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Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Received: 21 July 2021     Accepted: 10 August 2021     Published: 24 August 2021
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Abstract

The planning process of surface irrigation has to integrate information about the suitability of the land, water resource availability and water requirements of irrigable areas in time and place. Birbir River is one of well-known river found in western Ethiopia. The Birbir River is a tributary of the Baro-Akobo river basin, which creates Baro River when it joins with Gebba River. Ethiopia has immense potential in expanding irrigation using available water resources. But due to lack of information related to cultivable and irrigation suitability of the land, its agricultural system does not yet fully productive. Geographic Information System can be an effective tool in identifying irrigable land and mapping of suitable land for irrigation. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to assess the surface irrigation potential land suitability of the Birbir river watershed using ArcGIS 10.3 and Soil and water assessment tool software. Different methods of data processing and analysis have been employed in this study. The main suitability parameters used to identify the irrigation land suitability were slope, soil texture, soil depth, soil type, soil drainage characteristics, land use land cover and distance to water source. The individual suitability of each parameter was first analyzed and finally weighted to get suitable irrigable sites. To reduce the individual biases of factor weighting, the weights of each parameter in the study were determined by using a pairwise comparison method as developed by Satty in the context of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). By weighting values of the seven factors using Analytic Hierarchy Process and overlaying by weighted overlay in ArcGIS 10.3, the irrigation suitability map was developed and irrigable land area for surface irrigation was found to be 17%, 63% and 20% for highly suitable S1, moderately suitable S2, and marginally suitable S3 respectively. The total area of the land classified under not suitable (N) class covered was not available. This implies that all lands of the Birbir river watershed can be utilized based on the current irrigation technology.

Published in Software Engineering (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.se.20210902.12
Page(s) 45-52
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Birbir River Watershed, Geographic Information System, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Surface Irrigation Suitability, Suitability Factors

References
[1] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1997. Irrigation potential in Africa: A basin approach FAO Land and Water Bulletin 4.
[2] Saymen SW, 2005. Performance evaluation of furrow irrigation system and GIS-based gravity irrigation suitable area map development at Godino Mariam, Debrezeit. MSc thesis, Haremaya University.
[3] Yazew E. 2005. Development and management of irrigated lands in Tigray, Ethiopia. Thesis UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. Delft, the Netherlands, 265.
[4] Belete Bantero, 2006. Across systems comparative assessment of Hare Community managed irrigation schemes performance. MSc thesis, Arba Minch University.
[5] Bihmani O., 2013. Opinions of the Management to Realize and Improve Water Productivity in Agriculture. Central Statistical Agency, 2016. Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia.
[6] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1994. Andreas P. S. and Karen F. Crop Water Requirements and Irrigation Scheduling. Water Resources Development and Management Officers FAO Sub-Regional Office for East and Southern Africa: Irrigation Manual Module 4. Harare, Zimbabwe.
[7] Federal Democratic Repulic of Ethiopia, 2011. Small-Scale Irrigation Capacity-building Strategy for Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[8] MoWE (2013) Ministry of water and energy of Ethiopia: MoWR, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), Addis Ababa.
[9] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1995. Guideline for Land Evaluation for Irrigated Agriculture. Soils Bulletin, 55. FAO, Rome.
[10] Jaruntorn B, Det W, Katsutoshi S., 2004. GIS based land suitability assessment for Musa. Graduate School of Agricultural science, Ethime University, Japan.
[11] FAO, 2007. Land evaluation towards a revised framework. Land and Water Discussion Paper 6, Rome.
[12] Fasina, A. S., G. O Awe, and J. O Aruleba, 2008. Irrigation suitability evaluation and crop yield an example with Amaranthus cruentus in Southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Plant Science Vol. 2 (7), pp. 61-66, July 2008.
[13] Sander P., Chesley M. and Minor T. 1996. Groundwater assessment using remote sensing and GIS in a rural groundwater project in Ghana. Hydrogeology Journal, 4 (3), 78-93.
[14] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1999. Irrigation and water resources potential for Africa. FAO AGL/MISC/11/87. Rome, Italy.
[15] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1985. Guideline for Land Evaluation for Irrigated Agriculture. Soils Bulletin, 55. FAO, Rome.
[16] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), 1976. A framework for land evaluation. Soils Bulletin, No. 32 FAO, Rome Africa. FAO, Rome, Italy.
[17] Negash Wagesho, 2004. GIS Based Irrigation suitability analysis, A Case Study of AbayaChamo Basin Southern Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Jornal of Water Technology, Arba minch University Institute of Water Technology.
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  • APA Style

