Sustainable Water Solutions in the Western Desert, Egypt: Dakhla Oasis (Earth and Environmental Sciences Library)

This book is a multidisciplinary manuscript bringing together contributions on water issues from natural and social scientists focused on water management and structures in a challenging environmental situation such as Dakhla Oasis in Egypt's western desert. The authors of this book are relevant scientists in hydrology, geology, remote sensing, agriculture, history, and sociology. It is devoted to various critical environmental topics such as geological and hydraulic structure, climate influence, underground water management, irrigation management, and human settlement. The book provides a range of new perspectives on solving different environmental problems in arid zones toward the region's sustainable development, based on the case studies and fieldwork in the Dakhla Oasis (Western Desert, Egypt). Preface Contents Introduction Introduction to “Sustainable Water Solutions in the Western Desert, Egypt: Dakhla Oasis” 1 Background 2 Themes of the Book 3 Chapters’ Summary 3.1 Geology, Geomorphology, Archaeology and Climate 3.2 Land Use, Soil and Cultivation 3.3 Hydrology and Water References The Egyptian Western Desert: Water, Agriculture and Culture of Oasis Communities 1 Introduction 2 Historical Background of the Oasis Community in the Western Desert 3 Population 4 Migration 5 Economic Activities in Oases 5.1 Agriculture 5.2 Mining 5.3 Pottery 6 Women’s Life and Activities 7 Impact of Tourism on Agriculture 8 Problems of Environment 9 Conclusion 10 Recommendations References Geology, Geomorphology, Archaeology and Climate Geology of Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt 1 Introduction 2 Geomorphology 2.1 The Dakhla—Abu Minqar Plateau 2.2 The Scarp Face 2.3 The Dakhla Depression 3 Stratigraphy 3.1 Upper Cretaceous—Paleocene Rock Units 3.2 Taref Formation 3.3 Paleocene—Lower Eocene Rock Units 3.4 The Quaternary Deposits 4 Geologic Structures 5 Conclusions 6 Recommendation References Geomorphology of Dakhla Depression 1 Introduction 2 Regional Geomorphology 3 Principal Geomorphological Units 3.1 Plateau and Escarpment 3.2 Depression Floor 3.3 Sand Dunes 3.4 North: (El Dakar Dune Filed) 3.5 West: (Great Sand Sea) 3.6 East: (Dune Free-Zone) 3.7 South 4 Conclusion and Recommendations References Archaeological Sites in Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt 1 Introduction 2 Archaeological Sites in Dakhla Oasis 2.1 Deir al-Hagar Temple 2.2 Deir al-Hagar Ancient Water Supply System 2.3 Qaret al-Muzawaka Tombs 2.4 Al-Qasr Islamic Village 2.5 Darb al-Ghabari Inscriptions 2.6 Bashandi Village 2.7 Balat Village 2.8 The Pharaonic Tombs in Balat 3 Gilf Kebir Area 3.1 Abu Ballas Area 3.2 The Rock Art Inscriptions 3.3 Gilf Kebir National Park (GKNP) 3.4 The Silica Glass Area 4 Conclusion 5 Recommendations References Climate Features of Dakhla Oasis 1 Introduction 2 Climatic History of the Western Desert of Egypt 3 Overview of the Climate in Egypt Today 4 Climatic Characteristics of Dakhla Oasis 4.1 Sunshine Duration, Precipitation, and Aridity 4.2 Temperature 4.3 Wind Conditions 4.4 Humidity 4.5 Climatic Differences Between the Dakhla and Kharga Oases 5 Conclusions 6 Recommendations References Land Use, Soil and Cultivation Aeolian Sand Transport Potential and Its Environmental Impact in Dakhla Oasis, Egypt 1 Introduction 2 Sand Dunes in Africa 2.1 Sahara Dunes 2.2 Kalahari Dunes 2.3 Namib Sand Dunes 2.4 Topography of Dakhla Oasis 2.5 Geology of Dakhla Oasis 2.6 Land Use and Land Cover in Dakhla Oasis 2.7 Types of Sand Dunes in Dakhla Oasis 2.8 Grain Size of Sand Dunes of Dakhla Oasis 2.9 Sand Grain Morphology in Dakhla Oasis 2.10 Mineral Composition of Dune Sands of Dakhla Oasis 3 Movement of Sand Dunes in Dakhla Oasis 4 Sand Drift Potential (SDP) in Dakhla Oasis 5 Dune Movement Threat in Dakhla Oasis 6 Conclusions 7 Recommendations References Soil Conditions of Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt 