Using drainage systems for supplementary irrigation

The use of drainage systems for supplementary irrigation is widespread in The Netherlands. One of the operating policies is to raise the surface water level during the growing season in order to reduce drainage (water conservation) or to create subsurface irrigation. This type of operation is based on practical experience, which can be far from optimal.To obtain better founded operational water management rules a total soil water/surface water model was built. In a case study the effects of using the drainage system in a dual-purpose manner on the arable crop production were simulated with the model. Also, the operational rules for managing this type of dual-purpose drainage systems were derived.The average annual simulated increase in crop transpiration due to water conservation and water supply for subsurface irrigation are 6.0 and 5.4 mm.y^–1, respectively. This is equivalent with 520 × 10³ and 460 × 10³ Dfl.y^–1 for the pilot region (2 Dfl 1 US $). The corresponding investments and operational costs are 600 × 10³ Dfl and 9 × 10³ Dfl.y^–1 for water conservation and 3200 × 10³ Dfl and 128 × 10³ Dfl.y^–1 for subsurface irrigation. Hence, water conservation is economically very profitable, whereas subsurface irrigation is less attractive.Comparing the management according to the model with current practice in a water-board during 1983 and 1986 learned that benefits can increase with some 50 and 500 Dfl per ha per year, respectively.     

Performance of agency-managed and farmer-managed irrigation systems: A comparative case study at Chitwan, Nepal

Management reforms are considered one of the best alternatives in increasing efficiency of the irrigation systems. Transfer of day-to-day operation and maintenance to farmers is not a new concept. However due to lags, even now it is a hot issue in developing countries and Nepal is not an exception. In this context of growing argument about the transfer of management of public irrigation systems to the Water Users' Group, this paper examines the comparative performance of farmer-managed and agency-managed irrigation systems. Khageri Irrigation System in the Chitwan district of Nepal was taken as the study site where complete management transfer has been done in 1996. The situations before and after complete transfer were compared. Intensive case studies of the selected farmers showed that equity in distribution of water and leakage had significantly improved after management transfer. Logit analysis revealed that age and education level of the household head, distance from main canal, leakage of the canal and equity in distribution are significantly related to the satisfaction level of the beneficiary farmers from FMIS compared to AMIS. However, landholding size of the respondent farmer has no significant effect. Similarly results from t-test revealed that rice productivity and overall profits from agriculture has also increased significantly due to irrigation management transfer.     

Estimation of a network irrigation efficiency to cope with reduced water supply

The overall irrigation efficiency, e_p, for the irrigationnetworks in the Thessaloniki plain, in Northern Greece, wasestimated from historical data, spanning eight years. Irrigationnetworks differ regarding the method of water delivery and themethod of field application. Overall irrigation efficiency is theparameter which helps to adjust water supply to meet the actualcrop water requirements. A method is introduced which calculatesnetworks e_p using spatially distributed data. Efficiencyvalues for all systems were calculated using the proposed method.Seasonally averaged e_p values for eight years for 32(surface and sprinkler) irrigation networks ranged from 0.38 to0.81. Analysis of the time series e_p values can identifyoperational factors that might affect network e_p. Sprinklerand surface network irrigation efficiencies did not show anysignificant difference.     

Measuring conveyance efficiencies to improve irrigation water management

This paper presents a study of conveyance efficiencies of Canal de Salvaterra, in the Sorraia Irrigation Project, Portugal. The Canal and the Project are briefly described and the water measurement techniques and structures utilized are analysed. Results comprise the main aspects of the inflow-outflow balance with identification of water losses and conveyance efficiencies. Analysing the results showed that irrigation efficiencies are higher during work days and labour hours and lower during weekends and at night. This identified the need to improve operation and management of the irrigation system, adapting inflow to demand according travel time and response time of the conveyance (and distribution) system, of the different main sections of the system.     

Economic incentives reduce irrigation deliveries and drain water volume

This paper describes the application of an economic incentive program to achieve water quality objectives by motivating improvements in farm-level water management practices. The program includes farm-specific water allotments, tiered water pricing, and low-interest loans for purchasing irrigation equipment. The implementation of this program in a California water district has resulted in significant reductions in irrigation deliveries and drain water volume. Since the program was implemented, average irrigation depths have declined by 25% on cotton fields, 9% on tomatoes, 10% on cantaloupes, 30% on seed alfalfa, and 29% on grain fields. The average volume of drain water collected each year in subsurface drainage systems has declined from 4.8 million m³ during 1986 through 1989 to 2.6 million m³ during 1990 through 1993. These results confirm that economic incentives can be effective in generating improvements in water quality.     

