Drainage of irrigated land is required to reduce waterlogging and soil salinization that inevitably accompanies waterlogging in arid zones. At present, about 20-30 million hectares of irrigated land are seriously affected by salinity.

FAO-AGL Saline Soils Overview Read more …

FAO-LADA Case Studies on Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands Read more …

Agricultural drainage water management in arid and semi-arid areas
Publication Series: Irrigation and Drainage Paper 61, 2002

This publication provides planners, decision-makers and engineers with guidelines to sustain irrigated agriculture and at the same time to protect water resources from the negative impacts of agricultural drainage water disposal. On the basis of case studies from Central Asia, Egypt, India, Pakistan and the United States of America, it distinguishes four broad groups of drainage water management options: water conservation, drainage water reuse, drainage water disposal and drainage water treatment. All these options have certain potential impacts on the hydrology and water quality in an area, with interactions and trade-offs occurring when more than one is applied. This publication presents a framework to help make a selection from among the various drainage water management options and to evaluate their impact and contribution towards development goals. In addition, it presents technical background and guidelines on each of the options to enable improved assessment of their impacts and to facilitate the preparation of drainage water management plans and designs.
(5704 KB)    

Materials for subsurface land drainage systems
Publication Series: FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 60, 2000

This publication presents practical guidelines to assess the need for envelopes and to select appropriate materials (i.e. pipes and envelopes) for the proper and lasting performance of subsurface drainage systems. In addition, it contains guidelines for adequate installation and maintenance of drainage materials as well as the required specifications and standards of such materials, which may be used in tender documents for implementation of subsurface drainage works. Practical guidelines for the implementation of laboratory and field investigations to evaluate the performance of drainage materials have also been included. This Paper aims to provide this practical information to drainage engineers and contractors who are in charge of drainage projects.
(3988 KB)

Management of agricultural drainage water quality
Publication Series: Water Reports 13, 1997