1 Introduction 2 Location of Dakhla Oasis 3 Geomorphology of Dakhla Oasis 3.1 Escarpment 3.2 Sandy Plain 3.3 River Terraces 3.4 Sand Dune 3.5 Sand Sheet 3.6 Inselbergs 3.7 Pavement Plain 3.8 Playa 3.9 Footslope 4 Climate Data of Dakhla Oasis 5 Soil Characteristics of Dakhla Oasis 6 Soil Classification of Dakhla Oasis 7 Land Evaluation of Dakhla Oasis 7.1 Land Capability 7.2 Land Suitability 8 Conclusion 9 Recommendation References Remote Sensing and GIS for Land Use/Land Cover Change Detection in Dakhla Oasis 1 Introduction 2 Study Area 2.1 Location 2.2 Demographic Trend 2.3 Climate 3 Materials and Methods 4 Results 4.1 Main Land Use/Land Cover Classes 4.2 Land Use/Land Cover Change Detection 5 Conclusions 6 Recommendations References Crop Diversification and Its Efficiency in Rashda Village, Dakhla Oasis 1 Introduction 2 Diversification of Farming Practices in Rashda Village 2.1 Crops in Dakhla Oasis 2.2 Different Cultivations by Type of Well 2.3 Crop Rotation in the Government Well Irrigation Districts 2.4 Diversification Strategy According to Land Size 3 Model and Data 3.1 Model 3.2 Data 4 Empirical Results and Discussion 4.1 Empirical Results 4.2 Discussion 5 Summary and Conclusions 6 Recommendations References Hydrological Aspects and Water Resources Hydrologeological and Hydrological Conditions of Dakhla Oasis 1 Introduction 2 Climate 3 Geologic Setting 4 Hydrologeological Conditions 4.1 The Aquifer Geometry 4.2 Aquifer Recharge 4.3 Aquifer Potentiometry and Pattern for Groundwater Flow 4.4 Groundwater Quality 4.5 Nubian Sandstone Age Dating 5 Irrigation and Drainage System in Dakhla Oasis 5.1 Drainage Network in the Depression 5.2 Drainage Ponds in Dakhla Oasis 5.3 Usage of Drainage Water 6 Conclusions 7 Recommendations References History of Wells in Rashda Village, Dakhla Oasis 1 Introduction 2 Development of Modern Wells in Dakhla Oasis 2.1 Wells and Boring Until the Beginning of the Twentieth Century 2.2 Deep-Well Boring Since the Mid-Twentieth Century 3 Wells in Rashda Until the Beginning of the Twentieth Century 4 Wells in Rashda Since the Mid-Twentieth Century 4.1 End of the 1950s to the 1970s: Government Wells 4.2 Since the 1980s: Investment Wells and Surface Springs 5 Change in the Human-and-Water Relationship 5.1 Years of Well Construction 5.2 Continuous Well Drilling 6 Conclusions 7 Recommendations References Development of Land Use and Groundwater in Rashda Village (Dakhla Oasis), 1960s–2018 1 Introduction 2 Research Site 2.1 Demographic Features 2.2 Topographic Features 3 Methods and Data Used 3.1 Data 3.2 Methods 4 Results and Discussion 4.1 Land Use/Cover Classifications 4.2 Land Use/Land Cover in 1968 4.3 Land Use/Land Cover in 1988 4.4 Land Use/Land Cover in 2003 4.5 Land Use/Land Cover in 2018 4.6 Land Use/Land Cover Change Detection 4.7 Land Use Change Detection from 1968 to 1988 4.8 Land Use Change Detection from 1988 to 2003 4.9 Land Use Change Detection from 2003 to 2018 4.10 Land Use Change and Development of Wells in the Northern Section of Rashda Village 5 Conclusions 6 Recommendations References Detecting and Controlling the Waterlogging in Dakhla Basin 1 Introduction 2 Study Area 2.1 Kharga-Dakhla-Farafra Depressions 2.2 New Valley Project 3 Case 1: Kharga Oasis 4 Case 2: Dakhla Oasis 5 Case 3: Farafra Oasis 6 Waterlogging in Dakhla Basin 7 Conclusions 8 Recommendations and Potential for Future References Hydrogeophysical Investigations Using DC Resistivity Survey to Assess the Water Potentialities of the Shallow Aquifer Zone in East of Dakhla Oasis, Egypt 1 Introduction 2 Geological and Hydrogeological Setting 3 Methodology 4 Results and Discussion 4.1 Aquifer Characterizations 4.2 Faults and Recharge of NSAS 4.3 Resistivity and Water Quality of the Upper Aquifer Zone 5 Conclusions 6 Recommendations References Conclusions Update, Conclusions, and Recommendations of “Sustainable Water Solutions in the Western Desert, Egypt: Dakhla Oasis” 1 Introduction 2 An Update 3 Conclusions 4 Recommendations References