Water balance study and conjunctive water use planning in an irrigation canal command area: A remote sensing perspective

Abstract

Water budgeting of the D-36 and D-36 A distributaries confined between Pedda Vagu, Korutla Vagu and Kakatiya main canal of the Sri RamSagar Project (SRSP) Command area was conducted using remote sensing derived crop areas, land cover information, irrigation tank inventory and source-wise distribution of irrigated areas, together with conventional meteorological, canal flows and well inventory data. A semi-empirical water balance model was developed and validated using remote sensing derived objective information of the command area and the validated model used for predicting the groundwater table under normal rainfall conditions. Recharge and water balance in the study area indicated that the net recharge to the aquifer is negative to the tune of 2.54 Mm3 resulting in a fall of the groundwater table by 0.79 m during 1992-93. However, normalized groundwater recharge and water balance estimates indicate an impending waterlogging problem with an annual groundwater table rise of 0.35 m. In view of existing water management practices, a conjunctive water use plan of rotational operation of aquifers and canals is suggested.