Soil Salinity Assessment and Irrigation Water Quality of Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 02 | Page : 38 51
    By

    Zerihun Achiso,

  • Temsgen Gebure,

Abstract

Soil salinity affects the majority of Ethiopia’s irrigated farmland, and chemical properties of irrigation
water quality have major role in assessing the irrigation land salinity. The study has the objective of
determining the soil salinity and irrigation water quality. The study was conducted in Humbo Woreda,
Wolaita Zone in the South Peoples’ Regional State. The study used standard analytical techniques and
methods to analyze different physiochemical parameters of both irrigation water and soil of irrigated
areas. The mean analysis results of irrigated soil parameters like pH, ECe, TDS, Ca, OC, TN, CEC Na,
and SAR are: 7.9 to 9.5 for pH, 5.97 to 8.96 dS/m for ECe, 180 to 794 ppm for TDS, 1.3 to 1.6 g/cm3 for
BD, 1.2 to 1.75% for OC, 0.083 to 0.14% for TN, 4.2 to 6.54 meq/100 g for Na and 2.13 to 2.96 for SAR.
The mean analysis results of physiochemical parameters of irrigation water used at study site for pH,
ECe, TDS, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, K+, SAR, HCO3-2, CO3-, SO4-2 and Cl- were: 7.77±0.12, 2.51±0.22dS/m,
1241.5±56.95 mg/l, (5.15±0.52, 3.06±0.56, 2.28±0.36, 0.15±0.02) meq/100 g, 1.13±0.2, 5.4±0.34,
(0.56±0.06, 0.05±0.01 and 2.79±0.61) ppm respectively. The analysis results of soil physiochemical
parameters indicate that the irrigated soil of study was moderate to strongly saline and water analysis
also shows that the irrigated water is also moderately saline. The study concludes that the irrigated land
was moderately saline due to irrigation water salinity and it would be better to treat irrigation water
before irrigating land. Study recommends that it would be better to treat irrigation water and plant
salinity tolerant grass to treat soil salinity.

Keywords: Water quality, irrigation land, chemical analysis, salinity, South Ethiopia

[This article belongs to Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management ]

How to cite this article:
Zerihun Achiso, Temsgen Gebure. Soil Salinity Assessment and Irrigation Water Quality of Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia. Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management. 2025; 12(02):38-51.
How to cite this URL:
Zerihun Achiso, Temsgen Gebure. Soil Salinity Assessment and Irrigation Water Quality of Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia. Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management. 2025; 12(02):38-51. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jowrem/article=2025/view=213743


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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 02
Received 17/04/2025
Accepted 19/05/2025
Published 22/05/2025
Publication Time 35 Days
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