Canal Command Research Articles

A spatio-temporal three-dimensional conceptualization and simulation of Dera Ismail Khan alluvial aquifer in visual MODFLOW: a case study from Pakistan

Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) is situated in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan. The land use has been changed in the canal command area due to irrigation activities near the Indus River. To check the current status and predict the groundwater levels in the area, the unconfined aquifer has been simulated in Visual MODFLOW for a period of 35 years, i.e., from 1985 to 2020. The 2900-km2 area has been modeled with a grid of 500 by 500 m and the depth set to 100 m. The aquifer in the study area has been divided vertically and laterally into three and ten zones, respectively, for the characterization. Water wells and streams were used as the sinks and hydrologic boundaries, respectively. The model was successfully calibrated in steady and the non-steady state. The simulation revealed that the whole simulation can be divided into two phases, i.e., before and after the construction of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), whereas the results were summarized in the form of water table depth maps and groundwater budget calculations. To determine the groundwater sustainability, a conjunctive use scenario has been employed to simulate the aquifer dynamics till 2020. The simulation revealed incremental drawdowns till the end.

Characterization of soils of Ghataprabha Left Bank Canal commandarea of north Karnataka for salinity and sodicity

A study was conducted to characterize soil salinity and sodicity of Ghataprabha Left Bank Canal command area of Mudhol taluk (Bagalkot District). Bulk Electrical conductivity of salt affected soils was determined by using electromagnetic induction (EM 38). The pHs of surface and sub-surface soil layers ranged from 7.4 to 8.7 and 7.7 to 8.6, respectively. Electrical conductivity of saturated extract of surface and sub-surface soils ranged from 4.2 to 59.9 dSm-1 and 4.2 to 57.0 dSm-1. Majority of soil samples were found to be saline as sodium absorption ratio (SAR) ranged between 0.3 to 10.8 and 0.5 to 10.9 for surface and sub-surface soil, respectively. Among the analysed surface soil samples, 26 per cent were saline, 18 per cent sodic and 56 per cent were saline-sodic. On the other hand, 26, 20 and 54 per cent of soils were categorized into saline, sodic and saline-sodic, respectively. Among the water soluble cations, Na+ (10.9 to 73.4 cmol (P+) kg-1) pre-dominated in surface and sub-surface horizons (10.9 to 65.2 cmol (P+) kg- 1). Among water soluble anions, Cl- dominated both in surface (2.0 to 60 me L-1) and sub-surface (2.0 to 59.0 me L-1).

Strategies for Crop‐Based Scheduling of Secondary Canals: Case Study of Mirpurkhas Subdivision, Pakistan

AbstractThe present study was conducted in the Mirpurkhas subdivision within cut Jamrao canal command of the Nara Canal Area Water Board. Crop water requirements were evaluated under different irrigation methods. The Mehran model was used to calculate irrigation and crop water requirements, while the crop‐based irrigation operation (CBIO) model was used for secondary canal scheduling/rotation. To calculate irrigation demand, losses in the irrigation network and field application losses were measured. Besides CBIO, scheduling of canals was verified by real‐time scheduling on the basis of weekly crop irrigation demand by simple programming in Excel. The canal scheduling designed on the basis of the CBIO model suggests that all distributaries, minors and direct outlets would be closed for 6 weeks in the kharif season, whereas they will be closed for 7 weeks at premeditated time intervals during the rabi season. The real‐time canal scheduling indicated that the numbers of open and closed weeks are almost same as scheduled by the model; however, certain adjustments have been made to synchronize the closed weeks with annual closure in rabi for canal maintenance. The results further revealed that by implementing canal scheduling in the area, 34 and 40% of irrigation water can be saved in kharif and rabi, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Probability analysis of rainfall and crop water requirement using CROPWAT model for crop planning in a canal command of upper Bhima Basin of Maharashtra