Farmers,agencies and irrigation systems: A comparison of two village schemes in the Bakel Department in Senegal

The irrigation schemes of the villages Gandé and Galladé in the Bakel Department in Senegal are managed by a farmer association and an agency. The agency had to install, repair and maintain motorpumps, assist in the lay-out of canals, structures and parcels, and to provide fuel and other inputs on credit. Associations had to manage the irrigation systems and repay the agency in time and in proportion to amounts of inputs received.The Gandé association and the agency came frequently into conflict, because the level of agency support was low, and the association did not repay in time. The Galladé association and the agency did not come into conflict, because the level of agency support was satisfactory, and the association repaid in time. Repayment depended on profitability of irrigation, which was lower in Gandé than in Galladé, because consumption of water and fuel were in Gandé two times higher than in Galladé. This was not so much caused by differences in water management, but because of differences in physical and technical characteristics of the irrigation systems.     

微咸水灌溉研究进展

合理利用地下微咸水资源是解决水资源危机的一条重要途径。本文对国内外利用微咸水灌溉的现状进行了综述，对本领域需要进一步研究的问题进行了分析。     

Performance assessment of irrigation water management of heterogeneous irrigation schemes: 2. A case study

The non-uniformity of soils, weather, fields, cropping pattern and canal systems in most surface irrigation schemes makes irrigation water management complex, but optimum performance is important particularly in irrigation schemes with limited water supply. This paper focuses on the performance of irrigation water management during the area and water allocation with a case study of an irrigation scheme in the semi-arid region of India. Often the irrigation managers or authorities of these heterogeneous irrigation schemes also need to deal with different allocation rules. The allocation plans and the corresponding water delivery schedules during the allocation process were estimated with the help of a simulation–optimisation model for different allocation rules based on cropping distributions (free and fixed), water distributions (free and fixed-area proportionate), irrigation depth (full, fixed depth and variable depth irrigation) and irrigation interval (from 14 to 35 days). The performance measures of productivity (in terms of net benefits and area irrigated), equity (in water distribution), adequacy and excess were assessed for these different allocation plans and schedules. These were further compared with the performance measures of the existing rule (fixed depth irrigation at a fixed interval). The analysis revealed that these performance measures are in some cases complimentary and in other cases conflicting with each other. Therefore, it would be appropriate for the irrigation managers to understand fully the nature of the variation in performance measures for different allocation rules prior to deciding the allocation plans for the irrigation scheme.     

Historical water storage for irrigation in the Fayum depression (Egypt)

Investigations into the much-discussed question of a historical manmade water storage lake within the Fayum depression were carried out in spring 1988. The results of the research into the dam between Itsa and Shidmuh indicate that there existed an artificial lake in the south-east of the Fayum as early as the 3rd Cent. B.C. The findings are in agreement with the reports of the classical writers. There is no reason not to identify this lake in the El-Mala'a basin with the lake the ancient (post-Ptolemaic) historians and geographers referred to as Lake Moeris. The question as to whether Herodotus in the 5th Cent. B.C. described the same lake or whether he saw the water level of the Birket el-Qarun at 19 to 21 m must, at present, remain unanswered.     

基于水量平衡下的灌区用水计划编制方法综述

为了精准指导农田灌溉,合理优化渠系输配水,提高水资源的利用率、灌区的管理水平和总效益,对灌区用水计划的编制方法展开了理论研究.将用水计划的编制过程概括为实时灌溉预报和渠系配水两部分,分别进行归纳整理和分析.在对国内灌区用水计划的编制方式进行了解的基础上,着重介绍了利用土壤水分平衡方程进行实时灌溉预报的方法,总结各参数预测值和计算修正值的获取方法,分析对比各方法的适用范围,提炼普遍灌区实时灌溉预报中适用的方法.为了优化田间渠系配水次序和配水量,以保证作物得到及时有效灌溉,归纳总结了国内灌区常用的渠系配水模型,论述了常见的目标函数及相关约束的选取原则,并指出其局限性和可能的发展趋势.研究结果可为各灌区进行实时灌溉预报和建立优化配水模型提供借鉴与参考.     

