الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Al-Wafra area lies at the southern border of Kuwait, near Saudi Arabia border with area equal 17,000 hectares. It suffered acute vulnerability since 2006 in terms of water logging and soil salinization. Degradation of soil impoverished of productive lands due to misuse of brackish groundwater. 600 flowing wells with large diameter discharge 30 m3/hour were constructed in the area penetrating the Dammam Formation. Water salinity ranged between 5000 and 7000 mg/l. The Al-Wafra Agriculture area lacked drainage systems where water was accumulated in low-lying lands forming water ponds. Soilsalinization was related to the high evaporation in summer and cultivation abilities were nearly demolished. In 2009 and 2010, governmental organizations succeeded to control about 72% of the flowing wells. Water ponds therefore, disappeared and soils were dried up. Objectives of the present study include: 1) assess the factors contributing to water logging and soil salinization in Al-Wafra agricultural area. 2) Identify the history, main causes and magnitude of the water logging phenomenon in Al-Wafra agricultural area, 3) propose a sustainable rehabilitation program for Al-Wafra agricultural area. Field, laboratory and desk investigations were carried out: 1) Reconnaissance field survey to collect information on the nature and magnitude of the soil salinization problem, 2) Setting up the field survey program, 3) Identification and characterization of three clusters representing the prevailing environmental conditions in the area of study, 4) Evaluation of the problem through field and remote sensing measurements to identify the extent of saline soils, 5) Investigation soil profiles in the affected and non-affected sites, 6) Collection of 73 soil samples for grain-size, mineralogy and chemical analyses, 7) Monitoring water level and ground water quality in four shallow observation wells at different locations, 8) Collection of water samples from both affected and non-affected farms. In addition, monitoring and mapping pilot site (about 2 km2 each) using high resolution Google Earth images of 2008 and 2011 (before and after controlling flowing wells), Chemical and physical analyses for collected soil and water samples indicate that waterlog and salinization causes increased in Na, Ca, K, and Mg contents of the soil in the affected area. Experimental solutions such as mixing saline soils with clean sands and washing of soils were suggested. Washing soil was the best due to the low cost (0.37 KD) and removal of all salts from soil.