Irrigation

Engineering
Submitted to: Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Memon
Submitted by:
Group-A2
Engr: Muhammad Aslam Bhanbhro
08CE13 (G.L)
Engr: Waqar Ahmad Unar
08CE14 (A.G.L)
Engr: Mansoor Akhtar Bhanbhro
08CE31 (A.G.L)

Seawater Intrusions

Seawater intrusion is the movement of

seawater into fresh water aquifers due to

natural processes or human activities.
Seawater intrusion is caused by decreases in
groundwater levels or by rises in seawater
levels.

Sea Water Intrusion

When we pump out fresh water rapidly, you lower the

height of the freshwater in the aquifer forming a cone
of depression.

Saltwater Intrusion
Saltwater intrusion is the movement of

saline water into freshwater aquifers.

Groundwater and Seawater

Intrusion
When an aquifer is in hydraulic connection with saline

/ marine waters, the portions of the aquifer may

contain saltwater while other portions contain fresh
water.
Freshwater is slightly less dense (lighter) than
saltwater, and as a result tends to float on top of the
saltwater when both fluids are present in an aquifer.
There is a relationship based on the density
difference between saltwater and freshwater that can
be used to estimate the depth to saltwater based on
the thickness of the freshwater zone above sea level.

The relationship is known as the Ghyben-Herzberg

relation.

SEA WATER INTRUSION

Lateral Intrusion

Ghyben-Herzberg
relation
The first physical formulations of saltwater intrusion

were made by W. Badon-Ghyben (1888, 1889) and

A. Herzberg (1901), thus called the GhybenHerzberg relation.

The figure shows the Ghyben-Herzberg

relation. In the equation
Z = f / (s- f ) * h
The thickness of the freshwater zone above sea level is

represented as h, and that below sea level is represented as z.

Where f is the density of freshwater.
s is the density of saltwater.
Freshwater has a density of about 1.000 grams per cubic

centimeter (g/cm3) at 20 C.
Whereas that of seawater is about 1.025 g/cm 3. The equation

can be simplified to.

Z = 40h

Effect on drinking water

When fresh water is withdrawn at a faster rate

than it can be replenished, the water table is

drawn down.
This

draw-down also reduces the hydrostatic

pressure. When this happens near an ocean
coastal area, salt water from the ocean is pulled
into the fresh water aquifer.

The

result is that the

contaminated with salt water.

aquifer

becomes

This is happening to many coastal communities.

Hydrology
Saltwater intrusion happens when saltwater is drawn-

in (from the sea) into freshwater aquifers. This

behavior is caused because sea water has a higher
density than fresh water.
This difference in density causes the pressure under
a column of saltwater to be greater than the pressure
under a column of the same height of freshwater.
If these two columns are connected at the bottom,
then the pressure difference would cause a flow of
saltwater column to the freshwater column until the
pressure equalizes.

WHAT INDICATES SEAWATER

INTRUSION?
One indicator of seawater intrusion is an

increased chloride concentration in a

freshwater aquifer.
because chloride, a major constituent of
seawater, is chemically stable and moves at
about the same rate as intruding seawater.

Salt Water Intrusion in

SINDH
The Indus water discharge to the sea keeps the sea

water at bay and does not let it intrude too much

into the surface and subsurface water resources
inland.
Due the shortage of water the situation is deploring.
Salt-water intrusion has been witnessed inland up
to 100 kilometers north of the sea.
The Lar area of Sindh is adversely affected.
The salt-water intrusion destroys water supplies and
people are compelled to drink brackish water and
thus exposed to various diseases.

Contd:.
Seawater renders fertile agricultural lands useless,

resulting in loss of jobs and economic devastation.

Hundreds of villages in the Badin and Thatta
districts have been deserted and people have been
forced to migrate to some other areas.
Pakistan National Institute of Oceanography and
National Science Foundation have established that
salt water intrusion into the plains of lower Sindh is
directly related to the decrease of flow in River
Indus.
Until adequate water is released to Indus
downstream of Kotri, sea water intrusion combined
with raised level of Arabian sea due to climatic
changes will make Thatta, Badin, and southern parts

Coastal Land Lost

Due to continuous increase in the Indus withdrawals in

Punjab, the outflow to sea has reduced to a great deal.

Consequently, the costal ecosystem has been damaged.
The degeneration of the natural resources has deteriorated
human settlements compelling plenty of people of the coast
to migrate to other areas in search of water and food.
Over1.2 million acres land were eroded or lost to the sea
within Thatta and Badin districts, dislocating a quarter
million people, and inflicting financial losses over Rs.100
billion. (By: Sindh Minister of Irrigation, Ali Mir Shah)

Indus Water Pollution

With the reduced flows in the River Indus, its natural assimilative capacity

diminishes.

It receives raw sewage untreated industrial wastewater (from hundreds of

industrial facilities), and irrigation returns spread along the riverbanks.

