Problem of poor-quality water

1. Salinity (Alkalinity):

• Leads to difficulty in extracting enough water from the salty soil solution.
• Cause reduced uptake by plants usually resulting in slow or reduced growth.

2. Soil permeability:

• Results when the rate of water infiltration into and through the salt is reduced by the effect of specific salts.

Poor permeability causes

a) Difficulty to supply the crop with water

b) Cropping difficulty

c) Water logging of surface soil

d) Accompanying disease

e) Oxygen and nutritional problems

3. Toxicity:

• Occurs when certain constituents (boron, chloride and sodium) in the water are taken up by the crop.
• Results to reduced yield.

4. Silting:

• Causes

a) Siltation of channel beds.

b) Deposition of silt and sand on land thereby destroying more fertile land.

c) Making the water unfit for pressure irrigation like sprinkler and drip irrigation.

5. Miscellaneous:

• Include excessive vegetative growth, logging and delayed crop maturing.