Controlled water table management as a strategy for reducing salt loads from subsurface drainage under perennial agriculture in semi-arid Australia

Recent community based actions to ensure the sustainability of irrigation and protection of associated ecosystems in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) of Australia has seen the implementation of a regional Land and Water Management Plan. This aims to improve land and water management within the irrigation area and minimise downstream impacts associated with irrigation. One of the plan objectives is to decrease current salt loads generated from subsurface drainage in perennial horticulture within the area from 20 000 tonnes/year to 17 000 tonnes/year. In order to meet such objectives Controlled Water table Management (CWM) is being investigated as a possible ‘Best Management Practice’, to reduce drainage volumes and salt loads.During 2000–2002 a trial was conducted on a 15 ha subsurface drained vineyard. This compared a traditional unmanaged subsurface drainage system with a controlled drainage system utilizing weirs to maintain water tables and changes in irrigation scheduling to maximize the potential crop use of a shallow water table. Drainage volumes, salt loads and water table elevations throughout the field were monitored to investigate the effects of controlled drainage on drain flows and salt loads.Results from the experiment showed that controlled drainage significantly reduced drainage volumes and salt loads compared to unmanaged systems. However, there were marked increases in soil salinity which will need to be carefully monitored and managed.     

Evaluating a multi-level subsurface drainage system for improved drainage water quality

This paper describes a multi-level drainage system, designed to improve drainage water quality. Results are presented from a field scale land reclamation experiment implemented in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area of New South Wales, Australia. A traditional single level drainage system and a multi-level drainage system were compared in the experiment in an irrigated field setting. The single level drainage system consisted of 1.8 m deep drains at 20 m spacing. This configuration is typical of subsurface drainage system design used in the area. The multi-level drainage system consisted of shallow closely spaced drains (3.3 m spacing at 0.75 m depth) underlain by deeper widely spaced drains (20 m spacing at 1.8 m depth). Data on drainage flows and salinity, water table regime and soil salinity were collected over a 2-year period.     

Shallow subsurface drainage in an irrigated vertisol with a perched water table

Waterlogging and salinity are reducing the productivity of irrigated agriculture on clay soils in south east Australia. We compared five drainage treatments: (1) undrained control (Control); (2) mole drains (Mole); (3) mole drains formed beneath gypsum-enriched slots (GES) (Mole + GES); (4) shallow pipe drains installed beneath GES (Shallow Pipe); (5) deep pipe drains (Deep Pipe). The experiment was set out on a vertisol and our measurements were made during the growth of an irrigated onion crop.

Over the 3 months before the spring irrigations commenced, the perched water table on the Control was less than 400 mm below the soil surface for 27% of the time, whereas the shallow drainage treatments (Treatments 2, 3 and 4) reduced this time to less than 4%. During the irrigation season, the perched water table on the Mole + GES treatment rose above 400 mm for 3% of the time. The perched water table on the Mole treatment was above 400 mm for 14% of the time, compared with 19% of the time on the Control. The Deep Pipes were less effective in reducing the depth to the perched water table, both before and during the irrigation period.

Mole drains increased the gas-filled porosity above the drains. However, the gas-filled porosity remained below reported levels for optimum root growth. Although the drains effectively drained excess water, and lowered the water table, the hydraulic gradient was insufficient to remove all of water from the macropores. Gypsum enriched slots above the mole drains increased the gas-filled porosity in the slots but the drainable porosity in the undisturbed soil appeared to be inadequate for optimum root growth, even though some drainage occurred near the slots.

Discharge from the shallow drainage treatments averaged 58 mm for each irrigation, and was considerably more than the amount required to drain the macropores. The mole channels were in reasonably good condition at the end of the irrigation season, with at least 70% of the cross-sectional area of the channel open.

Shallow subsurface drains increased onion yield by about 38%. For each day the water table was above 400 mm, the yield declined by 0.23 tonnes per hectare. Farmer adoption of shallow subsurface drainage will depend on the long-term economic benefits (influenced by the longevity of the mole channels and yields response) and the need to develop more sustainable management practices.     