    Garuma Negasa, Gutema Wakjira. (2021). Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Software Engineering, 9(2), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.se.20210902.12

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    ACS Style

    Garuma Negasa; Gutema Wakjira. Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Softw. Eng. 2021, 9(2), 45-52. doi: 10.11648/j.se.20210902.12

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    AMA Style

    Garuma Negasa, Gutema Wakjira. Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Softw Eng. 2021;9(2):45-52. doi: 10.11648/j.se.20210902.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.se.20210902.12,
      author = {Garuma Negasa and Gutema Wakjira},
      title = {Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia},
      journal = {Software Engineering},
      volume = {9},
      number = {2},
      pages = {45-52},
      doi = {10.11648/j.se.20210902.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.se.20210902.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.se.20210902.12},
      abstract = {The planning process of surface irrigation has to integrate information about the suitability of the land, water resource availability and water requirements of irrigable areas in time and place. Birbir River is one of well-known river found in western Ethiopia. The Birbir River is a tributary of the Baro-Akobo river basin, which creates Baro River when it joins with Gebba River. Ethiopia has immense potential in expanding irrigation using available water resources. But due to lack of information related to cultivable and irrigation suitability of the land, its agricultural system does not yet fully productive. Geographic Information System can be an effective tool in identifying irrigable land and mapping of suitable land for irrigation. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to assess the surface irrigation potential land suitability of the Birbir river watershed using ArcGIS 10.3 and Soil and water assessment tool software. Different methods of data processing and analysis have been employed in this study. The main suitability parameters used to identify the irrigation land suitability were slope, soil texture, soil depth, soil type, soil drainage characteristics, land use land cover and distance to water source. The individual suitability of each parameter was first analyzed and finally weighted to get suitable irrigable sites. To reduce the individual biases of factor weighting, the weights of each parameter in the study were determined by using a pairwise comparison method as developed by Satty in the context of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). By weighting values of the seven factors using Analytic Hierarchy Process and overlaying by weighted overlay in ArcGIS 10.3, the irrigation suitability map was developed and irrigable land area for surface irrigation was found to be 17%, 63% and 20% for highly suitable S1, moderately suitable S2, and marginally suitable S3 respectively. The total area of the land classified under not suitable (N) class covered was not available. This implies that all lands of the Birbir river watershed can be utilized based on the current irrigation technology.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Assessment of Irrigation Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation in Birbir River Watershed Using Geographic Information System Technique in Oromia Region, Ethiopia
    AU  - Garuma Negasa
    AU  - Gutema Wakjira
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.se.20210902.12
    T2  - Software Engineering
    JF  - Software Engineering
    JO  - Software Engineering
    SP  - 45
    EP  - 52
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2376-8037
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.se.20210902.12
    AB  - The planning process of surface irrigation has to integrate information about the suitability of the land, water resource availability and water requirements of irrigable areas in time and place. Birbir River is one of well-known river found in western Ethiopia. The Birbir River is a tributary of the Baro-Akobo river basin, which creates Baro River when it joins with Gebba River. Ethiopia has immense potential in expanding irrigation using available water resources. But due to lack of information related to cultivable and irrigation suitability of the land, its agricultural system does not yet fully productive. Geographic Information System can be an effective tool in identifying irrigable land and mapping of suitable land for irrigation. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to assess the surface irrigation potential land suitability of the Birbir river watershed using ArcGIS 10.3 and Soil and water assessment tool software. Different methods of data processing and analysis have been employed in this study. The main suitability parameters used to identify the irrigation land suitability were slope, soil texture, soil depth, soil type, soil drainage characteristics, land use land cover and distance to water source. The individual suitability of each parameter was first analyzed and finally weighted to get suitable irrigable sites. To reduce the individual biases of factor weighting, the weights of each parameter in the study were determined by using a pairwise comparison method as developed by Satty in the context of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). By weighting values of the seven factors using Analytic Hierarchy Process and overlaying by weighted overlay in ArcGIS 10.3, the irrigation suitability map was developed and irrigable land area for surface irrigation was found to be 17%, 63% and 20% for highly suitable S1, moderately suitable S2, and marginally suitable S3 respectively. The total area of the land classified under not suitable (N) class covered was not available. This implies that all lands of the Birbir river watershed can be utilized based on the current irrigation technology.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Engineering and Technology, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia

  • Surveying Engineering, Civil Environmental Engineering, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia

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