Skip to main content

Define a protected buffer zone for Ismailia Canal, Egypt using Geographic Information Systems

Arabian Journal of Geosciences volume 6, pages 43–53 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Ismailia Canal is the principle source of drinking water supply to Suez Canal and Sinai governorates. However, Ismailia Canal is endangered from unwise activities in the surrounding environment. Drinking water resources protection can be implemented using land-use monitoring system or through land-use controls based on hydrogeologic mapping to study the impacts of development on water quality. Our approach is to protect the direct and indirect catchment areas for surface water supply, especially the sensitive areas, those that are more vulnerable to contamination than other areas. Remote sensing and geographic information system techniques are applied to construct and integrate the hydrogeological data, inventory for potential sources of contamination and mapping the sensitive areas in order to construct the a protected buffer zone for Ismailia Canal, and to constrain the development activities in all the surrounding areas of surface water supply. The sensitive areas are delineated, where extra protection is required, based on soils properties, geology, and specific hydrogeological criteria. Industrial areas, drains, and septic tanks in the surrounding villages are the common potential sources of contamination. The hydrologic relation between Ismailia Canal and groundwater has great variations. Comprehensive plan for water protection were composed. It includes maintaining three natural protection zones of at least 300-m width along the main course of the Canal and delineating vulnerable zones depending on the aerial extension of the sensitive areas within 10 km on both sides of the Canal. Specific protection measures are recommended over the sensitive areas. The natural ecosystems of swamps around Ismailia Canal should be conserved and the processes of continuous burial prevented.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

References

  • Abdel Moneium B (1997) Verification and study the book about finding the hidden water by Abu Baker Muhammed Al-Karaji. The institute of Arabic manuscripts, Cairo, p 283, in Arabic

    Google Scholar 

  • Afify HF (2000) Studies on water resources and pollution in some areas of the Suez Canal Province. M. Sc. Thesis, Suez Canal Univ., Ismailia, Egypt

  • Arnous MO, Sidi Cheikh MA, Mongi BZ, Aliout R, Hadj-Ali R, Garouni Y, Sid S, Marini A, Muntoni F (2009) Remote sensing technology applications for desertification mapping: a case study, Oudia area, Tunisia. Desertification and Risk Analysis Using High and Medium Resolution Satellite Data NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security 2:183–197. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8937-4_16

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnous MO, Aboulela HA, Green DR (2011) Geo-environmental hazards assessment of the north western Gulf of Suez, Egypt. J Coast Conserv 15(1):37–50. doi:10.1007/s11852-010-0118-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrocu G, Biallo G (1993) Application of GIS for aquifer vulnerability evaluation. Hydro93, Proceeding of Vienna Conf, IAHS publ 211:571–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Christopher AL (1994) Remote sensing and geographic information systems: geological mapping, mineral exploration and mining, 1st edn. Wiley, Singapore, 152

    Google Scholar 

  • Domenico P, Schwartz F (1998) Physical and chemical hydrogeology, 2nd edn. Wiley, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Droubi A, Hobler M (2003) Groundwater vulnerability mapping and investigations on soil and groundwater contamination in pilot areas in Syria and Lebanon. In: UNESCO/IHP pub. No. 14 “Status of groundwater quality in the Arab Region”, pp 116–138

  • El-Fawal FM (1992) Sedimentology of the Quaternary southwest of Ismailia and its chronostratigraphy west of the Suez Canal. Proc. 3rd. Conf. Geol. Sinai Develop., Ismailia, pp 141–152

  • El-Fayoumy IF (1968) Geology of groundwater supplies in the region east of the Nile Delta and its extension in north Sinai. Ph.D. Thesis, Fac. of Sci., Geol. dept., Cairo Univ., Egypt, p 207

  • El-Shazly EM, Abd El Hady MA, El-Shazly MM, El-Kassas IA, El-Ghawaby MA, Salman AB, Morsi MA (1975) Geology and ground water potential studies of El-Ismailia master plan study area. Remote sensing research project Academy of Scientific Res and Tech, Cairo, Egypt

  • Foster SSD (1985) Ground water pollution protection in developing countries. In: Matthess G, Foster S, Skinner A (eds) Theoretical background, hydrogeology and practice of groundwater protection zones. Inter. Conf. Hydrogeology, vol. 6. UNESCO, Hannover, Germany, pp 159–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Geriesh MH (1994) Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical evaluation of groundwater resources in the Suez Canal region. Ph. D. thesis, Fac. Sci. Suez Canal University

