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5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

Enhancing of micro water management in dry season at

Dadahup lowland irrigation area

H Ansari1,2, Istiarto1*, B S Wignyosukarto1

1
Departement of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
2
Directorate Irrigation and Lowland, Directorate General Water Resources,
Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Jakarta, Indonesia
*
istiarto@ugm.ac.id
Abstract. The Indonesian government in 2020 initiated a food estate program to revitalize Ex-PLG
areas in order to strengthen national food security. Dadahup lowland irrigation area (DIR Dadahup)
was part of the food estate program. Water insufficiency during the dry season has been Dadahup’s
problem to date. The channel’s water level during the dry season drops to +0.48 m, which is lower
than the average ground level of +1.00 m and +1.30 m at the left and right banks, respectively. This
causes stunted growth of the cultivated paddy. The use of gates in secondary and tertiary channels
serves to maintain the water level of the channels so that it is possible to irrigate paddy fields whose
elevation is +1.00 to +1.20 m. This can be achieved by placing and regulating the opening and
closing of the gates with the assistance of flow simulation using the HEC-RAS program.

1. Introduction
Food security is one of the most complex issues the world is facing today [1]. As reminded by FAO that the
global Covid-19 pandemic is also exacerbating the current food crisis [2]. The utilization of lowland areas
is one of the options for increasing food security in Indonesia. The Indonesian government in 2020 initiated
a food estate program to revitalize Ex-PLG areas in order to strengthen national food security.
Dadahup lowland irrigation area (DIR Dadahup) was part of the food estate program. Since it was
developed in 1995, the main commodity in DIR Dadahup is only paddy. Lack of experience in farming in
lowland areas at that time resulted in low productivity. In addition, poor operation and maintenance, as well
as water insufficiency during the dry season has been Dadahup’s problem to date. Over time this area began
to be abandoned by farmers. This can be seen from the total area of 21,000 ha only approximately 6,000 ha
are functional [3]. Another opinion also revealed that the condition of the water system in the lowland area
is not optimal resulting in poor paddy fields and environmental damage. Due to those reasons, this area is
expected to be abandoned by farmers in search of more suitable land [4].
Reclamation activities in lowland area are generally determined by water status conditions. Water
status in terms of quantity and quality will affect land productivity [5]. Furthermore, leastwise of the
lowland area utilization to be used as agricultural land is caused by the lack of quality and quantity of
water itself (especially during the dry season) [6]. Lack of water hinders sustainable development,
especially in agriculture. As is known, irrigation areas with high productivity require sufficient water
[7]. Therefore, one of the means to maintain food security is enhancing water management in an
irrigation scheme.

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5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

Water management with the proper operation rule plays an essential role in the success of a sustainable
irrigation area [8]. Water management is vital for the long-term use of agriculture, forestry, and
conservation of natural ecosystems in lowland areas [9]. Water management not only serves to reduce or
increase the water level in the channel but also to minimize the oxidation of the pyrite layer which can
release toxic material and reduce soil acidity [10]. Therefore, the water level in the channel must be
maintained to meet cultivation water needs and keep the pyrite layer reduced. In addition, based on
interviews with farmers, maintaining the water level in the channel and field also prevents pests.
Based on observations during the dry season in Block A5 DIR Dadahup, the channel’s water level
drops to +0.48 m, which is lower than the average ground level of +1.00 m and +1.30 m at the left and
right banks, respectively. This causes stunted growth of the cultivated paddy. Furthermore, this paper
aims to analyze the use of gates in secondary and tertiary channels and operation rules to enhance
micro water management during the dry season in DIR Dadahup. Flow analysis is assisted by using
HEC-RAS software. HEC-RAS provides unsteady flow simulation in 1D and 2D. HEC-RAS 2D is
able to simulate the distribution of inundation [11].

2. Material and Method

DIR Dadahup is located in Central Kalimantan Province, Kapuas Regency. DIR Dadahup is surrounded by
several rivers, including the Barito river, Mangkatip river and Kapuas river. The main locus in this paper is
Block A5. Block A5 is a pilot project of the food estate program at DIR Dadahup. This block's micro water
management system is supplied through the main primary and auxiliary primary channels. Water from the
primary channel will enter the secondary to tertiary channels. Secondary and tertiary canals have two
functions such as irrigation and drainage purposes and are generally known as two-way flow systems.
Block A5 has one secondary channel and ten tertiary channels. Block A5 is divided into two, right and left
banks. The right bank has a ground elevation ranging from +0.83 ~ +1.74 m while the left side ranging
from +0.57 ~ +1.67 m. For more details, see the following Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 1. Location of DIR Dadahup. Figure 2. Topographic map and micro water
management of Block A5.
The use of gates proposes to enhance micro water management in this area especially during the
dry season. These gates are projected as the regulator, which regulates the block system's outflow and
inflow. Besides that, these gates make this area hydrologically separated from the surrounding area,
commonly known as the polder system [12]. This system provides the ability to control the volume,
discharge and water level in this area. This system is considered to be easier in terms of its operating
scheme due to the smaller coverage area. Furthermore, the impact on the leaching process and water
circulation becomes more effective [13].
The type of gate is sluice gate (Figure 3). The gate dimension was 2x2 m for secondary channel, while
the gate dimension for tertiary channel was 1.5x1.5 m. The dimensions of these gates can be re-adjusted
considering different needs and purposes in the future. The gate operation rule applied generally

2
5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

aims to maintain the water level in the secondary and tertiary canals during the dry season. In addition,
these gates can also be used as a medium to harvest rainwater. Rainwater is captured or detained to fill
secondary and tertiary channels (treated like long storage) so that the rainwater is not rapidly drained
and the channel's water level is maintained.