Efficiency of controlled drainage and subirrigation in reducing nitrogen losses from agricultural fields

In northeast Italy, a regimen of controlled drainage in winter and subirrigation in summer was tested as a strategy for continuous water table management with the benefits of optimizing water use and reducing unnecessary drainage and nitrogen losses from agricultural fields.To study the feasibility and performance of water table management, an experimental facility was set up in 1996 to reproduce a hypothetical 6-ha agricultural basin with different land drainage systems existing in the region. Four treatments were compared: open ditches with free drainage and no irrigation (O), open ditches with controlled drainage and subirrigation (O-CI), subsurface corrugated drains with free drainage and no irrigation (S), subsurface corrugated drains with controlled drainage and subirrigation (S-CI). As typically in the region free drainage ditches were spaced 30 m apart, and subsurface corrugated drains were spaced 8 m apart.Data were collected from 1997 to 2003 on water table depth, drained volume, nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the drainage water, and nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the groundwater at various depths up to 3 m.Subsurface corrugated drains with free drainage (S) gave the highest measured drainage volume of the four regimes, discharging, on average, more than 50% of annual rainfall, the second-highest concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in the drainage water, and the highest nitrate-nitrogen losses at 236 k ha⁻¹.Open ditches with free drainage (O) showed 18% drainage return of rainfall, relatively low concentration of nitrate-nitrogen in the drainage water, the highest nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the shallow groundwater, and 51 kg ha⁻¹ nitrate-nitrogen losses.Both treatments with controlled drainage and subirrigation (O-CI and S-CI) showed annual rainfall drainage of approximately 10%. O-CI showed the lowest nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the drainage water, and the lowest nitrogen losses (15 kg ha⁻¹). S-CI showed the highest nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the drainage water, and 70 kg ha⁻¹ nitrate-nitrogen losses. Reduced drained volumes resulted from the combined effects of reduced peak flow and reduced number of days with drainage.A linear relationship between daily cumulative nitrate-nitrogen losses and daily cumulative drainage volumes was found, with slopes of 0.16, 0.12, 0.07, and 0.04 kg ha⁻¹ of nitrate-nitrogen lost per mm of drained water in S-CI, S, O, and O-CI respectively.These data suggest that controlled drainage and subirrigation can be applied at farm scale in northeast Italy, with advantages for water conservation.     

Evaluation and application of DRAINMOD in an Australian sugarcane field

DRAINMOD is a water management model developed to simulate the performance of drainage and water table control systems for shallow water table soils, and it has been widely used in the United States over the last 20 years. This model has been evaluated and applied for predicting water table fluctuations in a sugarcane field for acid drainage management in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. The reliability of the model has been evaluated using 2-year experimental field data from water level recorders installed in a sugarcane field. Good agreement was found between the observed and simulated values with a standard error of about 0.07 m. However, the model is not readily applicable to daily water management in Australian soils since it requires extensive soil and climate data, which are normally not available for most Australian sugarcane areas. In this application, refinements have been attempted in evapotranspiration estimation and in soil input data preparation so that the model requires only easily obtainable input data but still retains acceptable accuracy. With these improvements, the model can be used as a practical tool for investigating drainage management options for different site conditions. This will assist decision-makers in providing appropriate subsurface drainage management policies, such as acid drainage management, in Australian estuarine sugarcane areas.     

Predicting effects of drainage water management in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes

Long-term hydrologic simulations are presented predicting the effects of drainage water management on subsurface drainage, surface runoff and crop production in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes. The deterministic hydrologic model, DRAINMOD was used to simulate Webster (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic) soil in a Continuous Corn rotation (WEBS_CC) with different drain depths from 0.75 to 1.20 m and drain spacing from 10 to 50 m in a combination of free and controlled drainage over a weather record of 60 (1945-2004) years. Shallow drainage is defined as drains installed at a drain depth of 0.75 m, and controlled drainage with a drain depth of 1.20 m restricts flow at the drain outlet to maintain a water table at 0.60 m below surface level during the winter (November-March) and summer (June-August) months. These drainage design and management modifications were evaluated against conventional drainage system installed at a drain depth of 1.20 m with free drainage at the drain outlet. The simulation results indicate the potential of a tradeoff between subsurface drainage and surface runoff as a pathway to remove excess water from the system. While a reduction of subsurface drainage may occur through the use of shallow and controlled drainage, these practices may increase surface runoff in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes. The simulations also indicate that shallow and controlled drainage might increase the excess water stress on crop production, and thereby result in slightly lower relative yields. Field experiments are needed to examine the pathways of water movement, total water balance, and crop production under shallow and controlled drainage in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes.     

