Management of the Integration Between Irrigation and Drainage Water in the Nile Delta

Strategies for improving the performance of irrigation and drainage in the Nile delta are as numerous as there are different integration systems between irrigation and drainage systems. Historically, these integration systems aimed to increase the efficiency of irrigation water use through improving irrigation systems as well as drainage systems. A negative impact was observed through continuous application of irrigation water to meet the crop water requirements within free crop pattern system. Therefore, a need for adaptive control of irrigation application systems was essentially required. Additionally, mitigation of the negative impact of drainage system through implementation of subsurface drainage for preventing higher soil salinity was urgently required. Recently, water conservation techniques through irrigation improvement projects (IIPs) were also implemented in order to mitigate the shortage of water resources. Despite of all the efforts done, there are still further needs to implement future firm strategies for improving the performance of irrigation and drain age in the Nile Delta.