Pakistan uses 25,000 tons of chemical nutrients and pesticides in a year)

are increasing in the Indus.

Signs of this have already been observed. Water borne diseases are on the

rise.

Many fish and other aquatic species have declined in number and diversity.

If the situation is not reversed further water degradation will occur and

impact on the aquatic life, public health, and other uses of water will be
very significant.

Lakes and Wetlands in Danger

Sindh is home to many natural lakes. Manchar, Kinjhar,

Haleji, Hadero, Chotiari, and many more small lakes

are spread all over Sindh.
Most of these are fed by Indus.
The lakes in Sindh are an important source of drinking
water and recreation for many communities including
the metropolis of Karachi.
Also these lakes are source of the fish species and
edible vegetables that grow in them and provide
employment for many people living around these
lakes.
These bodies of water are host to many species of
birds (222 species listed by the bird watchers), flora,
and fauna.
With the destruction of these lakes and wetlands,
many economic and aesthetic benefits drawn from

Agriculture Problems
With the reduction in Indus water flows, most of the

rural Sindh is in a grip of severe economic downturn.

People are unable to cultivate their lands due to lack
of water and have started to use ground water
resources where feasible.
The water table has been depressed up to twice as
much as it used to be from the ground level.
It has been estimated that about 2.5 million acres of
land is closed to being devastated after remaining
uncultivated.
Agriculture is the bread and butter for Sindhs
economy, especially in the rural areas. This has
directly or indirectly affected entire rural population
of Sindh. Livelihood of millions of people has been

"Agriculture crisis in Sindh" done by the Shaheed

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and
Technology, Karachi,
In year 2000, the wheat crop was to be sown over an

area of 487,271 hectares, which could be done only

over an area of 363,000 hectares.
The Yield production per acre is also decreased and
the quality of wheat is also affected.
The normal production rate of wheat in Sindh is
estimated to be 30 to 35 maunds per acre.
The experts maintain that the yield has now reduced
to 18 to 20 maunds per acre.
According to scientists, this is because of the lack of
mineral rich sediments in the water and also lack of
water.

Inadequate Water for

Drinking
Due to the water shortage and depressed quality

of the surface water bodies and loss of

groundwater due to salt-water intrusion and water
table depression, the drinking water supplies have
degraded in quality in many parts of Sindh.
Throughout Sindh, people have been up in the
arms on this issue. Continuous shortage of safe
water for drinking has created many public health
and safety problems.
Already incidence of diseases related to drinking
polluted water has increased.

Health Problems In
Sindh
Spoiled and damaged water caused health problems

also.
The National Conservation Strategy (NCS) report
indicates that about 40 per cent of deaths are
related to water-borne diseases.
About 25 to 30 per cent of all hospital admissions
are connected to water-borne bacterial and parasitic
conditions.
It cites, drinking and bathing in polluted water are
the most common routes for the spread of diseases
with symptoms like abdominal pain, hair loss,
numbness in hands, loss of appetite, eye infections,
irritation of skin and fever.
Cases of cancer have also increased throughout
Sindh.

Intruding sea water threatens Indus river

Several coastal cities and towns in Sindh Province of

southern Pakistan are exposed to a threat of seawater

intrusion, with the Arabian Sea already having
destroyed millions of acres of arable land and
displaced thousands of people.
The sea water is persistently advancing into the Indus
river because of immense lack of flow from the
upstream to downstream river,".
However, the phenomenon also had a negative fallout:
the river's water flow decreased, thereby gradually
allowing sea water to encroach on the fresh.
"In rivers with a long duration of high flows, fresh
water is able to prevent salt water from intruding into
the channel. If the volume of fresh water is large
enough, fresh water can push salt water away from the
river mouth,".

Intruding sea water threatens Indus river

For example, Thatta, (SINDH Province), and situated where

the Indus river flows into the Arabian Sea, has been rendered
worse off. The total geographic area of the district is more than
4.29 million acres, but almost third of it has now been invaded
by the sea. "About 1.2 million acres of fertile land of Thatta and
adjoining areas is now directly or indirectly affected by the sea
water,.
There has also been severe damage to livestock. Saltwater

intrusion caused a dramatic decline in livestock numbers in all

the three subdivisions of Thatta District.
The Sindh governments own statistics show that 38 percent of

cattle, 45 percent of buffaloes, 40 percent of sheep, 37 percent

of goats, 40 percent of camels, 57 percent of horses and 35
percent of donkeys disappeared between 1991 and 2000,
together with an exodus of the human population.
"Thousands of

people, mainly fishermen, have left their

ancestral places after they were [over-] run by the Arabian Sea
water,".

Current Salt Water Intrusion

Policy
In 1889 the Island County Health Department,

in conjunction with the Washington state

Department of Health adopted the Island
County Salt Water Intrusion Policy.
The goal of this policy is to protect public
water supplies from sea water intrusions.

Thanks

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