Performance Evaluation and Water Availability of Canal Irrigation Scheme in Punjab Pakistan

Imran Sajid,Christian Borgemeister,Bernhard Tischbein,Martina Flörke

doi:10.3390/w14030405

Imran Sajid, Christian Borgemeister + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030405

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Journal: Water	Publication Date: Jan 28, 2022
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Bonn, Ruhr University Bochum

Abstract

The supply of surface water by century-old infrastructure causes substantial water loss and triggers huge abstractions of groundwater, resulting in low irrigation efficiency. We evaluated the irrigation performance (application and conveyance efficiencies) and water availability (supply-demand) from the field to the Mungi Distributary canal level in Punjab, Pakistan. Between April–September 2019 and 2020, we monitored water delivery in the canal network, soil moisture content in cotton fields, and the canal and groundwater quality. The crops’ actual evapotranspiration was estimated using the AquaCrop model. We found conveyance efficiencies >90% for minor distributaries, 70–89% for watercourses, and ~75% for field ditches per kilometer. Field application efficiency was >90% for drip and ~35% for flood basin, whereas for raised-bed furrow, conventional furrow, and ridge-furrow irrigation methods, it varied between 44% and 83%. The deficits of canal water supply versus demand for cotton fields ranged from 45% to 73%, whereas the Mungi Distributary canal water showed a 68.6% and 19.8% shortfall in the April–September and October–March seasons of 2018/2019, respectively. The study suggests prioritizing improvements to field water application rather than canals with better water quality; additionally, surplus water from the Mungi canal in November and December could be stored for later use.

Highlights

IntroductionIn Pakistan, irrigated agriculture is the major consumer of surface and groundwater [1]
In Pakistan, irrigated agriculture is the major consumer of surface and groundwater [1].Main crops, such as wheat, sugarcane, rice, and cotton, account for ~80% of all water consumption in the country [2]
The study was conducted at the cultivable command area of Mungi Distributary canal, which is fed by the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) through the Gugera canal in Punjab

Summary

Introduction

In Pakistan, irrigated agriculture is the major consumer of surface and groundwater [1]. Main crops, such as wheat, sugarcane, rice, and cotton, account for ~80% of all water consumption in the country [2]. The. Indus basin is the primary supplier of surface water to the country through five tributaries: the Indus, Jhelum, Sutlej, Chenab, and Ravi. The Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) feeds the withdrawals from these rivers into a complex and extensive network of canals and conveying water to farmers [3]. The IBIS is considered the world’s most extensive contiguous irrigation system that regulates water at three systems levels in the network of the canals. The Warabandi principle guides the surface water allocation to all farmers with fields along each watercourse based on fixed seven day turns [4]

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