Evaluation of DRAINMOD for predicting water table heights in irrigated fields at the Jordan Valley

A detailed field experiment was carried out in the Jordan Valley, south of Lake Kinneret, Israel for evaluation of the water management model DRAINMOD. This field was chosen to represent the local agro-climate conditions of that zone. Banana crop was grown and was irrigated daily with about 3200 mm/year and 0.5 leaching fraction. Subsurface drainage system with 2.5 m drain depth and 160 m drain spacing existed in the field. The water table depth was measured with about 100 piezometers, in which most of them were observed weekly, and four were continuosly recording piezometers. Five identical drainage plots were selected, out of 10 existing, as replicates for the evaluation of DRAINMOD. Deviations in a range of 0.3–1.7 m between observed water table depth and that simulated by DRAINMOD were found in four out of the five replicates. A reasonable agreement was found only in one drainage plot out of the five tested. These findings contradict the world wide convention that DRAINMOD simulation is in a good agreement with observed field data. An additional study was therefore conducted to explore the reasons for these large deviations. Three reasons were suggested: (i) a strong side effect by the Jordan River, which flows some 350 m west to the test field; a very steep 4.6% gradient was found toward the Jordan River; (ii) presence of sandy permeable layers below the depth of the drains which magnifies the boundary condition effect of the Jordan River; (iii) a very significant component of deep and lateral seepage (more than 50% of the yearly irrigation plus rainfall). A combination of these three reasons was suggested as an explanation to the apparent large disagreement. It was therefore recommended not to use DRAINMOD or similar vertical flow models for simulation of water table depths in irrigated fields with subsurface drain pipe systems in the Jordan Valley.     

Water table behaviour in drained lands: effect of evapotranspiration from the water table

Subsurface drain spacing is underestimated by the equations that do not account for evaporation-evapotranspiration (ET) lowering the water table in drained lands. An analytical solution is proposed to evaluate water table behaviour in subsurface drained lands in the presence of ET. A piecewise linear model is proposed and used to describe any realistic functional relation between ET and depth to water table. Characteristics of the solution have been highlighted with the help of numerical examples for which drainage parameters have been chosen from two actually operating drainage systems installed in semi-arid regions. The accuracy of the proposed solution has been verified with the existing numerical scheme as well as by comparing the water table behaviour with the observed field data. Application of the solution in subsurface drainage design has been illustrated which suggests that drain spacing at this particular site could be increased by 9 to 18% if the contribution of ET in lowering the water table is taken into account.     

岩溶山区泉渍低产田暗管排水试验研究

为配合联合国粮食计划署对湖南湘西援助的“W.F.P.中国3779项目”的实施,探索岩溶山区泉渍低产田治理工程技术措施和经验,我们从1989年起连续三年进行了以暗管排水为主要措施的治理试验。 本文对泉渍低产田暗管排水系统的规划设计进行了总结,对治理工程产生的环境和经济效益进行了分析,对岩溶山区泉渍低产田暗管排水标准及工程技术要素进行了总结和探索。     

Subsurface drainage to combat waterlogging and salinity in irrigated lands in India: Lessons learned in farmers’ fields

The introduction of irrigated agriculture in the arid and semi-arid regions of India has resulted in the development of the twin problem of waterlogging and soil salinization. It is estimated that nearly 8.4 million ha is affected by soil salinity and alkalinity, of which about 5.5 million ha is also waterlogged. Subsurface drainage is an effective tool to combat this twin problem of waterlogging and salinity and thus to protect capital investment in irrigated agriculture and increase its sustainability. In India, however, subsurface drainage has not been implemented on a large scale, in spite of numerous research activities that proved its potential. To develop strategies to implement subsurface drainage, applied research studies were set-up in five different agro-climatic sub-regions of India. Subsurface drainage systems, consisting of open and pipe drains with drain spacing varying between 45 and 150 m and drain depth between 0.90 and 1.20 m, were installed in farmers’ fields. The agro-climatic and soil conditions determine the most appropriate combination of drain depth and spacing, but the drain depths are considerably shallower than the 1.75 m traditionally recommended for the prevailing conditions in India. Crop yields in the drained fields increased significantly, e.g. rice with 69%, cotton with 64%, sugarcane with 54% and wheat with 136%. These increases were obtained because water table and soil salinity levels were, respectively, 25% and 50% lower than in the non-drained fields. An economic analysis shows that the subsurface drainage systems are highly cost-effective: cost-benefit ratios range from 1.2 to 3.2, internal rates of return from 20 to 58%, and the pay-back periods from 3 to 9 years. Despite these positive results, major challenges remain to introduce subsurface drainage at a larger scale. First of all, farmers, although they clearly see the benefits of drainage, are too poor to pay the full cost of drainage. Next, water users’ organisations, not only for drainage but also for irrigation, are not well established. Subsurface drainage in irrigated areas is a collective activity, thus appropriate institutional arrangements for farmers’ participation and organisation are needed. Thus, to assure that drainage gets the attention it deserves, policies have to be reformulated.     