(a) (b)
Figure 3. Secondary gate (a); tertiary gate (b).
Supporting data such as water level, precipitation, terrain, longitudinal and cross-sectional data
were used as input for this modeling (flow simulation using HECRAS). Due to the limited satellite
image resolution, it should be noted that the terrain data used is the result of analysis between cross-
sectional data and topographic surveys which are merged into RAS Mapper. The scenarios carried out
in this paper are based on previous studies, it can be seen in Table 1 below:
Table 1. Scenarios geometries regarding gate placement and pump station [14].
Simulation Secondary Tertiary
Pump Description
Scenarios Gate Gate
No gate - - - Without gate structure
Secondary √ - - Gate structure at secondary channel
gates
Tertiary gates √ √ - Gate structure at secondary and tertiary
channels
Pumps √ √ √ Gate structure at secondary and tertiary
channels + pump station

3. Results and Discussion

The hydraulic analysis is carried out by simulating dry conditions that occurred on 25 Oct – 01 Nov
2021 using HEC-RAS. Stage hydrograph and precipitation were used as the boundary condition. The
schematization of the irrigation network and the gate operation rule on HEC RAS can be seen in the
following Figure 4 and Table 2.

3
5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

Figure 4. The schematization irrigation network of Block A5.

Table 2. The gate operation rules based on water surface elevation.
Simulation Scenarios
The Gate Operation Rules
No Gate Secondary Gate Tertiary Gate Pump
Opening / Starts Up
- Secondary Gate - 1.35 1.35 1.35
- Tertiary Gate - - 1.30 1.30
- Pump - - - 0.90
Closing / Shuts Down
- Secondary Gate - 1.00 1.00 1.00
- Tertiary Gate - - 1.10 1.10
- Pump - - - 1.30
*Units in meters
The results show that the micro water management system has been enhanced by using gates with
the correct placing and operating rules. It can be seen that the irrigated area increased from 309.10 ha
to 522.70 ~ 534.32 ha. It is improved by around 69% - 73% only using gates in secondary and tertiary
channels. With pumps, the irrigated area significantly increase up to 950.10 ha, three times greater
than the existing condition (no gate scenario). More details can be seen in Figure 5.

4
5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

Water Depth Water Depth

(a) (b)

Water Depth Water Depth

(c) (d)
Figure 5. The irrigated areas: (a) no gate ±309.10 ha; (b) secondary gates
±522.70 ha; (c) tertiary gates ±534.32 ha; (d) pumps ±950.10 ha.
Other results show that the use of gates in combination with pumps seems effective in increasing
the water level by optimizing the rainwater harvesting. As shown in the third right tertiary channel, by
using gates (secondary gate and tertiary gate scenarios) the water level fluctuates from +0. 86 m to
+1.30 m but in the end the channel’s water level can be maintained at +1.00 m - +1.20 m. Even with
the pumps, the water level can be maintained up to +1.30 m. The results on the secondary and third
left tertiary channel show similar results as the third right tertiary channel, where the water level can
be maintained at +1.00 m - +1.20 m by using gates meanwhile +1.30 m by using pumps. So the paddy
fields with elevations up to +1.20 can be irrigated. This is in line with the previous results, where there
is an increase in irrigable areas. More details regarding the water level fluctuations are shown in
Figure 6, Figure 7 and Figure 8.

Figure 6. Water level fluctuation in secondary channel.

5
5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

Figure 7. Water level fluctuation in third right tertiary channel.

Figure 8. Water level fluctuation in third left tertiary channel.

4. Conclusions
The application of the polder system for Block A5 micro water management, in this case by using
gates, shows that the inflow and outflow can be regulated according to agricultural needs. With the
correct placing and regulating of the gates, this area is protected from water insufficiency during the
dry season. In conclusion, by harvesting rainwater using the gates (treated like long storage) the water
level in the channel can be maintained at +1.00 m to +1.20 m, while the combination with pumps can
reach an elevation of +1.30 m. Likewise, the irrigated area significantly increase up to 950.10 ha, three
times greater than the existing condition.

Acknowledgments
The authors extend their gratitude to the Directorate Irrigation and Lowland and Balai Wilayah Sungai
Kalimantan II, Directorate General of Water Resources, Ministry Public Works and Housing,
Republic of Indonesia for their endless support.

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5th International Conference on Food and Agriculture IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1168 (2023) 012047 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1168/1/012047

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