titration (Ca, Mg), the turbidity method ()

Physicochemical properties of sewage sludge from Gaza

This study characterized the physicochemical properties of sewage sludge collected from Gaza wastewater treatment plant. Sludge samples were collected from the drying beds, air-dried, sieved through 2 mm and stored in plastic bags at room temperature. Sludge density, particle size distribution, water holding capacity, void volume, pH, EC, total organic carbon and hydrophobicity were determined. Results showed the bulk density is about 1.18 g/cm3 whereas the real density is 2.12 g/cm3 and void volume is 50%; Particle size distribution showed that the major size of sludge is sand-like size (630-200 µm) and the minor size is silt-like size (200-20 µm) and clay-like size are less than 20 µm. Sludge has an acidic pH reaction (6.78±0.02) with an electric conductivity equal to (2.49±0.04) mS∙ cm− 1. The hydrophobicity of sludge is very high, water drop penetration time (WDPT) is 114.77±18.78 sec with a radius of 0.44±0.08 cm. In the way around, oil drop penetration time (ODPT) of sludge is 5.05±1.28 sec with a radius of 1.25±0.14 cm. The WDPT/ODPM ration is very high value 22.73 indicating extreme hydrophobicity. High value of hydrophobicity may reduce water filtration in soil when sludge applied for agriculture. These results suggest that sludge application to soil may change the physicochemical properties of soil

WATER CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR IN SEMI- RURAL AREAS IN THE GAZA STRIP: BEIT LAHYA TOWN AS ACASE STUDY

Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in both urban and rural areas in the Gaza Strip. Population growth and urban expansion have persistently raised the demand for water supply and consequently, greatly increased the exploitation of groundwater in the Gaza strip. The importance of this research is to investigate the water consumption behavior in semi-rural area by studying the current distribution situation, water demand and supply, the unaccounted for water and studying the effect of urban agriculture on the system efficiency. Therefore, field survey to determine the sources of water for irrigation, the agricultural area and water meter readings was conducted for continuous three periods two in summer and one in winter. Urban agriculture is one of the most persistent approaches for supplying food in the Gaza Strip. The main outcomes of the study are that; farmers use the domestic network illegally for irrigation purposes leading to high percentage of unaccounted for water. This leads to higher water consumption per capita in Beit Lahya which apparently exceeds 230 l/c/d according to water well production in year 2010 equal (6.098 MCM) and the unaccounted for water more than 60% in semi urban quarters where green houses are the main agricultural practice. The difference between supply and demand indicates that the farmers use illegal connections to irrigate the adjacent agricultural areas. The overall system efficiency for water distribution is 42.0% and 55.7% for summer and winter periods, respectively. The quarters with intensive agriculture show high percentage of unaccounted for water (73%), while the urban quarters unaccounted for water is 24%. Therefore new policy and regulations concerning water resources management should be implemented for the semi urban areas in the Gaza Strip. Key words: Water supply, Unaccounted for water, illegal connections, urban agricultur

The Effect of Urban Agriculture on Domestic Water Supply System in The Semi-urban Areas

The main aim of the current research is to investigate the effect of urban agriculture on the efficiency of domestic water supply in the regions characterized by urban agriculture in the Gaza strip. Field survey to determine the sources of water for agricultural purposes and water meter readings were conducted for the two main cities which characterized by various sub-urban districts. Excel, 2007 program and SPSS, v. 15 were used to analyze the relation between water supply, the unaccounted for water and the agricultural areas within the districts of the city. The districts with urban agriculture in sub urban areas in Beit Lahya and Rafah city have 47 and 73% of unaccounted for water, additionally, correlations among the agricultural area and the unaccounted for water were shown R2= 0.622 and 0.44 for Beit Lahya and Rafah, respectively. Indicating that the high unaccounted for water refers to the illegal use of domestic water distribution networks for urban agriculture. It is highly recommended for the relevant institutions to adopt clear policy to regulate and enhance sustainable urban agriculture without depleting the water resources. Moreover, urban agriculture should be considered by urban planners concerning water use, food security and poverty alleviation in the Gaza Strip

Sustainable household water model: Abasan Al-Kabera as a case study

In this study, a viable model at household level is adopted to reuse the grey and stormwater at a household level. Abasan Al-Kabera is studied specifically due to its rural and urban characteristics. The model constitutes of rainwater collection from rooftops of houses as well as graywater reuse in flashing the toilet while the surplus will be injected to the groundwater. The total inflow to the aquifer from storm water accounted for 1,756,875 m3/year out of it 146,060 collected from the rooftops of public buildings and household while the recovery of greywater is 571,536 m3/year. Additionally the estimated return flow from irrigation equals 506220 m3/year. The outflow for domestic and agricultural equals 738,895 and 1,687,400 m3/year, respectively. In conclusion the water balance is achieved, but it requires a proper storm water collection system. Moreover the greywater treatment and reuse systems should be developed and enhanced to guarantee the quality of groundwater recharge