Intervention scenarios to manage seawater intrusion in a coastal agricultural area in Oman
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Intervention scenarios to manage seawater intrusion in a coastal agricultural area in Oman Edda Kalbus 1,2 & Slim Zekri 3 & Akbar Karimi 4
Received: 24 January 2016 / Accepted: 22 March 2016 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016
Abstract The Batinah coastal plain in northern Oman has experienced a severe deterioration of groundwater quality due to seawater intrusion as a result of excessive groundwater abstraction for agricultural irrigation. Upgrading all farms to fully automated irrigation technology based on soil moisture sensors may significantly reduce the water demand and lead to recovering groundwater levels. This study compares the effects of smart irrigation technology, recharge dams, and a combination of both on seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifer of the Batinah. A groundwater flow and transport model is used to simulate the effect of reduced pumping rates on seawater intrusion for various intervention scenarios over a simulation period of 30 years, and an economic analysis based on cost-benefit analysis is conducted to estimate the potential benefits. Results indicate that a combination of smart irrigation and recharge dams may prevent further deterioration of This article is part of the Topical Collection on Water Resources in Arid Areas * Edda Kalbus [email protected] Slim Zekri [email protected] Akbar Karimi [email protected] 1
Department of Applied Geosciences, German University of Technology in Oman, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
2
Present address: Research and Evaluation Unit, Auckland Council, Auckland, New Zealand
3
Department of Natural Resource Economics, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
4
Department of Built and Natural Environment, Caledonian College of Engineering, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
groundwater quality over the next 30 years. In conjunction with increased efficiency, this combination also generates the highest gross profit. This outcome shows that the problem of seawater intrusion needs to be tackled by a comprehensive, integrated intervention strategy. Keywords Seawater intrusion . Smart irrigation . Simulation . Cost-benefit analysis
Introduction Excessive pumping of groundwater and the resulting depletion or deterioration of groundwater resources are a major concern in arid areas. The Batinah coastal plain in Northern Oman is particularly affected because extensive agricultural areas in this region require year-round irrigation due to low precipitation rates. The water demand is primarily met by groundwater which is pumped from shallow alluvial aquifers. Extensive mechanical pumping of groundwater for irrigation started in the 1970s, and since then, agriculture has expanded continuously in the Batinah. Nowadays, more than 90 % of Oman’s renewable water resources are used for agriculture. In 2010, water demand in the Batinah was 45 % larger than available renewable water resources (OSS 2012). The continuous abstraction of groundwater has led to a decline in groundwater levels of around 0.3–0.4 m/year (Rajmo
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