Irrigation structure solved problems 2012E.

1. A soil has a filed capacity of 28% and the permanent welting point of 8%.
a. Determine the water storage capacity of the soil if the depth of the root zone is 0.8m.
Take dry unit weight of the soil as 15kg/m2
b. Irrigation water is applied when the moisture content of the soil is decreases to
12%.determain the water depth require to be applied if the water application efficiency
is 80%.
Solution
a. Available depth of water (dw)

Available water depth=density *maximum allowable depletion*(field capacity (F.C) –

permanent welting point (P.W.P))

=p*d(f.c-p.w.p)=(15/9.81)*0.8*(0.28-0.08)=0.24m
b. Depth of water required to be applied
Dw= p*d(f.c-p.w.p)=(15/9380)*0.8*(0.28-0.12)=0.2m
Actual depth of water applied =0.2/Ea=0.2/0.8=0.25m

2. In given agricultural area the available water and Allowed water depletion has 180 and 100mm
respectively. The Maximum allowable depletion is 50 percent and daily crop water requirement
is 8 millimeters. Determine readily available water depth and irrigation interval.
NB: readily available water (RAW) is the water that a plant can easily extract from the soil. This
water is held b/n field capacity and permanent welting point, in this range of neither soil water
plants are neither waterlogging nor water stress.
Solution
Readily available water= (Available water − Allowed water depletion) × Maximum
allowable Depletion
Available water=field capacity (F.C) –permanent welting point (P.W.P)
RAW= (180mm-100mm)*0.5
=40mm
Irrigation interval=∑ (readily available moisture)/crop water requirement)
=40mm/8mm/d
=5days
3. In a five hectares’ farm (grains), volume of irrigation is 52000 cubic meters and
evapotranspiration is 1000 millimeters. Determine irrigation efficiency and deep percolation.
If irrigation efficiency is 80 percent, determine water requirement. Do not consider effective
rain and the leaching requirement is 40mm.
Solution
A = 5ha V = 52000 m3 ET = 1000 mm
Depth of irrigation water (I)
I =V/A= 52000m3/50000m2= 1.04 m

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I=ET/Ea.
1.04m= 1000mm/Ea
Ea=1000/1.04
Ea=96.2%
I= (ET+L)/Ea
I= (1000+40)/0.8
=1300mm or 65000m3
4. The base period, duty of water and area under irrigation for various crops under a canal
system are given in the figure. If the field application efficiency is 65% calculate the volume
of water that address at the root zone of the crop? in addition to this If the losses in the
reservoir and conveyance are respectively 15%, 25%, determine the reservoir capacity,

Crop wheat Sugar cane Cotton rice V.table

Base period(days) 120 320 180 120 120
Duty(ha/cumec) 1800 1600 1500 800 700
Area irrigated(ha) 15000 10000 50000 7500 500

Solution

Conveyance efficiency (Ec) is the ratio of the water received at the inlet of a block of fields to
the water released at the headwork.
Field canal efficiency (Eb) is the ratio between water received at the field inlet and that received
at the inlet of the block of fields.
Field application efficiency (Ea) is the ratio between water directly available to the crop and
that received at the field inlet.
Project efficiency (Ep) is the ratio between water made directly available to the crop and that
released from the headwork, or Ep = Ec x Eb x Ea.

Crop wheat Sugar cane cotton rice V.table

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Base period(days) 120 320 180 120 120

Duty(ha/cumec) 1800 1600 1500 800 700
Area irrigated(ha) 15000 10000 5000 7500 500
discharge(m3/s) 15000/1800=8.3 10000/1600 5000/1500=3.34 7500/800=9.375 500/700=0.714
4 =6.25
Volume =*(86400) 120*8.34=8640 320*0.625= 180*3.34=5184 120*9.375=9720 0.7143*120=740.
ha.m 17280 57
Conversion factor

Discharge (m3/s) =area irrigate/duty

Volume of water available to the crop ha.m= (discharge (m3/s) *base period (day)*24*60*60
sec)/10000
a. Total volume of water available to the crop at the field level
=41564 ha.m
b. Volume of water at the crop root zone = 41564 –loss (100-efficency)
=41564-41564*.35=27016.6 ha.m
c. Volume of water at the canal head 41564/CE=41564/0.75
= 55418.67ha.m
d. Volume of water at the reservoir= 55418.67/.85
=65198.43ha.m
5. Determine the time required for an outlet to irrigate the land if the depth of water required is
0.2m and the water application efficiency is 80%.the area of the land is 0.5ha and the full
supply discharge of the outlet also 0.06m3/sec.

