Application of Satellite Image Date to Large-scale Water Use System
in Arid Areas of Iran
Kiyoshi Torii1 Tahei Yamamoto2, Makio Kamichika2, Kyochi Otsuki2
Sizuo Hayasi3 Yoshiaki Sinmura4, Takashi Hoshi, Abbas Keshavarz6
And Ebrahim Pazira6
1Dev. Of Environmental Sci. & Tech. Graduate School of Agriculture,
Kyoto Uni., Kitashirakawa, Sakyo, Kyoto, JAPAN
Tel. & FAX Int'l-81(0) 75-753-6459,
E-Mail : torl@ais,
kyoto-u.ac.jp
2Arid Land Research Center, Tottori Univ., 1390 Hamasaka Tottori Japan
TEL. Int'l-81-(0)857-21-7040,
E-Mail : Otsuki@center.kyoto-u.ac.jp
3Tropical Agric. Center, Kyushu Univ., Nishi-kawazu-chu, Matsu, Japan
4Faculty of Agric., Shimane Univ.
Nishi-kawazu-chu, Matsue, Japan
FAX Int'l -81-(0)852-32-6592,
E-Mail : Shinmura@botan.shimane-u.ac.jp
5Dep. Of Inform. Sci. Ibaraki Univ.,
Nakanarusaza-chu, Hitachi, Japan
TEL. Int'l -81-(0)294-38-5133,
E-Mail : hosh@cis.ibaraki.ac.jp
6Iranian Agric. Eng. Research Inst. Min. of Agriculture, Karaj, Iran
TEL. Int'l-98-261-241116, Fax Int'l-98-261-226277
Abstract
The authors had the opportunity of inspecting a large-scale agricultural water use system comprising three irrigation projects in Iran. These included (1) the Dez Irrigation Project extending over over the north of Ahvas, Khuzestan province, (2) Drudzen Irrigation Project developing in Marv Dasht district in the suburbs of Shiraz city, Fars province, and (3) Zayandroud Upstream and Roudasht Irrigation Project extending over the upper and lower stream of Zayanderoud river, Isfahan province. Each of these projects represents a vast irrigation project having more than 100.000 ha, and has been developed in the arid areas lying in the southern part of Iran. They are designed to secure the arid areas lying in the southern part of Iran. They are designed to secure water resources flowing out of Zagros Mountain range by constructing dams water resources flowing out of Zagros Mountain range by constructing dams for dual purposes: (1) to generate electricity and (2) to provide irrigation. The present field trip was rather exploratory and any data on the spot was hardly obtained. Any detailed study involving such big projects require regional regional data utilized as basic data by comparing data obtained from Landsat MSS, SPOT XS and JERS-1 in our possession with the ground-truth data obtained by field survey and study in the project area.
Introduction
Desertification has been drawing attentions as a serious problem in recent years. The area in arid districts exposed to desertification is said to be 5 million ha annually. As the agriculture in the ancient orient was described "challenge to environment and lose", it is a periodic phenomena accompaying prosperity of culture in human history. Desertification accompanying irrigation, in particular
Is affected by the factors related to enforcement of the project inducing erosion of the land and saline problems of water resources and land resulting in unreclamatable production basis. It is important that resarchers and engineers participating in development of arid areas make irrigation plans which can be continued and can harmonize new irrigation techniques with conventional and traditional techniques. The study proceeds with large-scale irrigation projects with emphasis on a sustained irrigation agriculture considering from the present situation and the desertification factor related to shortage of water resources due to irrigation and saline problem. As study areas, Khuzestan province, Fars province and Esfahan province of Iran have been selected. We are planning to propose water utilization and counter-measures to deal with saline problem necessary for a sustained development by measures to deal with saline problem necessary for a sustained development by measures to deal with saline problem necessary for a sustained development by collecting information on natural and social environmental factors, surveying the present state of desertification accompanying irrigation agriculture as well as natural and artificial factors and elucidating the mechanism of saline problem caused by river-dependent irrigation agriculture.
In Iran, improvement of infrastructures in irrigation facilities has progressed since 1980 in rural areas and a bit effort has been made to development of agricultural water utilization. As a result, the domestic self-supply rate of agricultural products has been raised greatly. However, saline problems of agricultural land accompanying population growth and rapid enlargement of irrigation area is marked and, in spite of bit general potentiality in Iran, lack of water resources, saline soil and alkaline soil in vast areas and problems of water quality have become big inhibitory factors hindering agricultural development at presenet(1)2). Attempts to apply satellite images of Landsat and SPOT or JERS-1 to deal with such problems have been in progress for several years in Iran3).4).5).
