Irrigation in Iran
Encyclopedia
Irrigation
in Iran
covers 89,930 km2 making it the fifth ranked country in terms of irrigated area.
(Fig. 1) in Khūzestān Province
is situated between the Arvand and Bahmanshir
rivers. The Arvand river (in Arabic: Shatt al-Arab) forms the boundary between Iran
and Iraq
and collects the waters from the Euphrates
and Tigris
rivers.
On the island extensive orchards of date palm
are found thriving on tidal irrigation
in the desert climate
, although many date palms were destroyed during the Iraq-Iran war.
The width of the belt varies from 2 to 6 km, and on average it is 4 km. The width is greater in the concave parts of the river bends and smaller in the convex parts. The convex parts have higher river levees and topography.
The total area of the belt is about 16000 ha. The tree spacing is around 6x6 m. There are roughly 300 trees per ha. The maximum yield is about 200 kg/tree and 60 t/ha.
The tidal canals cut through and serve the levee soils along the river (Fig. 3) and they stop where the basin soils of the backswamp
s begin.
Between the tidal canals additional lateral ditches have been dug perpendicularly at a spacing of 50 to 60 m to further promote the distribution of the irrigation water.
Field channels originate from the lateral ditches at a spacing of 10 to 12 m and the date palms are planted along these (Fig. 4).
water can move in and out with relative ease.
are 2 m on average. A simulation of tidal fluctuations in the ditches is shown in figure 6 for an average and a high river discharge at various distances from the sea. The simulations were made with the Duflow model.
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
covers 89,930 km2 making it the fifth ranked country in terms of irrigated area.
Tidal irrigation at Abadan island, Iran
The Abadan IslandAbadan Island
Abadan Island is an island in Iran. It is the site of the city of Abadan. The island hosted Anglo-Iranian Oil Company's Abadan Refinary, around which Mohammad Mossadegh's nationalization movement was centered.-See also:...
(Fig. 1) in Khūzestān Province
Khuzestan Province
Khuzestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq's Basra Province and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahwaz and covers an area of 63,238 km²...
is situated between the Arvand and Bahmanshir
Bahmanshir
The Bahmanshir channel is a secondary estuary of the Karun River that parallels the Arvand Rud/Shatt al-Arab waterway on the far side of the Abadan Island for 70 miles, emptying into the Persian Gulf....
rivers. The Arvand river (in Arabic: Shatt al-Arab) forms the boundary between Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and collects the waters from the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
and Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
rivers.
On the island extensive orchards of date palm
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
are found thriving on tidal irrigation
Tidal irrigation
Tidal irrigation is the subsurface irrigation of levee soils in coastal plains with river water under tidal influence. It is applied in arid zones at the mouth of a large river estuary or delta where a considerable tidal range is present...
in the desert climate
Desert climate
A desert climate , also known as an arid climate, is a climate that does not meet the criteria to be classified as a polar climate, and in which precipitation is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or at most a very scanty scrub.An area that features this climate usually experiences less than...
, although many date palms were destroyed during the Iraq-Iran war.
Palm tree belt
The palm tree belt stretches along the Arvand River from Abadan south-east over a distance of about 40 km and is bounded in the interior by a road.The width of the belt varies from 2 to 6 km, and on average it is 4 km. The width is greater in the concave parts of the river bends and smaller in the convex parts. The convex parts have higher river levees and topography.
The total area of the belt is about 16000 ha. The tree spacing is around 6x6 m. There are roughly 300 trees per ha. The maximum yield is about 200 kg/tree and 60 t/ha.
Tidal canals
A sketch of the system of tidal canals is shown in figure 2. They are 2 to 6 km long depending on the topography and spaced at 50 to 60 m.The tidal canals cut through and serve the levee soils along the river (Fig. 3) and they stop where the basin soils of the backswamp
Backswamp
In geology backswamp is the section of a floodplain where deposits of fine silts and clays settle after a flood. Backswamps usually lie behind a stream's natural levees....
s begin.
Between the tidal canals additional lateral ditches have been dug perpendicularly at a spacing of 50 to 60 m to further promote the distribution of the irrigation water.
Field channels originate from the lateral ditches at a spacing of 10 to 12 m and the date palms are planted along these (Fig. 4).
Soil properties
The typical properties of the levee soils are shown in figure 5. There is a well-developed topsoil with a thickness of more than 1 m through which the subsurface irrigationSubirrigation
In agriculture, subirrigation, also known as seepage irrigation, is a method of irrigation where water is delivered to the plant root zone from below the soil surface and absorbed upwards...
water can move in and out with relative ease.
Simulation tidal propagation
The tidal movementsTidal range
The tidal range is the vertical difference between the high tide and the succeeding low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth...
are 2 m on average. A simulation of tidal fluctuations in the ditches is shown in figure 6 for an average and a high river discharge at various distances from the sea. The simulations were made with the Duflow model.
See also
- Garmsar
- Agriculture in IranAgriculture in IranRoughly one-third of Iran's total surface area is suited for farmland, but because of poor soil and lack of adequate water distribution in many areas, most of it is not under cultivation....
- List of reservoirs and dams in Iran
- List of countries by irrigated land area