Irrigation water quality of River Kulfo and its implication in irrigated agriculture, South West Ethiopia

Irrigation is a common agricultural practice for farmers in the periphery of flowing rivers in Ethiopia. In the south west Ethiopia, fruits and vegetables are majorly produced under irrigation where the mode of irrigation is by pumping water from flowing rivers. Irrigated agriculture has only been linked to the availability of water in physical terms, while the quality of water is significantly important for sustainable agricultural production. A study was conducted to assess the water quality parameter of the Kulfo River in South West part of Ethiopia. Accordingly, the concentration of calcium cation (21 g/L) is the highest concentrated followed by sodium (8.3 g/L), magnesium (5 g/L) and potassium (1.8 g/L) is the least concentrated in the Kulfo River. The concentration level of the chloride ion has significantly (25 mg/L) increased from what it was reported (3 to 12 mg/L) in 2004. More importantly, both the electrical conductivity and the sodium adsorption ration are relatively low, implicating the water is non saline and can safely be used for irrigation.   Key words: Electrical conductivity, irrigation water, pumping, sodium absorption ratio, river.