Summary of environmental impact hazard related to irrigation development

Summary of environmental impact hazard related to irrigation development

Table 90 attempts to asses the environmental risk related to irrigation development, resulting from salinization and water-related diseases, as well as possible decrease of forestry, fishery and wildlife. Risk has been classified into three categories: serious, moderate or low, and presented for each basin and each environmental topic. It should be stressed that, although some major trends may be identified' environmental impact is usually of local nature and can vary considerably within a basin.

TABLE 90 Environmental impact assessment of irrigation, by basin

Basin	Irrigation potential (1000 ha)	Environmental impact hazard
		Salinity	Health	Forest	Fishery	Wildlife
Senegal river	420	+++	++	+	+	+
Niger river	2 817	+++	++	+	++	++
Lake Chad	1 163	+++	++	+	++	++
Nile river	8 000	+++	+	+	+	++
Rift Valley	844	+	++	+	+	+
Shebelli-Juba	351	+++	+	+	+	+
Congo/Zaire river	9 800	+	+	++	+	+
Zambezi river	3 160	++	++	+	+	+
Okavango	208	++	+	+	+	+++
Limpopo river	295	++	++	+	+	+
Orange river	390	++	+	+	+	+
South interior	54	+++	+	+	+	+
North interior	71	+++	+	+	+	+
Mediterranean Coast	850	+++	+	+	+	+
North West Coast	1 200	+++	+	+	+	+
West Coast	5 113	+	++	+	+	+
West Central Coast	835	+	++	++	+	+
South West Coast	1 808	++	++	+	+	++
South Atlantic Coast	84	++	+	+	+	+
Indian Ocean Coast	1 500	+	+	+	+	+
East Central Coast	1 928	+	++	+	+	+
North East Coast	78	++	+	+	+	+
Madagascar	1 500	+	++	+	+	+
Islands	35	++	+	+	+	+
Total	42 504

+++: serious
++: moderate
+: low or nil

Contents - Previous - Next