Irrigation timeliness indicators and application in smallholder irrigation systems in Zimbabwe

Timing of supply of irrigation water is an important measure of water management performance. Yet despite this widely accepted importance of timeliness, few studies have attempted to quantify this performance indicator. This paper suggests a methodology for quantifying timeliness. The indices thus generated are used to compare the performance of some types of smallholder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe. Results indicate that applying measures of timeliness helps to assess water management practices across scheme types.The methodology given in this paper differentiates between timely irrigation deliveries which meet Crop Water Requirements (CWR) and surplus water supplies due to poor timeliness which cannot be used by the crop, hence denoting wastage. The timeliness indices provide more information regarding management practices than simple measures of total water applications over a given season.     

灌区灌溉用水时空优化配置方法

将传统的灌溉水量在作物间的优化分配模型和建立的渠系工作制度多目标优化模型与地理信息系统相集成,提出了基于空间决策支持系统的灌区灌溉用水优化配置的新方法.综合考虑了灌区内作物、土壤、气象站点、渠系布置的空间差异、年季间气象以及作物不同生育阶段对应参数的时间差异.与传统优化方法相比,该方法可根据管理者对优化精度的要求,灵活选择优化尺度,同时,简化了求解时空优化配水问题的繁琐程度,结果表现形式更加丰富.在此基础上建立的空间决策支持系统界面友好,运行效率高,可移植性和通用性强.经实例验证,优化后的配水方案与原配水方案相比较,灌溉总用水量减少296％,产量增加243％,水分生产率提高05 kg／m3,灌溉净效益增加168％.优化后配水方案具有将有限的水资源向经济价值较高作物转移的趋势.该方法为灌区灌溉用水优化配置提供了新思路.     

Aflaj irrigation and on-farm water management in northern Oman

This paper reports on results from a case study on water management within a traditional, falaj irrigation system in northern Oman. In the planning and design of regional irrigation development programs, generalized assumptions are frequently made as to the efficiency of traditional surface irrigation systems. Although qualitative accounts abound, very little quantitative research has been conducted on on-farm water management within falaj systems. Daily irrigation applications and crop water use was monitored during an 11-month period among 6 farm holdings at Falaj Hageer in Wilayat Al-Awabi. Contrary to the frequent assumptions that all surface irrigation systems incur unnecessarily high water losses, on-farm ratios of crop water demand to irrigation supply were found to be relatively high. Based on actual crop water use, irrigation demand/supply ratios among monitored farms varied from 0.60 to 0.98, with a mean of 0.79. Examination of the soil moisture budget indicates that during most irrigations of wheat (cultivated in the low evapotranspiration months of October–March) sufficient water is applied for the shallow root zone to attain field capacity. With the exception of temporary periods of high falaj delivery flows or periods of rainfall, field capacity is usually not attained during irrigations within the more extensive root zones of date palm farms. The data presented in this paper should provide a better understanding of water use performance by farmers within traditional falaj systems. Moreover, these data should also serve to facilitate more effective development planning for irrigation water conservation programs in the region.     

Farmer's perspective on irrigation performance

Of the many client groups with interests in irrigation system performance, farmers are probably the least often considered. This paper attempts to explore the meaning of irrigation performance from their perspective, highlighting at the outset basic difference between this perspective and that of system managers. It then reviews several important concepts underlying a consideration of performance in irrigation systems. The paper then proposes and discusses a set of twelve measures of irrigation service judged to be of interest to farmers. These are adequacy, timeliness, equity, tractability, convenience, predictability, temperature, sediment content, salt content, nutrient content, toxics, and pathogens.     

Innovations in irrigation management and development in Hunan province

Mass movement labor was an important contributor to irrigation system construction in China during the seventies, making up a third or more of system costs. Total per-ha system costs are roughly consistent with those in other Asian countries when contributed labor is valued at estimated farm wage rates, but less than average if zero labor opportunity cost is assumed.Innovative practices are being employed in managing and supporting irrigation system operations in Western Hunan Province. Many are ones which have been advocated repeatedly elsewhere but infrequently applied. These include the volumetric wholesaling of water to distribution organizations, farmer water charges with both fixed and volumetric components, financially autonomous irrigation management agencies, and delegation of water distribution and fee-collection responsibility to village-based organizations. Heavy emphasis currently rests on financial self-reliance of schemes as denoted by the slogan, let water support water. This has led to a proliferation of secondary income-generating enterprises associated with irrigation system management, as well as strenuous efforts to collect irrigation fees. Often the secondary enterprises generate a larger share of total income than does the irrigation service itself.Fee levels for rice generally fall into the $12 to $20 ha/yr range, intermediate to those prevailing in Pakistan at $8.50/ha for two crops of rice and the Philippines at $45/ha for double cropped rice. Collection of fees is typically handled by the village. Charges are usually levied on an area basis but one large system employed a more complicated system which had both fixed and variable components. Water allocation at lower system levels is also delegated to the village in many cases, with the state serving as a wholesale provider of water.Abbreviations and units ha-m hectare-meter - jin unit of weight equal to 0.5 kg - kw kilowatt - mu unit of land area equal to 1/15 ha - Rmb Renmimbi (Yuan) equal to US$ 0.27 officially in September 1988 and about half of that unofficially - RMD Reservoir Management Division - WCB Water Conservancy Bureau - WMD Water Management Department     