Analytical Approximation of Subsurface Total Drainage Quantity in Non-Steady State Drainage Flow, and its Verification in Heavy Soils

The subsurface total drainagequantity is one of the most importantindicators for the drainage policy of watermanagement. The methods of estimationof the subsurface total drainage quantityunder unsteady state drainage flow maybe different in consideration of the timeduration of the process and in relation tothe type, quality and quantity of the data used.Simple analytical approximation of thesubsurface total drainage quantity, whichwas developed by the operation of asubsurface pipe drainage system insaturated soil under unsteady statedrainage flow, is viewed in this paper.Derivation of the formula for subsurfacetotal drainage quantity is based onthe subsurface flow to drains with anapproximately horizontal impervious layer,where the Dupuit's assumptions and Darcy'slaw are applied. It is assumed that duringthe drainage process there will be no rechargeto the groundwater table.This analytical approximation of thesubsurface total drainage quantity at acertain time t was formed into a singleexponential equation. The correctness andapplicability of the analyticalapproximation of the subsurface totaldrainage quantity was verified with the help ofthe field measurements on the heavy soilsof an experimental watershed area of theResearch Institute for Soil and WaterConservation (RISWC) Prague-Zbraslav, CzechRepublic. The shape and the parameters ofthis subsurface total drainage quantityequation were also proved by nonlinearregression analysis, with application of themethod of Marquardt.This analytical approximation should serveas an elementary tool of water engineeringpractice for an immediate estimation of thevalues of subsurface total drainagequantities from field pipe drainagesystems in saturated soils. It shouldalso serve as a tool with only a minimumamount of information (the basic soilhydrology data and drainage system basicdesign parameters) and its application to awide range of drainage policies ispossible.     

Evaluation of impact of Khushab sub surface pipe drainage project in Pakistan

This paper describes the essential contents of research at a recently completed subsurface pipe drainage project located in the Khushab district of Pakistan. The paper explores the need and decision by Government of Pakistan to install a Sub Surface Pipe Drainage Project near Khushab where an old Surface Drainage System was already installed by the Provincial Irrigation and Power Department, Government of Punjab, Pakistan, since 1960. The new Sub Surface Pipe Drainage Project’s planning and executing agency M/S Euro-Consultant used existing Surface Drains with remodeling for to carry the additional drainage effluent of newly constructed sump pumps of the pipe drainage system connected to the old drains by means of small outfall drains. Until now the new system is working well in lowering the water table as well as increasing the agro-socio-economic status of the local population.     

Subsurface drainage in a pilot area in Nagarjuna Sagar right canal command,India

Subsurface pipe and open drainage systems were installed in 8 and 5 ha area, respectively in farmers fields at Konanki pilot area in Nagarjuna Sagar project right canal command in India in the year 1999 to combat the problems of waterlogging (depth to water table, 0–3.7 m), salinity and sodicity (ECe, 1.3–18.6 dS/m; pH, 7.2–10.0 and ESP, 14.1–54.6). Two types of envelope materials, nylon mesh and geo-textile were used and two spacings of 30 m (design spacing) and 60 m (double the design spacing) were adopted for the pipe drainage system. The analysis of discharge data from the individual pipe drains revealed that among both the spacings, the drains enveloped with geo-textile performed better (0.45–1.85 mm/day), when compared with those enveloped with nylon mesh (0.25–0.86 mm/day). The effectiveness of drainage systems in the control of waterlogging at the pilot area has been monitored through a network of 61 observation wells. The groundwater table, which used to be almost at the ground surface during the main crop season (October–February) before installation of drainage systems, could be lowered by 0.2–0.35 m due to the installation of drainage systems. A total of 50.4 (@ 6.3 tons/ha) and 115.6 tons (@ 23.1 tons/ha) of salts have been disposed through pipe and open drainage systems, respectively during the period of 3 years (1999–2002).     

