REDUCTION OF SEEPAGE LOSSES

Reduction of Seepage Losses

Parts of a canal bank or entire bank can be highly

permeable to water.

Two ways to overcome seepage problem:

 Reduce the permeability of the canal bank
 Line the canal
Reduce the permeability of the canal bank

The permeability of a canal bank can be reduce by

compacting the center, or core of the embankment. The
compacted core should extend above the water level.
Steps of reducing the permeability of a
canal bank
Step 1
- Remove the vegetation on the canal bank and
the top of the bank
Step 2
- Excavate a narrow trench near the inner side of the canal
bank.
Step 3
- Compact the bottom of the trench with a manual tamper
and replace the soil in layers of about 5 to 10cm each.
Step 4
- Fill and compact the trench until the top is reached.
 Repair of a leak

 Most irrigation canals will leak.

 Easily observed since the fields adjacent to the leaking
canal will be wet.
 Leaks should be repaired immediately
Procedure for repairing a leak:

1. Empty the canal and indicate the location of leakage

with pegs.
2. Remove the vegetation and keep it apart.
3. Rebuild the canal bank by filling the bank in layer
with moist soil, and compact each layer well.
For lined canals, the same procedure as above
can be followed but with one difference: before
the bank is excavated, part of the canal lining
should be removed.