Assessment of irrigation water quality of Tono Dam in Navrongo, Ghana

2014

English

Water used for irrigation remains unnoticed when the quality level is changing. Irrigation water is a major source of water for plant growth when rainfall is insufficient. Some important physio-chemical parameters of Tono irrigation dam of Upper East Region were evaluated for the criteria of irrigation water quality. Thirty four (34) water samples were collected in the dry season from eight (8) command areas of the Tono irrigation area. The study revealed that though there was significant difference between the reservoir and some of the command areas in terms of the physio-chemical parameters, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and Kelly’s ratio of water sampled from eight command areas were found within the permissible limits and therefore suitable for irrigation purposes. Iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) ions which might cause toxicity of the irrigation water were low and had no effect on the quality of irrigation water and the productivity of the crop cultivated.

Adams, S.; Issaka, R. N.; Quansah, G. W.; Amfo-Otu, R.; Bagna, S.