Sector No. 5 is located on the right side of Euphrates River, Southeast of
ALMyadeen City. Many lands there are not suitable for agricultural uses, because of the
saline soils. This research aimed to evaluate the system of the unconfined groundwate
r
resources, by adopting the measurement results in 40 piezometers, drilled in aquifer of
quaternary deposits which consist of loam, gravel, and sandy gravel, underneath which are
impervious Neogene deposits.
The annual changes of groundwater levels of quaternary aquifer were 1-3 meters, due
to rain and irrigation water leaking. The groundwater table is shallow (less than 2.5 m),
because of the excessive irrigation, which gives an urgent necessity to construct effective
drain network to reduce groundwater levels. Groundwater salinity reaches 29 gr/liter, and
concentrations of the chloride and sulphate are 11 gr/liter, 3,5 gr/liter in some locations,
because of the natural and artificial situations. Therefore, this groundwater is not suitable
for domestic, or agricultural purposes in most areas of the region.
The provision of adequate drainage and the accompanying problem of
accumulation of salt in soil have plagued irrigated agriculture for
centuries. Soil salinity is one of the major problems in arid and semi-arid
zones. In Euphrates valley the high
groundwater level and its high
evaporation rate caused a serious salinity problem. This study was aimed
to allocate the dangerous areas in terms of high water level resulted from
the recent and expected activities. Drainage wells will be drilled at these
areas in order to lower the groundwater level and prevent further soil
salinity.