Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Characterization and Water Quality Assessment of Groundwater for Irrigation Enhancement in Cheha, Woreda, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Moges Tariku Tegenu*

Now a day’s irrigation practice in Ethiopia has given more attention to struggle poverty and increase prosperity in the country. To do so, assessments of the irrigation water quality is one of the crucial parameter for successful irrigation implementation. The researchers try to make an assessment on Gurage zone, Cheha Wereda for two periods of sampling time Pre Monsoon (PRM) starting from November up to February, 2022 and Post Monsoon (POM) starting from April up to Jun, 2022. A representative sample borehole has been identified and samples had been taken for the physic-chemistry analysis by laboratory tests in order to check their suitability for irrigation water quality assessments. For the classification of different physiochemical parameters laboratory results irrigation water quality (WHO 2008) and irrigation water quality standards (US Regional Salinity Laboratory and FAO) standards had been used. After analysis of groundwater samples from the study area, the PH of water indicates that acidic character with a PH ranging from 6.63 to 6.8 in PRM and 6.84 to 7 in POM. Accordingly the result shows that 81.92% the water quality index parameters indicates that the water in the study area is suitable for irrigation and the rest 18.18 % of water quality index parameters the water is not suitable for irrigation. Based on the analyzed result the following water quality indexes SSP, EC, Na, Cl, NO₃, MAR, SAR, PI, and KI result indicates that the water is suitable for using irrigation purpose both in rainy (POM) and dry (PRM). Whereas the TH and RSC WQI result shows that the water is not suitable for irrigation purpose.