Abstract

Amidst positive effects of irrigation, there are some negative effects which potentially appear in irrigation areas. The most important are water erosion on sloping fields; caused by depreciating irrigation structures, resulting in siltation of water canals, growth of weeds, debris and other materials that has capacity to inhibit flow of water. This in turn affects surface and ground water quality. The soil physico-chemical property analysis reveals that soil samples taken from the irrigated field contains high phosphorus and potassium. Also, the levels of copper, total nitrogen and cadmium were above the acceptable limit in all locations where samples were collected compared to others. This may be due to accumulated residues of agro-chemicals used in the irrigated fields. The water physico-chemical properties demonstrated that potassium and chemical oxygen demand concentrations are beyond the permissible limit in almost all samples collected; even with water sample collected at the reservoir, which could be the resulting effect of fertilizers from the Bakolori Irrigation project. This can be inferred from the level of algae around the river banks. This paper presents result of soil samples, surface and ground water quality in Bakolori irrigation project and recommended measures for further action to preserve its physical resources.

Key words: Bakolori, irrigation, dam, surface water quality, ground water quality.