PLANNING OF

IRRIGATION PROJECTS
Dr. Litan Kumar Ray
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering Department
NIT Warangal
Mob.: 8265999740
INADEQUACIES OF CANAL
IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
 From the point of view of performance, the management of the
canal irrigation systems in India is far from satisfactory. The
major inadequacies are as follows:

i. Insufficient planning and preparation at the stage of execution

of the project which results in longer construction time and
escalated project cost,

ii. Involvement of more than one ministry/department and poor

coordination among them,

iii. Non-responsive, authoritarian, and poor administration

resulting in increased malpractices,
iv. Lack of interaction between engineering and agricultural
experts,

v. Lag between creation of potential and its utilisation,

vi. Improper assessment of personnel, equipment, and other

facilities for proper operation and maintenance of reservoirs
and canal systems resulting in erratic (unreliable and
insufficient) supplies and inequitable distribution of available
water,

vii. Higher conveyance losses,

viii. Absence of conjunctive use of ground water and surface
water,

ix. Insufficient drainage, excessive seepage, and waterlogging,

x. Poor on-farm management,

xi. Absence of farmer’s participation in the management,

xii. Lack of communication facilities in the command area,

xiii. Poor extension services – lack of pilot projects, demonstration
farms, etc.,

xiv. Problems related to land settlement and rehabilitation of

displaced persons, and

xv. Recovery of the project cost

CRITERIA OF GOOD IRRIGATION
SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
METHODS FOR IMPROVING CANAL
IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
 Canal irrigation is a complex process involving physical, bio-
economic, and human activities which are interrelated and vary
widely over space and time.

 As such, canal irrigation management demands special

methods. Every management problem requires to be analysed
in detail and then solved accordingly.

 Nevertheless, there are some aspects which, if considered

properly at different stages, can help significantly in the
improvement of canal irrigation.

 These aspects have been briefly dealt with in the following.

Cropping Patern
 Cropping pattern is described in terms of the area
under various crops at different periods of a year.

 An optimum cropping pattern for an area can ideally

be determined by using systems analysis.
Conjunctive Use
 Conjunctive use means that water lifted from below
the ground is used in conjunction with canal waters.

 It results in the coordinated, combined, and creative

exploitation of ground water and surface water so as
to minimise the dislocation caused by nature’s
inconsistent rainfall pattern.
Channel Capacity
 The discharge capacity of the channel system should
be decided on the concept of evapotranspiration.
Canal Lining
 Lining of canals is a means to reduce the seepage
losses from canals.

 Besides, it involves no dislocation in the operation of

an existing system.

 In order to prevent damage to lining, the slope of a

lined channel is reduced.

 This reduces the sediment carrying capacity of an

existing channel which is being lined.
Regulators and Escapes
 For ensuring proper distribution of irrigation water
according to the adopted management policy, a
suitable number of canal regulators and canal
escapes must be provided on the channel network in
general and on main canals and branches in
particular.

 Canal escapes are needed for the safety as well as

for regulating canal supplies in areas which have
received excess rainfall.
Canal Outlets
 From the considerations of equitable distribution of
water, a regulated outlet would be an ideal choice
provided that it can be operated efficiently and
honestly.

 Unfortunately, the present socio-political conditions

prevailing in the country, however, do not permit
such operation.
Main System Management
 Operational management of the main system refers
to management aspects of the future allocation,
scheduling, delivery of water on main systems down
to and including outlets, and the disposal of water in
drains below the irrigated fields.

 Main system management (MSM) is capable of

reducing gross inequities of water supply to tail-end
farmers and increasing the farm yield from the
command area.
Night Irrigation
 Another important issue in the operation of the main
system is related to night irrigation.

 In most of the canal irrigation projects, the canal

water continues to flow at nights as well and is either
badly used or wasted.
Water Delivery System
 Water delivery systems can be of three types:
 Demand-based,
 Continuous, and
 Rotational (also known as warabandi).
Irrigation Scheduling
 For efficient management of an irrigation system, it is
necessary that the water be supplied to the plants
when they need it and in quantities actually required
by the plants.

 This necessity leads one to irrigation scheduling

which means estimating the starting time, stopping
time, and the quantity of water for different cycles of
irrigation during the crop period.
Irrigation Methods
 Use of Waste Water
 Conservation of Water on the Field
 Waterlogging
 Soil Reclamation
 Water Charges and Pricing of the Agricultural Output
 Command Area Development Programme
Command Area Development
Programme