The effect of standing water above drains on the water table height midway between drains

Wesseling (1964) stated that standing water above drains as a result of submerged outlets creates a radial flow in the vicinity of the drains which promotes flow conditions so that a smaller rise of the water table height midway between drains results. Wesseling (1979) concluded the same for standing water above drains as the result of too high entrance resistance. Standing water above drains may also be due to overpressure in the drains as a result of too small pipe diameter or to irregular drain slopes. With the exception of submerged outlets the resulting water table rise midway between drains is however in the same order of the water table rise above the drain as can be derived from theoretical analysis. This conclusion was confirmed by measurements at an experimental field where the standing water above drains, as a result of overpressure, and the water table midway between drains were monitored in a field located at the northwest of the Nile Delta. In spite of the low discharge rates, overpressure was observed in the drains. It was mainly attributed to irregular drain slopes. The analysis of field data showed that the water table midway between drains rises at least the same as the water table height above the drains. Since overpressure in drains causes a decrease of the dewatering zone, a careful and accurate installation is of utmost importance for the proper functioning of a drainage system.     

Strategies for reducing subsurface drainage in irrigated agriculture through improved irrigation

The traditional approach ofinstalling subsurface drainage systems tosolve shallow ground water problems is notfeasible along the west side of the SanJoaquin Valley of California because of thelack of drain water disposal methods thatare economical, technically feasible, andenvironmentally friendly. Thus, optionssuch as drainage reduction through improvedirrigation and drain water reuse are beingexamined as methods for coping with thesubsurface drainage problem. This paperdiscusses options for reducing subsurfacedrainage through improved irrigationpractices. Options are discussed forimproving irrigation system design such asupgrading existing irrigation methods andconverting to systems with higher potentialirrigation efficiencies. Methods forimproving water management are alsopresented. Case studies on upgradingexisting systems or converting to otherirrigation methods are presented along with study results of the effect of variouspolicies on reducing subsurface drainage.     

Simulation of pesticide concentrations in groundwater using Agricultural Drainage and Pesticide Transport (ADAPT) model

A water quality model for subirrigation and subsurface drainage, ADAPT (Agricultural Drainage And Pesticide Transport), was tested with field data collected under various water table management practices near Ames, IA. Atrazine and alachlor concentrations at various soil depths for water table depths of 30, 60, and 90 cm were simulated using ADAPT model for corn growing seasons of 1989 through 1991. Daily pesticide concentrations in groundwater predicted by the model were compared with available observed data for the same site. Predicted values of atrazine and alachlor concentrations in groundwater decreased when shallow water table depths were maintained in the lysimeters. Similar trends were noticed with the observed data. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the observed and predicted values of atrazine and alachlor for 1989 to 1991. However, in few cases, results showed a wide variation between observed and predicted values. Because no observed data was available for pesticide concentrations in the unsaturated zone, predicted results could not be compared. Based on our investigation, it appears that ADAPT may be used for predicting subsurface water quality under water table management practices; however, further validation is necessary with more field observed data from similar studies before wider application of this model is made.     

Time-dependent drainage from root zone and drainage coefficient under different irrigation management levels for subsurface drainage design in Egypt

Drainage water from the lower boundary of the root zone is an important factor in the irrigated agricultural lands for prediction of the water table behavior and understanding and modeling of water and chemical movement in the soil profile. The drainage coefficient is an important parameter for the design of subsurface drainage. On a 33,138 ha of the Nile Delta in Egypt, this study is conducted using 90 irrigation periods over a 3-year crop rotation to estimate the time-dependent drainage from the root zone and the design subsurface drainage coefficient with different cropping seasons and irrigation management levels.The results showed that the cropping seasons and the irrigation management levels as indicated by different irrigation efficiency are significantly affected the drainage rate from the root zone and the design value of subsurface drainage coefficient. Drainage rates from the root zone of 1.72 mm/d and 0.82 mm/d were estimated for summer and winter seasons, respectively. These rates significantly decreased in a range of 46% to 92% during summer season and 60% to 98% during winter season when the irrigation efficiency is increased in a range of 5% to 15%. The subsurface drainage coefficient was estimated to be 1.09 mm/d whereas the design drain pipe capacity was estimated to be 2.2 mm/d, based on the peak discharge of the most critical crop (maize), rather than 4.0 mm/d which is currently used. A significant decrease of the drainage coefficient and the drain pipe capacity ranges from 18% to 45% was found with the increase of irrigation efficiency in a range of 5% to 15%. The leaching requirement for each crop was also estimated.     

