Toward an Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management in Structurally-Controlled Watersheds in Desert Environments Using Geophysical and Remote Sensing Methods

Mohamed Attwa, Mohammed El Bastawesy, Dina Ragab, Abdullah Othman, Hamza M. Assaggaf and Abotalib Z. Abotalib
Additional contact information
Mohamed Attwa: Department of Geology, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Mohammed El Bastawesy: Division of Geological Applications and Mineral Resources, National Authority of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo 11843, Egypt
Dina Ragab: Department of Geology, National Research Center, Cairo 12622, Egypt
Abdullah Othman: Natural Hazards Research Unit, Department of Environmental and Health Research, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Hamza M. Assaggaf: Natural Hazards Research Unit, Department of Environmental and Health Research, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Abotalib Z. Abotalib: Division of Geological Applications and Mineral Resources, National Authority of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo 11843, Egypt

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Sustainable water resources management in desert environment has yet to be reached due to the limited hydrological datasets under such extreme arid conditions. In the Eastern Sahara, the tectonic activity associated with the opening of the Red Sea adds more complexity to developing sustainable water management by creating multiple aquifers within subsided half-grabens along the Red Sea extension. To overcome these difficulties, a two-fold approach is adopted including integrated remote sensing and geoelectrical methods using Wadi Al-Ambagi watershed in the Eastern Desert of Egypt as a test site. First, the total discharge is estimated as 15.7 × 10 6 m 3 following the application of a uniform storm of 10 mm effective precipitation, which exceeds the storage capacity of existing mitigation measures (5.5 × 106 m 3 ), and thus additional dams are required. Second, the subsurface geometry of alluvium and sedimentary aquifers, within subsided blocks in the Arabian–Nubian shield (ANS), is delineated using 1D direct current and 2D electrical-resistivity tomography (ERT). Findings indicate that significant thicknesses of more than 80 m of permeable sedimentary units occur within the subsided blocks. Therefore, the scarce water resources can be managed by controlling the flash floods and suggesting proper dam sites at the location of thick alluvium and sedimentary rocks, where aquifers can be recharged representing a sustainable source for freshwater. The proposed approach is transferable and can be applied in similar arid rift-related watersheds in Saudi Arabia and worldwide.

Keywords: DC resistivity soundings; continental rift; flash floods; wadi systems; Egypt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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