FAO: Water level and Ec sensor equipment installation and training in Egypt

July, August 2020 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) have successfully installed water level and Ec sensor devices in each of  Al-Minya and  Kafr El-Sheikh governorates with the objective of accurately measuring the level, salinity and temperature of water. In both governorates, the installation was completed by a capacity building training on the use of the water level and Ec sensor devices, as well as the use of the soil moisture device. This activity falls within the project ‘Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries’, implemented by FAO with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The sensor devices have been installed in three sites in Al-Minya governorate and three sites in Kafr ElSheikh governorate. The selection of the sites was determined by the needs of the water accounting activities implemented in both governorates in the project with the aim to enhance the quality and accuracy of the data collected.  These devices would help measure the water level, water salinity and temperature. Those devices obtain data automatically every hour with a higher accuracy, and automatic logging in to the data logger. The data obtained from this device will help MWRI manage the limited water resources in Egypt in a more efficient way.

Field level trainings have been conducted for 23 participants in the two governorates with 14 engineers from Kafr ElSheikh, and nine engineers from Al-Minya. The participants included representatives from the Irrigation Directorate from each governorate. The practical training took place in the field at one of the water level and Ec sensor devices and covered the data downloaded, the use of the program and the use of the data obtained. The training also introduced an advanced technology soil moisture sensor for monitoring and irrigation control, which enables the measurement of soil moisture level in a field at any given time. This additional information supports the decision makers need to identify the water volume and irrigation duration needed for each crop. The use of the soil moisture sensors was practiced in a sugar cane field in Malawi site in Al-Minya, where the participants received the know-how on the use of the soil moisture sensor and data recording.

These activities were completed under the regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries” implemented by FAO in collaboration with the respective ministries in every country, and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.