Estimating Irrigation Operation Costs and Assessing Irrigation System Performance for Sudan's Khartoum State Irrigation Cooperatives

This study was conducted between 2018-2019, examined the distribution and utilization of soil-water resources in Sudan, focusing on irrigation cooperatives in Khartoum State. Ten cooperatives were selected from public institution inventory to represent Khartoum State. Data were collected on soil-water availability, energy consumption, pump flow rate and operation time, theoretical water withdrawal, and energy expenditures per unit area and water volume. Findings reveal that Sudan’s arable land is estimated at 112 million ha, with only 18.6% under cultivation. Irrigated land accounts for 9% (1.9 million ha) of cultivated area. Khartoum State has an agricultural potential of 756,000 ha, yet only 19.4% (147,000 ha) is utilized annually. Of 203 registered cooperatives, 45 (22.17%) are active, 36 (17.73%) inactive, and 122 (60.10%) have not yet been allocated land. The total registered cooperative area is 66,780.45 ha, with active cooperatives covering 35,390.07 ha (52.99%). In 2018, total electricity consumption by pump stations in the ten studied cooperatives was 1,693,306 kWh. Pump power ranged from 22 kW (Al hamdab and El neye) to 255 kW (Al bagair El ailafon, Al jamuiye, and Wad Ramli). Total energy fees amounted to $76,016/year, with Al jamuiye paying the highest ($33,333/year) and Seyal Al hawab the lowest ($333/year). Annual pump operating time varied from 4,105 hours (Al hamdab) to just 58 hours (Seyal Al hawab). The theoretical annual water withdrawn was 15,646,858 m³, with the highest volumes in Al Khojalab (5.61 million m³), Al jamuiye (4.5 million m³), and Wad Ramli (2.16 million m³). The average energy cost per cubic meter of water was $0.0067. The study concludes that addressing legal, financial, technical, and management issues facing irrigation cooperatives is essential for sustainable irrigated agriculture in Sudan.