In the beginning, emphasis was placed in production of maps from satellite images but application for geographical31*30' information system is increasing in recent years. We are thinking to grasp the state of large-scale agricultural water utilization system and to explore a sustainable agricultural development. Fig. 1 shows the map of whole Iran and locations of the selected areas.
Figure 1 Total Map of Iran and study areas
1. Water utilization system and Irrigation project in Khuzestan province
Khuzestan province is located in the south-west part of Iran adjacent to Iraq and its area is 6.3 million ha occuying 4% of the whole land. The east and north of the province are
bordered by Zagros mountains running from the north-west to the south-east and the south is Persina Gulf. Main rivers flowing inside the province are Krun River, Dez River and Karkhe River from the east and all of them join Thigris-Eufrates River before entering Persian Guld. Krun River enters the province from the northern plain of Shustar passing Ahvas, the capital of the province, to Abadan and it joins Thigris-Eufrates River in Shall-al-Arab before entering Persian Gulf. Dez River enters the province from the northern plain of Dezful flowing in the south-east part connecting to Krun River in Bard-e-Qir. Karkhe River flows in the far west towards the south of the ruins in ancient Shush, where it changes direction westwards. It changes its direction again at the position 40 km north of Ahvas entering Iraq, where it joins Thigris-Eufrates River. In parallel to Karkhe River, small Shavour River flows in Khuzestan plain southwards and joins Dez River, which flows further southwards joining Krun River. Thus, Khuzestan plain is most rich in water resources in the south Iran. Large-scale water uilization development has started in 1970 and various irrigation projects including land rehabilitation of the existing arable land and new development of agricultural land are planned in paralled. Fig. 2 shows the state of development of agricultural land in 1971. The main projects are Dez dam and Dez irrigationproject extending downstream (total area of 125,000 ha and 21,000 ha of them have already been completed as Dez Pilot Project), Haft Tappeh sugar cane project (10,000 ha completed), Shavour Project (6,000 ha completes), Krun Irrigation Project (38,000 ha under development in 1971), and Karkhe Irrigation Project (21,000 ha completed). Another agricultural development is being planned by constructing Krun dam and bring it into Krun Irrigation Project.
Figure 2 Irrigation Project in Khuzistan
The main crops are wheat, sugar beet, citrus fruits, vegetables and corns and paddle fields are also becoming popular. In the aspect of water quality, the salt concentration is below 0.01% in the vicinity of intake weir of Dez River offering the best water for agricultural irrigation. However, the flow rate is not sufficient to supply water to the whole irrigation area and water quality tends to aggravate as it flows downwards reaching the salt concentration of a few thousand ppm in the middle stream and some ten thousand ppm in the downstrem.
Table -1 Satellite images data related
To Khuzestan Province
| No. |
Mission |
Path-row |
obs. Data |
| 1 |
Landsat 3 |
178-038 |
1976.11.05 |
| 2 |
SPOT |
146-286 |
1987.07.01 |
| 3 |
JERS-1(OPS) |
229-247 |
1994.08.03 |
| 4 |
JERS-1(OPS) |
230-246 |
1994.05.08 |
Changes during the past 20 years were analyzed using 4 satellite images. Although JERS-1(SAR) image was also obtained, eligibility of application was explored in the present study using the images in visible range. Fig. 3 shows the image obtained by Landsat 3 in 1976. This expresses 1,000x1,000 pixels without thinning corresponding to a square area of about 70 km in side length. Here Tappeh Project and Shavour Project are recognized clearly but Dez Project is still under development and Krun Project does not appear yet. Fig. 4 is the SPOT image 11 years later. In this image, 1 out of 3 pixels is expressed showing an area of about 60km in width and length. Krun Project is clearly visible suggesting that Krundam has been completed and supply of irrigation water has been started satisfactorily. Fig. 5 is the JERS-1 image observed in August, 1994. Dez river is flowing from the left top to the center of the image while Krun river is flowing from the right top inclining to the left center of the image while Krun river is flowing from the right top inclining to the left slightly. The vast Krun Irrigation Project is developed between the rivers. On the left (west) of Dez river. Haft Tappeh and Dez Irrigation Projects are extending. We can see clearly consolidated farmland. Although the analysis here is restricted to qualitative
it is possible to evaluate historical development of large-scale irrigation projects in Iran as ell as future sustainable development.
Figure 3 Landsat 2 Image of Dez Irrigation project. 1976.11.5.
Figure 4 SPOT HRV path-row 146-286 obs. 1987.7.1. Image of Dez Project
Figure 5 JERS-1 OPS(VMIR) Path-row 229-247 observed '94.8.3. Dez Irrigation Project and Krum Irrigation Project
