Marina Al-Ali^*(1) Jamil Abbas⁽¹⁾ Emad Kubeli⁽¹⁾ and Hussen Saleh⁽²⁾

(1). Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen university, Lattakia, Syria.

(2). Higher Commission for Scientific Research, Damascus, Syria

Received: 02/08/2018                                Accepted: 24/09/2018

Abstract

This research was conducted at Al-Kabir Alshamali basin in Lattakia Governorate, this area in located between Syrian-Turkish border, and the Syrian coastal strip within an area of 835 km², to evaluate the current status of water resources of the agricultural sector, and suggest future scenarios to reduce water deficit using MABIA and WEAP 21. Water evaluation and planning depended on the data from the Directorate of Water Resources in Lattakia, including: river flow, storage capacity, monthly storage, volume curve of dam’s lakes (Tishreen, AlHaffa and AlThoura), evaporation, and losses to ground water in addition to springs monthly flow of and groundwater recharge, besides the data of climatic factors from General Directorate of Meteorology, data of the Ministry of Agriculture (land use including irrigated areas and cultivated crops) and data from the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (mechanical and chemical soil analysis) to calculate the basic moisture parameters. The previous mentioned data were interred for the base year 2011. The results showed that improving irrigation cannels reduced water deficit from 4.2 million m³ in the year 2011 to 2.8 million m³ by the year 2050. While when field Irrigation efficiency scenario is applied, water deficit was reduced to reach 2.2 M.m³ in the year 2050. But when the two previous scenarios are combined, the water deficit which is expected to decrease to 2.1 M.m³ by the year 2050. While when water harvest scenario is applied water deficit will be reduced to reach 1.5 M.m³ by the year 2015. From the above, the importance of applying mathematical modeling using water planning and assessment MABIA and WEAP 21.

Keywords: Water resources, Agricultural sector, Al-Kabir Alshamali basin, Water deficit, MABIA, WEAP21.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF