Human activities have had significant impacts on the hydrological cycle, both on the quantity and quality of water

flowing within it. 1. Irrigation: Overuse of water-reduced in flow through rivers into natural stores. E.g. in the Aral sea basin, where over extraction for irrigation has resulted in the cessation of inflow from contributing rivers. Diversion of water for irrigation purposes modifies natural hydrological processes and irrigated land often has high rates of evaporation. 2. Dams: Another common problem is the over regulation of river basins as dams, levees and barrages aim to accumulate water for human consumption or protect urban areas. However, they increase evaporation, and raise the water table through increased percolation. Gradual changes occur due to the decreased freedom of sediment flow, which can affect flow velocities and river development. There are also large problems attached to alterations in the water table. A rise in the level of groundwater can saturate topsoils or lead to salinization. 3. Artificial drainage: Artificial drainage is often a manmade solution to this problem as the return of hydraulic action increases flow velocities but can lead to a decrease in evapotranspiration. In addition, over extraction of water from aquifers can lead to dangerously decreased water levels. 4. Urbanisation: Changing the land use of river basins also has marked effects on transfers of water as evaporation and flow characteristics are altered. This is especially clear in urbanized areas where infiltration

is all but halted and evapotranspiration is greatly reduced. Urbanization also leads to increased flood risks and large surface flows. 5. Deforestation: Deforestation and overexploitation of vegetation may be to blame for increased drought risks and increased flooding as good vegetation cover helps regulate, store and absorb water flows. Another consequence of deforestation is decreased transpiration and infiltration as vegetation cover is reduced. Changes in precipitation interception and infiltration increase flood risks and affects the amount of water penetrating to groundwater stores.

Environmental Impact
The Aswan High Dam stopped all seasonal inundation of Egypt. As a result, although free of the uncertainty of a low or high flood, it has led to the degradation of Egyptian agricultural land. Along with water, the inundation brought massive quantities of organically rich silt, which was deposited on the land as the water fell. This made artificial fertilisers totally un-necessary, and added greatly to the depth of the topsoil. The Nile delta was, prior to the dam, the most fertile agricultural region in the world, and the silt rich topsoil over 70 feet deep in places. This is no longer the case, and agriculture in Egypt is now entirely dependent on artificial fertilisers to keep the fields alive.

The Aswan Low Dam and Aswan High Dam are north of Lake Nasser (covering 200 miles along the Nile) in southeast Egypt (right-click image to enlarge).

In addition, Egyptian fields were, prior to the construction of the dam, the only large-scale irrigated agricultural area where soil salinisation did not occur. This was due to the "washing" effect of the inundation in flushing salts from the soil each year. Salinisation of agricultural land is now the single biggest problem in Egyptian agriculture, especially as irrigation methods centre around flood irrigation. Soil erosion has also increased dramatically, as silt from the inundation no longer replenishes lost material along the riverbank, and also the low-lying delta coastline, which is largely built up on sediment transport from the Nile. As a result, the delta coastline is now heavily eroded, having retreated in some areas by over 1/4 of a mile, threatening the destruction of the brackish delta lagoons which support much of the Egyptian fishing industry, and many coastal settlements. Ironically, at the same time, Lake Naser, the lake formed by the Aswan High Dam, is silting up, reducing both its water storage capacity, and the ability of the dam to generate hydro-electric power.

Environmental impacts of irrigation

Environmental effects of irrigation concern: in the irrigation project: waterlogging, soil salination, pollution of drainage water, loss of natural habitats of flora and fauna downstream of the project: reduced surface water availability, increased groundwater inflow, water logging, polluted incoming water Salinity: Salt-affected soils are caused by excess accumulation of salts, typically most pronounced at the soil surface. Salts can be transported to the soil surface by capillary transport from a salt laden water table and then accumulate due to evaporation.