Efficiency and Installation Cost of Irrigation

Methods
Muhammad Maqsood
Flood Irrigation
 It is suitable for those crops which can tolerate
standing water.
 Suitable for permeable lands
 Water losses are more
Efficiency

● It irrigates one acre in one hour(canal)

● It irrigates one acre in one hour and twenty
minutes (tube wells etc.)
Cost
● 800 rupees/hour(canal)
● 1100 rupees/hour(tube wells etc.)
Furrow Irrigation
 Mostly used for maize, potatoes and vegetables
etc.
 Suitable for flat lands
 Less water losses as compared to flood irrigation
Efficiency
● It irrigates one acre in 40 minutes incase of canal
water while take 1 hour for bored water like tube
wells etc.
Cost
● Same as for flood irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation
 Sandy soils with high infiltration rates
 Require less labor and easy to install
 But it is expensive and high maintenance cost
Efficiency
● Flow capacity: 5724-23439 L/h
● Pressure : 2.76-4.83 bar
● Nozzle size:9.53-15.88 mm
Cost
● 50k-1lac for a complete system
Central Pivot
 Suitable for 30% slope fields
 Require less labor and reduce soil tillage
 PKR 2.5 Billion pivot irrigation project( between China and
Samsons Farms) converts 5000 acres of Thal desert into
cultivable land
Efficiency
● 0.3 inches over 24 hours at 6 gpm/acre
● Round about 2 inches for a week
Cost
● 2,85000 PKR/acre for a complete system
Gun Method
 Rain gun – the name itself is self-explanatory an irrigation
system which showers like rain
 Can be used to irrigate any crop
 Useful for large Play-grounds, Golf course, and Lawns
Efficiency
● It is 50% more efficient as compared to flood irrigation
Cost
● 30-60 thousands/unit
Drip Irrigation
 Allow water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from
above the soil surface or buried below the surface
 Least water losses
 But high maintenance cost
Efficiency
● Generally a drip irrigation system use 10-20 gallons water for
1hr/acre
Cost
● 2-3 lac /acre
Sensor based (IoT)
 It is a modular device which consists of multiple sensors to
track soil moisture, temperature, humidity which require
 NED,UET Karachi students set a test of IoT irrigation
Efficiency
● Saved 52,280 L water
● Producing 1680 kg/acre more lemon
● Preserved 50% irrigation water
Service Providers in Pakistan
 Jaffar Group of Companies
 Haji Sons International
 Mahar Irrigation System Pvt. Ltd.
 Rain Makers
 Agroten Group