Solution
Depth of water to be applied=0.2m/0.8=0.25m
Volume of water to be applied =0.25m*0.5*104m2=0.125*104m3
Time required =V/Q=(0.125*104m3)/( 0.06m3/sec.)=2.083*104sec=5h 47m 13s

6. A channel is to be designed to irrigate 5000 hectares for Kharif crop and 4000 hectares in
Rabi crop. The water requirement for Kharif and Rabi are 60 cm and 25 cm, respectively.
The Kor period for Kharif is 3 weeks and for Rabi is 4 weeks. Determine the discharge of the
channel for which it is to be designed.

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Solution
I) for the kharif season
Delta= 8.64*B/D=60cm=0.6
B= 3 weeks = 21 days
Duty= (8.64*21days)/0.6m
D=302.4ha/m3
Area to be irrigated = 5000 ha
Required discharge of channel =5000 ha/ 302.4 ha/m3
=16.53m3/sec
II) For Rabi season
Δ = 25 cm
B= 4 weeks = 28 days
Then, Duty= (8.64* 28)/0.25 =967.684 ha
Area to be irrigated = 4000 ha
Required discharge of channel= 4000/ 967.68=4.13 m3 / s
So, the channel is to be designed for the maximum discharge of 16.53 m3/s, because this
discharge capacity of the channel will be able to supply water to both the seasons.

7. The command area of a channel is 4000 hectares. The intensity of irrigation of a crop is 70%.
The crop requires 60 cm of water in 15 days, when the effective rainfall is recorded as 15 cm
during that period. Find, (a) the duty at the head of field. (b) The duty at the head of channel.
(c) The head discharge at the head of channel.
Solution
Assume total losses as 15%.
Depth of water required=60 mm
Effective rainfall=15 cm
Depth of irrigation water=60-15=45 cm
Δ = 45 cm
B=15 days
Δ =(8.64*B)/Duty
D= (8.64*15days/0.45 )cumec
=288ha/cumec
A) So, duty at the head of field=288 ha/cumec. Due to the losses of water the duty at the
head of the channel will be reduced. Here, losses are 15%. B) So, the duty at the head
of channel = 288×0.85=244.8 ha/cumec (Duty will be reduced due to loss).

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B) Total area under crop=4000×0.7=2800 ha

C) The discharge at the head of channel=2800/244.8=11.438 cumec
8. 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 h 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. The available water holding
capacity of the soil is 21cm/m and irrigation was done at 60% depletion of Am. Find Ec, Ef ,
Ea, Es and Ed. The stream size delivered to the plot was 100 lit/sec.

Solution

Ec= (Wf/Wd)*100=(120/150)*100=80%
Ef=(Wp/Wf)*100(100/120)*100=83.3%
Volume of Water delivered to the plot=100lit/sec*(8*60*60) sec
=2880000lit or 2880m3
Volume of water in the root zone = Volume of Water delivered to the plot-field
application loss
2880-440=2440 m3
Ea=(2440/2880)*100=84.7%
Total A.M=21cm/m*1.8m=37.8cm
RAM=(37.8*60)/100
=22.68cm
RAM in volume =(22.68/100)*1.8*104=4082.4 m3
Es=(2440 m3)/(4082.4 m3)=59.8%=60%
Average water penetration =d=(1.2+1.8)/2=1.5m
Numerical deviation at upper end=1.8-1.5=0.3
Numerical deviation at lower end =1.5-1.2=0.3
Average numerical deviation= (2*0.3)/2=0.3
Ed=100(1-y/d)=100(1-0.3/1.5)=80%

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Design of erodible and non-erodible, alluvial channels Kennedy’s

and Lacey’s theories

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