Protection of Major Hydraulic Structures and Watercourses against the Aquatic Weeds by Using Developed Barriers’ Technique:

Date:2021-06-08

Prepared by:Dr. Emam A. Osman

In Egypt, Nile river and numerous irrigation and drainage canals (over 47,000 Km) are suffering from sever infestation of aquatic weeds. In spite of the annually maintenance through the mechanical and the manual activities, infestation is still to date out of control. For regional and environmental conditions, floating and submerged aquatic weeds spread on almost all the watercourses, and harmfully affect their functionality. In irrigation canals, the presence of such weeds effects on distribution efficiency, and reduces the canal’s conveyance. These resulted in an upstream heading up and downstream dryness. This forms the main challenges for irrigation water districts. While in drains, their existence retards drainage process, causes heading up, and leads to breakdown pump stations as well. In front of the hydraulic structures, aquatic weeds alert different problems as they breakdown, or even block the hydropower stations, throttle intakes and outlets, peril navigation, and magnify water and hydraulic losses. Moreover, aquatic weeds presence not only reduces irrigation and drainage functionality and reduces the hydraulic efficiency but also alter the water quality and threaten the adjacent environment and permits diseases and pollutions. The institute innovates new techniques to develop the current barriers in Egypt forcontrolling the aquatic weeds overall the irrigation and drainage network, and provides protection to the major water structures. The institute conducted and formulated designing criteria for barriers, and distinguished types of barriers for each case of infestation by using the developed barriers (Shallow and deep infestation, fast and stagnant streams). The developed barriers reduce the manufacture costs by remarkable amount by using PVC, fiberglass materials with steel.