农业专家系统及其在灌溉管理中的研究应用现状

本文阐述了农业专家系统的研究现状及其在灌溉管理中的应用,并就其在节水农业专家系统研究中的几个问题进行了讨论。     

抓改革 促发展 实现灌区体制机制创新

1980年在漳河灌区衽的“按田配水、计量收费”灌溉管理制度改革试点，开始了湖北省理顺灌区管理体制的工作。目前，全省已建立了130余个农民用水者协会，并正在积极探讨和酝酿建立“公司＋协会”的管理模式。     

Modern analysis of surface irrigation systems with WinSRFR

WinSRFR is a new generation of software for analyzing surface irrigation systems. Founded on an unsteady flow hydraulic model, the software integrates event analysis, design, and operational analysis functionalities, in addition to simulation. This paper provides an overview of functionalities, interface, and architectural elements of the software, and discusses technical enhancements in version 2.1, released in late 2007, and version 3.1, scheduled for release in 2009.     

Sensitivity analysis of optimal operation of irrigation supply systems with water quality considerations

A model for optimal operation of water supply/irrigation systems of various water quality sources, with treatment plants, multiple water quality conservative factors, and dilution junctions is presented. The objective function includes water cost at the sources, water conveyance costs which account for the hydraulics of the network indirectly, water treatment cost, and yield reduction costs of irrigated crops due to irrigation with poor quality water. The model can be used for systems with supply by canals as well as pipes, which serve both drinking water demands of urban/rural consumers and field irrigation requirements. The general nonlinear optimization problem has been simplified by decomposing it to a problem with linear constraints and nonlinear objective function. This problem is solved using the projected gradient method. The method is demonstrated for a regional water supply system in southern Israel that contains 39 pipes, 37 nodes, 11 sources, 10 agricultural consumers, and 4 domestic consumers. The optimal operation solution is described by discharge and salinity values for all pipes of the network. Sensitivity of the optimal solution to changes in the parameters is examined. The solution was found to be sensitive to the upper limit on drinking water quality, with total cost being reduced by 5% as the upper limit increases from 260 to 600 mg Cl l^–1. The effect of income from unit crop yield is more pronounced. An increase of income by a factor of 20 results in an increase of the total cost by a factor of 3, thus encouraging more use of fresh water as long as the marginal cost of water supply is smaller than the marginal decrease in yield loss. The effect of conveyance cost becomes more pronounced as its cost increases. An increase by a factor of 100 results in an increase of the total cost by about 14%. The network studied has a long pipe that connects two distinct parts of the network and permits the supply of fresh water from one part to the other. Increasing the maximum permitted discharge in this pipe from 0 to 200 m³ h^–1 reduces the total cost by 11%. Increasing the maximum discharge at one of the sources from 90 to 300 m³ h^–1 reduces the total cost by about 8%.     

Modernization of irrigation systems: A case of research,oriented to improve management

In recent years, the traditional concept of an irrigation project has been changing. From just a physical structure for the storage, conveyance and distribution of water, it is now being regarded as a more complex system, including farmers' participation. This implies an improved management in all phases, from reservoir operation to farm management, and therefore the change from simple operation and maintenance to operation, maintenance and management.To face this new challenge, existing projects must be modernized. The Sorraia Irrigation Project is one of those projects. In this paper major problems are identified and it is showed how research (namely through modelling) can be oriented towards an improved management, regarding the conveyance and distribution systems as well as the on-farm systems.Finally it becomes evident that beyond the technical problems to be solved, the involvement and participation of farmers must be improved at all levels of management. Hence, there is also a need for implementing programs on education, training and extension.