IRRIGATION POSSIBILITY IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

In Middle East and North Africa (MENA) the natural water supply is very important for water consumption of population and the agricultural sector. The total available freshwater in MENA region is 467 billion m(3) (km(3)) of which 81,8% is for only Middle East, and of which 70% is only for two countries, namely Turkey and Iran. The remaining 30% is availability for the Arab countries in Middle East (11,8%) and North Africa (18,2%). Also the other unfavourable issue for the MENA region (without Turkey), that only 22,7% of all available water is groundwater. The large portion of the surface water results in serious difficulties, because of the warm dry weather the water evaporation is very considerable. The other important difficulty is that the withdrawing groundwater in Libyan coastal, Nile Delta of Egypt and the Middle East's coastal areas. Because the water withdrawing is very intensive mainly for agriculture, in this case in 3-5 kin distance from the coast the freshwater is reduced and the sea water intruded and took positions closer to the surface. Pumps started pumping the salt water into the place of earlier ground fresh water. Continuously the level of the sea water flowing into place of the earlier freshwater increases over the sea level near to the coast. In order to discontinue this problem under face cistern system should be set up. In Libya the Great Man-Made River Project (GMMRP) can securely supply fresh water based on the ground water. In Libya total consumption all over the country in 1998 was 3923,76, representing consumption for agricultural purposes, 85% (3335,3 million m(3), yearly), urban purposes, 11,5% (452,56 million m(3), yearly), and industrial (including oil) purposes, 3,5 % (136 million m(3), yearly).. Within the GMMRP the 4000 km long water pipeline system provides 6 million m(2) per day, of which 80% is used for the agriculture. This case study analyses the main water use difficulties and their possible solutions.