  • Geriesh MH, El-Rayes AE (2001) Municipal contamination of shallow groundwater beneath south Ismailia villages. 5Th. Inter. Conf. On geochemistry. Alex. Univ., Egypt, pp 241–253

  • Ghodeif K (2002) Management and protection of ground water in El-Qaa Plain, Sinai, Egypt. Ph. D. dissertation, Geology Institute, Poznan, Poland, p 193

  • Gorski J, Przybyiek J (1997) The influence of the 1989–1992 years drought on the exploitation conditions of infiltration water intakes in the Warta River valley. Wspotczesne problemy Hydrogeologii, Tom VIII. Wrociaw, pp 1–8

  • Hölting B, Haertle T, Hohberger KH, Nachtigall KH, Villinger E, Weinzierl W, Wrobel JP (1995) Konzept Zur Ermittlung der Schutzfunktion der Grundwasser U Berdeckung. Geol Jb, C 63:5–24, Hannover / GER

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen JR (2004) Introductory digital image processing. A remote sensing prospective. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 318 P

    Google Scholar 

  • Khalifa IH, Arnous MO (2010) Assessment of hazardous mine waste transport in west central Sinai, using remote sensing and GIS approaches: a case study of Um Bogma area, Egypt. Arab J Geosci. doi:10.1007/s12517-010-0196-0

    Google Scholar 

  • Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging, LLC (2005) ERDAS Field GuideTM, Norcross, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, p 674

  • Lillesand T, Kiefer RW (2000) Remote sensing and image interpretation, 3rd edn. Wiley, NY, p 679

    Google Scholar 

  • Margane A, Hobler M, Subah A, Almomani M, Ouran S, Zuhdi Z (1997) Mapping of groundwater vulnerability and hazards to groundwater in the Irbid area, Jordan. Unpubl. Report, technical Cooperation BGR & MWI, BMZ project BMZ No. 89, BGR—Archive No. 112708; Amman

  • Matthess G, Foster SSD, Skinner ACh (1985) Theoretical background, hydrogeology and practice of groundwater protection zones. International contributions to hydrogeology, vol. 6. UNESCO-IUGS. International Association of Hydrogeologists, Heise, Hannover, West Germany, p 204

  • Richards JA (1993) Remote sensing digital image analysis, an introduction, 2nd edn. Springer, New York, Berlin, Heildelberg, 340

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Richter S, Mohaupt V (2005) Water framework directive—summary of River Basin District Analysis 2004 in Germany, UMB, Public Relations Division, 11055 Berlin, p 68

  • Said R (1981) The geological evolution of the River Nile. Springer, New York/Berlin, p 151

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sbains FF (1997) Remote sensing principles and interpretation, 3rd edn. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, p 449

    Google Scholar 

  • Toth J (1999) Groundwater as a geologic agent: an overview of the causes, processes, and manifestations. J Hydrog 7:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U. A. R. High DAM soil survey project (1964) Soil map of the non-cultivated land, semidetailed survey. Scale (1:50, 000), U. A. R. and F. A. O, Sheet Ismailia-Suez1 and Ismailia Suez

  • UNESCO-MERIC (2003) Water for people, water for life. Executive Summary of the World Water Development Report. UNESCO, Paris, France, Arabic edition, pp 1–36

  • USEPA (2005) Guidelines for source water protection. Web site of US EPA

  • Walker WR, Skogerboe GV (1987) Surface irrigation: theory and practice. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, p 386

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation (WHO) (2010) Guidelines for drinking water quality recommendation. Incorporating first and second addenda to third edition. World Health Organisation Report, Geneva, Volume 1: Recommendations

    Google Scholar 

  • Zoetbrood J (1984) A water balance study in the western part of Wadi El-Tumilat, Egypt. Report IWACO and RIGW, vol II

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41522, Ismailia, Egypt

    Kamal O. Ghodeif, Mohamed O. Arnous & Mohamed H. Geriesh

Authors
  1. Kamal O. Ghodeif
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mohamed O. Arnous
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mohamed H. Geriesh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed O. Arnous.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ghodeif, K.O., Arnous, M.O. & Geriesh, M.H. Define a protected buffer zone for Ismailia Canal, Egypt using Geographic Information Systems. Arab J Geosci 6, 43–53 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0326-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0326-3

Keywords

  • Hydrogeology
  • Drinking water quality
  • Contamination
  • Vulnerability
  • Suez Canal Province
  • Remote sensing