INSAS launch meeting Dubai, UAE - 21 November 2019 Hassan Kutaiba

1. The status of salt-affected soils in the
NENA region – Iraq: a case study
Kutaiba M. Hassan
Professor of Soil Science, Expert in Agriculture
ITPS expert

2. Contents
• General Introduction
• Iraq as a Case Study
• Problem of salinity in Iraq
• Types of salinity in Iraq
• What has to be done
• The urgent steps
• The previous achievements
• The proposed National Strategy for soil Salinity
• Treatments and Water Resources Protection

3. General introduction
• During the preparation of the “Concept Note” of the
International Network of Salt-Affected Soils (INSAS),
two tables were presented concerning the world
distribution of salt-affected areas.
• First by Massoud , F (1977) and the second by
UNEP(1992).
• Several comments were introduced to the concept
note , but no one has mentioned that the data
presented in the two tables are just a little bit
old……….Why……????

4. Distribution of salt-affected areas
(million ha)
Continent Saline Soils Sodic Soil Total
South Asia
North and Central Asia
South East Asia
82.3
91.5
20.0
1.8
120.2
-
84.1
211.7
20.0
Total 315.8
World total 1030
The summary of the tables presented by Massoud (1977 )and
UNEP(1992) is:

5. Iraq as a case study

6. Salinity in Iraq
• The problem of salinity in Iraq is the main limiting
factor for agricultural production.
• Al-Taie (1970) illustrated that about (60-70)% of
land in central and southern Iraq are affected by
salinity.
• FAO (1980) showed that the salinity of soil
increased by about 2-5 dsm ⁻¹ every year in most
of the sedimentary plain . The salinity of the soil in
most of it is higher than 15 dsm ⁻¹ in central and
southern Iraq.

7. Types of salinity in Iraq
• There are two types of soils affected by salinity in
Iraq depending on the quality of the salts:
• (1). Al- Shoura soils , the predominant salts are
Chlorides and Sulphates of sodium and magnesium
(NaCl , Na₂ SO₄ , Mg SO₄).
• (2). Al- Sabkha Soils, the predominant salts are
Chlorides and Sulphates of calcium and magnesium
(Ca Cl₂ , Mg Cl₂ , Mg SO₄ ).

8. What needs to be done?
• The total area required reclamation is about (10) million
Iraqi donums which is equal to about (4) million hectares .
• The cost of integrated reclamation for each donum = 2500
square meter is about ( 5 million ID = 4000$ ).The total
budget need will be about (5000 billion ID = 4000 billion$ ).
• If we start to reclaim (one million donum / year) , we need
(50 000) billion ID for (10 years ), one million donums /year-
as average.
• Now , several questions need to be answered :
One : Who is going to allocate this large amount of budget?
Two: Which institution will be able to spend (5000) billion
ID/year = 4000 billion$?

9. Three : Which entity can maintain the service of
thousands of kilometers of field drains later on?
Now , there are 84383 kilometers of field ,lateral and
main drains
• 138 drainage water pumping stations .
• 1008 pumps for drainage water .
Four : How are we going to save and use millions of
cubic meters of irrigation water for leaching and
reclaiming the (10 million donums) of salt-affected
soils?
The total amount is about (25) Billion cubic meters.

10. The urgent steps
• To stop the front line of the salinity in the salt-
affected areas.
• To maintain and keep the soil so far not affected by
salinity.
• Programing the priority of leaching and reclaiming
of the agricultural projects.
• Urgent use of all modern technologies for salinity
adaptations.
• Searching for salinity resistant varieties.

11. The previous achievements
• Leaching of salt-affected soils using drainage water
(1975-1977).
• The National Program for the Optimum Use of Water
Resources in Euphrates Basin (1998-2002).
• Salt Balance in saline soil after leaching , reclaiming and
cultivating (2000-2005) .Using and Testing SALTMED ,
SALINITY and SEASON programs.
• Iraqi Field Guide for Iraqi soils (2007), prepared with
the assistance of Dr. Rebbeca Burt – USDA , USA.
• The Iraqi /American Conference on Salinity in Iraq
(2009)- Coordinator Dr.Mike Gangwer ,Utah State
University.

12. The main topics of the
conference:
• Characteristics , diagnosis and distribution of salt-affected
soils in the lower Mesopotamia.
• Chemistry of the salt- affected soils in Iraq.
• Diagnosis and Management of salt –affected soils in Iraq .
• The American Vision on saline soils.
• Use of saline water in agriculture.
• Necessary steps for avoiding resalinization.
• The main five recommendations of the conference were:
• Show Priorities for use (invest ) the available irrigation water .
• Starting implementation of land reclamation for poor farmers first.
• Establishment a National Center for Salinity.
• Cooperation with Iraqi universities.
• Cooperation with the private sector.

13. The Australian Project for Management Salt –
affected Soils in the Middle and South of Iraq
(2011-2012):
With the contrition of the following institutions:
• Australian Center of Agricultural Research (ICIAR).
• International Center for Agricultural Research in the
Dry Areas (ICARDA).
• University of West Australian .
• International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
(ICBA).
• The International Water Management Institute (
IWMI).