A model for the design of drainage in flat agricultural lands

A model is presented that can be used to determine drainage measures and their costs. It has been elaborated for a wet tropical climate, for situations with open field drains, shallow groundwater table and a homogenous soil underlain by an impervious layer. The land is flat and the proposed agricultural use requires control of the groundwater table.A basic element of the model is a scheme to compute the water balance per day for a drainage parcel. Discharge, evapotranspiration, groundwater level and soil moisture storage are estimated as functions of rainfall, potential evapotranspiration, vegetation and soil characteristics and of an assumed drainage intensity. The water balance computation is performed for periods of 5–40 years of daily rainfall data, for a series of drainage intensities. The results can be subjected to a drainage criterion, from which a design drainage intensity and a corresponding drain spacing can be derived.Finally the layout of canals for a block of 4 × 1 km² is determined and excavation and a series of canal characteristics are computed.A summary of some applications is included.     

基于VBA的宁夏引黄灌区暗管排水间距计算方法研究

暗管排水工程是控制灌区地下水位,防治耕地盐碱化的主要技术手段。【目的】综合考虑排水条件、排水目的等因素,选择合适的计算方法计算暗管间距。【方法】对几种常用的暗管间距计算方法进行了理论分析并总结了其适用条件,编写了基于VBA的计算程序以实现不同计算方法的优选并确定相应的暗管间距。在此基础上,选取宁夏引黄灌区2个典型暗管排水工程案例进行了分析计算。【结果】稳定流状态下,当kH/q≤100时,宜选择阿维里扬诺夫-瞿兴业公式计算暗管间距,当kH/q>100时,宜选择Hooghoudt公式计算暗管间距;非稳定流状态下,以治渍为目的地区选择按地下水位下降速度计算暗管间距,以防治盐碱化为目的地区选择按排蒸比计算暗管间距。【结论】利用VBA开发的程序可以解决暗管间距计算过程中较繁琐的迭代、累加等计算问题,操作便捷,实用性强;非稳定流方法更适合于宁夏引黄灌区暗管排水间距的计算,银北灌区宜按排蒸比计算暗管间距,银南灌区宜按地下水位下降速度计算暗管间距。     

Analysis of groundwater behaviour in a farmer controlled subsurface tile drainage system in Mardan, Pakistan

Extensive subsurface drainage system was installed in districtMardan in the North West Frontier Provinceof Pakistan in 1987 to control increasingwater logging and salinity problems due tocanal irrigation. Several recentlycompleted fields studies have indicatedthat subsurface drainage system hasenormously lowered watertable in certainareas due to extensive drainage network. Therefore, a study of controlled subsurfacedrainage technique was initiated in MardanScarp area to observe the temporal andspatial variations in water table depths ofthis specific case under various modes ofcanal irrigation and monsoon rains. Twoartificially drained areas, consisting of40 ha and 160 ha respectively, werecontrolled and selected for extensivemonitoring. A total of 98 observationswells (7.6 cm dia. and 4.1 m depth) wereinstalled in between lateral drains toobserve water table fluctuation. Theresults of this study are very interesting.Each of the two areas monitored in thestudy behaved differently. It was observedthat in one of the areas design water tabledepth at 1.1 m was maintained with properfunctioning of the controlled techniqueapplied to the subsurface drainage system. The results from this area showed that 25to 55% of the time throughout the yearachieved this objective whereas in thesecond area desired water table could notbe maintained and water table depth in thisarea remained between 2.0 to 2.7 m causingunnecessary water stress to plants. Alsoit was observed that watertable in theformer area is mostly controlled by thefunctional behavior of the irrigationcanal. In addition, the proper functioningof controlled techniques in subsurfacedrainage system supplemented veryefficiently to retain the groundwater levelto the optimal limits in dry season and tothe design ones in the others for timelyneeds of the crops. Also rainfalls havesignificant impact on the spatial andtemporal behaviors of water table depths inboth the areas during the monsoon season.