Factors affecting Duty
Duty of water depends up on different factors. In general, the smaller the losses, the greater are
duty because one cumec of water will be able to irrigate larger area.
Type of soil
Type of crop and base period
Structure of soil
Slop of ground
Climatic condition
Method of application of water
Salt content of soil
Counteracting all the factors that decrease the duty by decreasing various losses may improve
duty of water. Therefore methods for improving duty are
Properly plowing and leveling of the land
The land should be regularly cultivated
The alignment of the canal in sandy soils or in fissured rocks should be avoided
As far as possible, the canal should be located in the middle of the commanded area
The canal should be lined to reduce the losses
Efficient methods of irrigation should be adopted
Land should be consolidated
Salty conditions should be avoided
Avoid use of very big canal
Sufficient water should be supplied as and when needed.
Solved Examples
1. A discharge of 15 cumecs is released at the head of the canal. If the duty at the field is 1800
ha/cumec and the losses in the transit are 30%, determine the area that can be irrigated.
Solution
Discharge at the field = 0.70 x 15 = 10.5cumecs.
Irrigated area = D*Q= 1800 x 10.5 = 18900ha,
2. The base period, Duty of water and area under irrigation for various crops under a canal
system are given in the table below. If the losses in the reservoir and canals are, respectively,
15% and 25%, determine the reservoir capacity.
Total volume of water = 47910 ha-m
Volume at head of canal = 47910/0.75 = 63880 ha-m
Volume of reservoir = 63880/0.85 = 75150 ha-m
Exercise: - A water course is designed to irrigate an area of 840ha of rice. The transplantation of
rice takes 15 days and during this period the total depth of water required is 40cm. Find the duty
of irrigation water on the field if there is an effective rainfall of 10cm. Also find the duty and
discharge at the head of the water course, assuming losses of water as 25% in the water course.
1.1 Irrigation Efficiency and Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation Efficiency: - Efficiency is the ratio of the water out put to the water input, and is
usually expressed as percentage. Input minus output is nothing but losses, and hence if losses are
more, output is less and, therefore, efficiency is less. Hence efficiency is inversely proportional
to the losses.
a. Efficiency of Water Conveyance
,
Where ETcrop(peak) is the peak rate of crop evapotranspiration in m/day.
For the same crop and soil science, the ETcrop (peak) goes on increasing from the initial stage to
the development and mid-season stage the interval of irrigation will go on decreasing and
increasing during rate season stage.
B. Field Irrigation Supply Schedules
Schedule of water supply to individual fields or command area. It is expressed as:
q= Stream size (application rate) lit/sec
t = Application time in sec
Ea = Application efficiency
As = Apparent specific gravity
D = Effective root zone depth, m
P = Depletion factor
A = Area of the command (field) in ha
Examples
1. Onecumec water is pumped into a farm distribution system. 0.8cumec is delivered to a
turnout, 0.9 kilometer from the well. Compute the conveyance efficiency
2. 10cumecs of water is delivered to a 32 hectare field, for 4 hrs. Soil probing after the
irrigation indicates that 0.3 metre of water has been stored in the root zone. Compute the
water appln efficiency.
Given
- Water delivered to the field = 10m3/sec
- Area of field = 32 ha
- Time = 4hrs
- Depth stored = 0.3
3. The depths of penetrations along the length of a border strip at points 30m apart were
probed. Their observed values are 2.0, 1.9, 1.8, 1.6 & 1.5 meters. Compute the water
distribution efficiency.
4. For the data below, determine depth & interval of irrigation during different stages.
Depth of the root zone = 1 m, FC = 20 %, PWP = 8 %. Dry density of soil=1.6 gm/cm3
and density of water=1gm/cm3. The rates of consumptive uses during different stages
are as follows. A depletion of 50% during initial period, 60 % during development and
midseason stage and 70 % during late season stage is allowable. Determine the depth
and interval of irrigation during different stages of the crop. The CU during different
stages is as follows.
Exercise:-
1. A stream size of 150 lit /sec was released from the diversion headwork to irrigate a land
of area 1.8 hectares. The stream size when measured at the delivery to the field
channels is 120lit/sec. The stream continued for 8 hours. The effective root zone depth
is 1.80m. The application losses in the field are estimated to be 440m3. The depth of
water penetration was 1.80m and 1.20m at the head and tail of the run respectively. Find the
water conveyance, application, storage, distribution and field canal efficiency. The stream
size delivered to the plot was100 lit/sec.