7.
River Control and Drainage
Water logging:
A cultivated land is called water logged if its productivity decreases due
to rise in water [Link] fact productivity decreases when root zone of
plant flooded with water and thus become ill-aerated.
Plant requires different nutrients like nitrates, phosphate for their growth
and development, nitrates are provided by bacteria under a process
called nitrification. These bacteria needed oxygen for their survival. The
supply of oxygen gets cutoff when land become ill-aerated, resulting
death of bacteria and fall in the production of [Link] a result, growth
of plant reduces which reduces the crop yield.
Salinity: concentration of salts in water or soil.
Causes of water logging
• Over and Intensive Irrigation:-
• Seepage of water from the adjoining high land:
• Seepage of water through canals:-
• Excessive rains
• Impervious obstruction
• Inadequate natural drainage
• Submergence of floods
• Irregular and flat topography
Preventive measures of water logging
It is evident that water logging can be controlled only if the quantity of water into
the soil below is checked and reduced. To achieve this, the inflow of water into the
underground reservoir should be reduced and the outflow from the reservoir should
be increased. The various measures adopted for controlling water logging are as
below:-
• Lining of canals and water courses
• Reducing the intensity of irrigation
• By introducing the crop rotation
• By optimum use of water
• By providing intercepting drains
• Provision of artificial drainage system
• Improving natural drainage of the area
• By adopting consumptive use of surface and sub-surface water.
Reclamation of Saline and Alkaline Lands
Land reclamation is a process by which an un-cultivable land is made fit for cultivation.
Saline and water logged land gives very less crop yields and are therefore, almost unfit
for cultivation, unless they are reclaimed.
• Alkaline soil:( injurious salts like Na2Co3, Na2So4 & Nacl )due to water table rises
up or if the plant roots happen to come with in the capillary fringe, water from the
water table start flowing upward. The soluble alkali salts also moves up gets
deposited on the soil and create efflorescence.
Reclamation of salt Affected land: efflorescence can be avoided if the water table is
maintained sufficiently (About 3m) below the root so that the capillary water is not able
to reach the root zone of the plant. All measures to avoid water logging.
Leaching: land is flooded with adequate depth of water. The alkali salts present in the
soil get dissolved in this water, which percolate down to join the water table or drained
away by surface and sub-surface drains
Land drainage
Removal of excess water from the field which is supplied to the crop in accordance
with the requirement of that crop is called as drainage. The excess water which the
root zone of the soil fails to absorb, may percolate and help in raising the water-
table. This excess water may be harmful to crop yield also.
Surface Drainage:-
..the removal of excess rain water falling on the field or the excess irrigation water
applied to the fields by constructing open ditches, field drains and other related
structures is called surface drainage. They are two types.
i)Shallow surface drain
To remove the excess irrigation water
To remove the storm water
Trapezoidal in shape
Mannings and kutters formula used in design of shallow surface drainage system.
Deep surface drainage system
They are relatively deeper than shallow surface drain and are quite
effective for draining out subsoil water. These drains are commonly used as
outlet drains for a close drainage system.
• Dug up to level of ground water table.
• In draining out water logged area.
Sub-surface or tile drainage
Its required for the soil with poor internal drainage and high water table. If
no impervious layers occur below the farm land and the water table is low
(lower than about 3m from the ground) , internal soil drainage may be
sufficient and no tile drains needed.
Advantage of sub-surface or tile drain:-
• Removes the free gravity water that is not directly available to the plants,
• Increase the volume of soil from which root can obtain food.
• Increase air circulation.
• Increase bacterial activity in the soil, thus improving soil structure and making the
plant food more readily available
• Reduces soil erosion. A well drained soil has more capacity to hold rainfall, resulting
in less runoff and hence reduced erosion.
• Reduces and removes toxic substances such as sodium and other soluble salts, which
when present in large concentration may retard plant growth.
• Lesser time and labor is required for tilling and harvesting the soils as these drains do
not obstruct farming operations.
• Tile drains permit deep roots development by lowering the water table, especially
during spring months.
Providing underground tile drains however, is a costly proposition and may be required only in areas of
high water-table, and where the ground soil has a poor internal drainage capacity.
River training works:- All those engineering works which are constructed on a river
so as to guide and confine the flow to the river channel, and to control and regulate the river bed
configuration thus ensuring safe and effective disposal of floods and sediment load is called river
training works
Objective of River training
• To prevent the river from changing its course and to avoid outflanking of structure like
bridges, weir, aqueducts etc.
• To prevent flooding of surrounding countries by providing a safe passage for the flood
waters without overtopping the banks.
• To protect the river banks by deflecting the river away from the attacked banks.
• To ensure effective disposal of sediment load.
• To provide minimum water depth require for navigation.
• To provide favorable curvature flow at the weir to control entry of silt into the canal.
• To control and regulate the river bed configuration.
• To protect the river from changing its course and eroding adjoining land.
Classification of river training works:
1. High water training works(Training for Discharge ):- This is also called the training
for discharge. The river is trained to provide sufficient and efficient cross-sectional area
for the purpose of quick and safe disposal of maximum flood and to protect the adjoining
land against damage due to floods.
2. Low water training works(Training for Depth):- In this case the river is trained to
provide sufficient depth for navigation during low stage of river. This is also called
training for depth and is usually achieved by contraction of the width of the channel.
Generally spurs are constructed to contract the width of the channel and hence to
increase the depth.
3. Mean water training(Training for Sediment):- In this case the river is trained to
correct the configuration of river bed for the efficient transport of sediment load in order
to keep the channel in good shape. It is also called training for sediment. It is undertaken
with primary purpose of providing efficient disposal of sediment load and bed load and
thus to preserve the channel in good shape. It is the most important training of the three
types.
Conjunctive use:-
Conjunctive use primarily involves the use of two or more resources of water, which ensures
increased crop yield. With conjunctive use more areas can be brought under cultivation.
It may include:-
• Conjunctive use of surface and ground water.
• Conjunctive use of rainfall and irrigation water.
• Conjunctive use of rainfall, surface irrigation and ground water.
• Conjunctive use of drainage water and tube wells
Need of conjunctive use:-
• Lack of surface runoff.
• Extraction of ground water is not so difficult and costly.
• Ground water can recharge easily.
• Attractive when only one resource cannot get full reliability.
• Sustainable future water supply for urban areas and major villages.
• Ground water table can be lowered which prevent water logging and hence loss of cultivable
land.
• When canal supply fail to reach the farmers at crucial stages of crop growth or production. In
such case concept of conjunctive use is more beneficial.