14. The proposed national strategy for
national soil salinity treatment and
water resources protection
(1) Studying the quality (chemical , physical and
biological characteristics ) of water.
(2) Management saline soil using saline or semi-
saline water.
(3) Irrigation with saline water depending on the
growth stages of crops.
(4) Using leaching requirements with saline irrigation
water.

15. (5) Following successive crops with successive
seasons (dense cultivation).
(6) Adding calculated amounts of sulfur, gypsum
and sulfuric acid.
(7) Application of biological fertilizers.
(8) Application of some amending products
such as: Clean Salt , DriWater.
(9) Screening crop varieties tolerant to salinity.

16. (9) Screening crop varieties tolerant to
salinity.
(10) Introducing Tolerant Grain Crop Varieties
to salinity.
(11) Using Treated Waste Water for
agricultural purposes such as green belts and
/ or leaching salt-affected soils.
(12) Several trails for desalinizations of saline
water foragricultural purposes .

17. And now?
The major challenging goal for Iraq and other
regional countries is how to have a STRATEGIC
FRAMEWORK ON A SOLID PERMANENT BASE to
alleviate the effect of salt-affected soils efficiently
and economically.

18. Thank you for your
attention

19. •
•
• Refernces :
•
• Altaie , F (1970). Salt-affected and water logged soils of
Iraq. Report to seminar on methods of amelioration of
saline and water – logged soils. Baghdad ,Iraq.
• Hassan,K,M .et al (1978) . Leaching of salt-affected soil in
Iraq using drainage water under laboratory conditions.
Iraqi J. for Agr. Sci.
• Hassan ,K, M .et al. (1978). Leaching of salt-affected soil in
Iraq using drainage water under field conditions .
• FAO (1980) .

20. • UNEP (1992) .
• Hassan , K , M.et al. (1999). Reuse of drainage
water for leaching and reclaiming salt –affected
soils .The 4th Gulf Conference on Water . Al-
Bahrain State .
• Hassan , K , M. et al. (2000) Evaluation of saline
water for leaching heavy salt-affected soil in the
Middle of Iraq .
• The 2nd Sci . Conf. of the Association of Iraqi Water
Resources.

21. • Hassan , K.M. et .al. (2000).The importance of
irrigation water salinity and the leaching factor on
wheat yield and accumulation of salts in soils.
Proceeding of using medium saline in water Arab
Agriculture (ACSAD).
• Hassan , K.M. et al .(2001). Predication models for
water quantity of Euphrates water. A comprehensive
review. Iraq Award on Environment.
• Hassan ,K.M. et .al.(2002). Predication of soil salinity
and irrigation water volume required for salt balance
using SEASON program. The 7th Iraqi Tech Conf . /
Univ. of Technology.

22. • Hassan ,K.M. et .al.(2002) . Control on salinity reaction
in the reclaimed soils using simulation program for
salt balance (SALINUTY) . The 4th Sci.Conf . on Agr.
Research.
• Hassan ,K.M. et .al.(2005). Magnetic condition of
saline water characteristics for crop irrigation .
•
• 1.Sunflower crop .J. of Agr .Sci.
•
• Hassan ,K.M. et .al.(2005). Magnetic condition of
saline water characteristics for crops irrigation

23. •
• 2.Corn and Wheat crops.
• 14. Hassan ,K.M. et .al. (2006). Effect of using leaching
• requirement on Peanut growth and Yield in salt- affected soil.
• J. of Agr.Sci.
• 15. Hassan ,K.M. et .al. (2007). Influence of sprinkler Irrigation on
• soil moisture distribution in a silt clay soil . The 6th Sci. Conf .
• on Agr. Res.
• 16. Hassan ,K.M. et .al. (2007). Salt balance in soil irrigated with
• saline water and dense wheat crops. The 6th Sci .Conf . on
• Agr.Res.
• 17. Hassan ,K.M. et .al.(2009). Salt balance in soil irrigated with
• saline water under Corn crop condition . The 7th Sci .Conf. of
• Agr.Res.

24. • 18. Hassan ,K.M. et .al. (2010) . Salt balance in soil irrigated with
• saline water under green gram crop conditions .
• The Iraqi Agr.Res. J.
• 19. Hassan ,K.M. et .al. (2010). Perdition of movement and
• distribution of salts in soil irrigated with saline water using
• SALINITY program . The 4th . Sci . Conf. of Wasit Univ.Iraq.
• 20. Hassan ,K.M. (2011). The National Strategy for Soil
• Salinity Management and Water Resources Protection.
• Symposium on:
• Accelerating Aspects for Reclaiming Agr.
• Lands in Iraq . Prime Minister Agricultural Initiative.
•
• 21. Hassan ,K.M. (2016). Work Plans , Visions, Ideas and
• Experiments . Ministry of Agriculture . Baghdad , Iraq.
•
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