DESIGN OF MAIN CANALS

AND LATERALS
Irrigation is the application of water to
soil, to supplement deficient rainfall to
provide moisture of plant growth
 Purpose of an irrigation system
- To regulate the variable supply of water from the
river , to whatever, by constructing storage reservoir
or diversion dam as the case maybe , to convey it to
the fields and deliver it as equitable as possible.
DESIGN CRITERIA FOR MAIN CANAL, LATERALS
AND SUB-LATERAL
1.) Canal density is approximately 50 to 75 hectares
for every kilometer of canal.
2.) The capacity of a canal shall be based upon the
area to be irrigated , water requirement, distribution
and farm losses , and conveyance losses in the canal.
3.) Side slopes : Earth canals are generally constructed
trapezoidal in shape with side slope determined
from experience and stability studies of the bank
materials.
 4.)Permissible velocities: Normally, earth
canals shall have a velocity range of
0.30 m/sec to 1.00 m/sec.
5.) Freeboard: The established freeboard
criteria of NIA is forty percent(40%) of the
water depth, using a minimum of
0.30 m. freeboard.
6.) Top Berm Width: top berm width
should be approximately equal to the
depth of water in the canal , with a
minimum of 0.60 m.
7.) Allowable curvature for unlined canals
depends on size or capacity, velocity,
soil and canal section. Minimum radius of
curvature is 3 to 7 times the water surface
width (larger ratios for larger capacities)