Mekonnen et al. (2026) Multi-scale assessment of irrigation water use and supply in the Amibara Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia using Landsat-derived evapotranspiration and field data

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-17
• Authors: Kirubel Mekonnen, Mulugeta Tadesse, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Mohammded Abdella, Mengistu Dessalegn, Mansoor Leh, Komlavi Akpoti, Afua G. Owusu, Ashenafi Likessa, Abdulkarim Hussein Seid
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110700

Research Groups

• International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• IWMI, Colombo, Sri Lanka
• IWMI, Accra, Ghana
• Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Short Summary

This study applied a remote sensing-based approach to quantify irrigation water use and supply in the Amibara Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia. The findings support the development of targeted interventions to improve irrigation performance.

Objective

• Estimate spatially explicit irrigation water use and supply across scheme, canal, and block scales in the Amibara Irrigation Scheme.
• Compute key irrigation performance indicators using remote sensing-based water-use estimates.
• Examine the potential of alternative water management scenarios to improve irrigation water use.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study area covers approximately 15,000 ha, with a spatial resolution of 30 m for ETa and crop type mapping.
• Temporal Scale: The study period spans from 2010 to 2024, with monthly data availability for ETa, irrigation water supply, and other variables.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Water Accounting Plus (WA+) framework, Simplified Surface Energy Balance Operational (SSEBop) algorithm.
• Data sources: Landsat imagery, in situ climate data, discharge records, irrigation water supply measurements, soil moisture observations, reported irrigation water withdrawal data.

Main Results

• The remote sensing-based approach provided a scalable framework for assessing irrigation water use and supply in the Amibara Irrigation Scheme.
• The study revealed a substantial decline in irrigated area from 9941 ha in 2010 to 4532 ha in 2024.
• The proportion of cotton blocks experiencing water deficits rose from 40% to 67%.
• The remote sensing-based irrigation water supply estimates showed reasonable agreement with reported irrigation supply in 2010 (R² = 0.58) and measured supply in 2024 (R² = 0.77).

Contributions

• This study provides a comprehensive multi-scale evaluation of irrigation water use and supply, contributing to evidence-based irrigation water management.
• The findings support the development of targeted interventions to improve irrigation performance.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Mekonnen2026Multiscale,
  author = {Mekonnen, Kirubel and Tadesse, Mulugeta and Velpuri, Naga Manohar and Abdella, Mohammded and Dessalegn, Mengistu and Leh, Mansoor and Akpoti, Komlavi and Owusu, Afua G. and Likessa, Ashenafi and Seid, Abdulkarim Hussein},
  title = {Multi-scale assessment of irrigation water use and supply in the Amibara Irrigation Scheme, Ethiopia using Landsat-derived evapotranspiration and field data},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110700},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110700}
}