Loading...
Files
Date
Authors
Publisher
Philipps-Universität Marburg
Abstract
The population growth associated with anthropogenic activities in the Shatt Al-Arab River
basin has induced various environmental effects in this trans-boundary basin. The analysis
revealed that both seasonal and land use variabilities control the water quantity and quality in
the basin. More specifically, low runoff in the dry season and urban and agricultural land use
were associated with low water quality indicating that the region will be sensitive to both
climate change and land use change. The sediment analysis indicated serious pollution in the
river sediments, even though the pollution was not evenly distributed. The highest levels of
heavy metals reported at the upper and middle reaches of the river were attributed to the
higher industrial and urban development in these parts compared with the downstream
reaches that are less industrialized/populated areas. Declining surface water in the Shatt Al-
Arab basin has necessitated the use of groundwater in parallel with surface water to ensure
the sustainability of resources in this water-scarce region. Remote sensing (RS) data and
geographic information system (GIS) were used to identify groundwater potential zones.
Nonetheless, the regions with prosperous groundwater potentials are not necessarily the same
regions where water is needed the most (e.g., agricultural and urban areas). Moreover,
significant amounts of the annual precipitation are in the form of high-intensity rainfall in this
region. Such heavy rainfall causes flooding and/or ends up in the sea unutilized. Therefore,
the present study created a runoff map to assist in better water resources management (e.g.,
rainwater harvesting projects can enhance groundwater potential and reduce flooding risk).
The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Curve Number (CN) model was used along with RS
and GIS to estimate runoff. Furthermore, as erosion represents a serious problem that
imposes severe global environmental impacts such as soil nutrient loss, land degradation, and
flooding in this basin, erosion was estimated using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation
(RUSLE). Nutrients (nitrogen N and phosphorus P) loss due to erosion has been estimated
using the Soil and Water Assessment (SWAT) model. The analysis revealed that high N and
P yields were correlated positively with cropland and urban land covers, and negatively with
shrubland and bare land covers. Moreover, N and P yields exhibited a positive correlation
with discharge and a negative correlation with subbasin area. Such correlations (i.e., between
N and P yields with LULC, discharge, and subbasin area) were further tested using observed
data from the Mississippi River basin in the United States and have proven their robustness.
These correlations indicated that the basin is sensitive to both climate change and land use
change, and provide an initial viewpoint of how to deal with these changes. Finally, the flood
hazard map has been prepared using RS, GIS, and analytical hierarchy process method. Flood
mapping showed that urban areas and agricultural areas are most vulnerable to floods, with
around 60 and 30% of these areas are under intermediate to high flooding risk, respectively.
Flood hazard mapping provided a preparatory risk evaluation that can be used by the local
disaster management authorities.