Assessment of the Rehabilitation of Watercourses (Study Case)

Abstract

The goal of this study is to assess the rehabilitation of Bahr Awlad Mohamed canal.The canal was rehabilitated by installing lining trapezoidal cross-sections. Before and after the rehabilitation process, a field investigation, hydraulic and hydrographic measurements, and a mathematical model (Sobek – 1D) were conducted. According to the findings, the canal's rehabilitation improved average water velocity from 0.18 m/s to 0.32 m/s, the average Manning roughness coefficient from 0.065 m-1/3s to 0.020 m-1/3s, the water surface slope from 17 and 50 cm/km to 2 and 6 cm/km, the average areas of cross-sections reduced from 3.37 m2 to 3.07 m2, the average water width was reduced from 5.84 m to 4.83 m, the water losses were decreased by approximately 27.31 % from the canal's inlet discharge. Additionally, the water level fulfilled the requirements for water distribution, the canal banks were restored and widened, the hydraulic efficiency of the study canal was improved, alleviating downstream farmers' concerns and conserving water that could be utilized for irrigation, and saving time and maintenance cost. Finally, canal rehabilitation necessitates periodic maintenance, appropriate maintenance equipment, and a strategy of canal preservation. In addition, other canals in Egypt must be improved to determine the irrigation network's water-saving potential.