Use of the (MEDALUS) model in assessing the environmental sensitivity of the desertification of the lands of the North Al-Jazira Irrigation Project in Nineveh / Iraq

Abstract

In view of the phenomenon of desertification and its environmental risks that began to appear in Iraq, this study was conducted for the area of ​​the North Al-Jazira Irrigation Project, located in the west of Nineveh Governorate, as it is one of the strategic irrigation projects in the country, in which the problem of salinity has emerged in the recent period due to the irrational use of irrigation processes and the nature of the agricultural system in it. These phenomena are among the most important problems facing the agricultural sector in the country, as soil salinization and the lack of vegetation cover help the soil lose its fertility and the disappearance of vegetation cover, which results in low crop productivity and threatens the continuation of deterioration and desertification of land with increased water scarcity and low agricultural productivity in most countries in the regions Dry and semi-arid, which poses a threat to the future of agriculture in the country. This study aims to prepare and prepare a unified map showing the degrees of environmental sensitivity to desertification for this region and to develop possible solutions and treatments by studying a number of factors and indicators that help exacerbate the problem of desertification and land degradation. land use In the study of environmental sensitivity to desertification, and the satellite image of the study site for the year 2021 was obtained through the official website of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) United States Geological Survey Which was the type of sensor (ETM), and then the treatment and analysis of the factors and influences of the phenomenon of desertification and land degradation in the study area were carried out, and then the final map was prepared and prepared, which shows the degrees of desertification, and it was measured into areas of high, moderate and low sensitivity.