Rainfall is the most important climatic parameters influencing agriculture in Pune district of Maharashtra. Rainfall of this region is highly variable with respect to space and time and about 80–90% of precipitation falls in monsoon period from June to October resulting in drought and flood situation in the upper Bhima basin of Maharashtra. Therefore, for efficient water resources management, optimal crop planning and also for better understanding of rainfall behavior (i.e., distribution and minimum expected amount during crop growing period) probability analysis of rainfall was conducted. Probability analysis (at 50% and 80%) of monthly rainfall data of 13 raingauge stations of the left bank canal of upper Bhima basin viz., Urali, Loni Karbol, Kasurdi, Tajuproject, Yewat, Dahitane, Bhigwan, Madanwadi, Pondewadi, Kedgaon, Patas, Pimplegaon and Daund for the period from 1975 to 2002 was conducted. Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) has been calculated using climatic parameters like sun shine hour, wind speed, maximum & minimum temperature and rainfall humidity for the period from years 1993–2005 by CROPWAT model. It was found that ETo is maximum (7.72 mm/day) during April and low in December (3.10 mm/day). Effective rainfall of existing rain gauge stations falling in different sub-basins, BM48, BM49, BM50, BM51 and BM68 have been estimated using the CROPWAT model. Finally net irrigation requirement of crops Kharif Cotton, Summer Cotton, Sugarcane and Rabi Sorghum have been find out for all the sub-basin. From this study it has been concluded that, the crop planning in the area, represented by Pimplegoan and Urali stations should be done keeping in mind maximum deficit of 187 mm and 113 mm of water respectively during July. Similarly in other stations maximum deficit of water was observed during September which indicate that while selection of crops for the areas represented by these stations the crops requiring less water during September should be selected.

IoT Enabled Analysis of Irrigation Rosters in the Indus Basin Irrigation System

The Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) is the world's largest contiguous irrigation system, irrigating over 2.5 million acres and running over 90,000 km of watercourses. It ensures equitable water distribution to farmers through irrigation rosters or warabandi (literally meaning “taking turns”) which is a fixed-turn rotation system following a time roster issued by the government agencies. To study this irrigation system, we have developed an Internet-of-Things (IoT) inspired custom-built water metering network, capable of near real-time reporting of flow discharges through GPRS and backend server services. In 2013-14, a network of flow meters was deployed on 17 distributary canals in the Hakra Branch Canal command in IBIS covering more than two cropping seasons. By comparing the captured water distribution data (sampled every 10 minutes) with Punjab Irrigation Department (PID) issued warabandi rosters, an analysis of the warabandi rosters is presented in this paper.

Land use and land cover effect on groundwater storage

This study aims at assessing the effects of different strategies for groundwater recharge and storage in Indira Sagar Canal Command Area, Madhya Pradesh, India. Enlarged impervious area is the most important factor to decreased infiltration of ground water. The ground water storage is depleting due to above mentioned fact and extraction of more groundwater to fulfill the demand of rapidly growth urbanization with constant surface water available In this regard, estimating and managing groundwater resources require the integration of variety of discipline at a single platform. Therefore, several land-use changes, groundwater recharge, groundwater storage equation, preparation of digital elevation model and drainage density scenarios were setup and their effects on water balance and groundwater dynamics analyzed with the help of geographical information system. The groundwater storage of some village is found to be increasing after the canal construction (land-use change). This is due to fact that the demand of water is met by the canal supply and improved greenery results in higher the infiltration to the aquifer in many locations within the study area. This type of project is the need of the hour where there is water scarcity. The study witnessed increased socioeconomic condition of people due to the irrigation system which ensures round the year cultivation. Indira Sagar Canal Command has enhanced the food production in the district and state as a whole.

Key Challenges and Opportunities for Conjunctive Management of Surface and Groundwater in Mega-Irrigation Systems: Lower Indus, Pakistan

This paper focuses on the scope of conjunctive management in the Lower Indus part of the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), and the contribution this could make towards food security and socio-economic development. The total Gross Command Area (GCA) of the Lower Indus is 5.92 Mha, with a cultivable command area (CCA) of 5.43 Mha, most of which is in Sindh Province. There is a limited use of groundwater in Sindh (about 4.3 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM)) for two reasons: first, there is a large area where groundwater is saline; and second, there is a high surface irrigation supply to most of the canal commands, e.g., average annual supply to rice command is 1723 mm, close to the annual reference crop evapotranspiration for the area, while there is an additional annual rainfall of about 200 mm. These high irrigation allocations, even in areas where groundwater is fresh, create strong disincentives for farmers to use groundwater. Consequently, areas are waterlogged to the extent of 50% and 70% before and after the monsoon, respectively, which contributes to surface salinity through capillary rise. In Sindh, about 74%–80% of the available groundwater recharge is lost in the form of non-beneficial evaporation. This gives rise to low cropping intensities and yields compared to fresh groundwater areas elsewhere in the IBIS. The drought of 1999–2002 has demonstrated a reduction in waterlogging without any corresponding reduction in crop yields. Therefore, in order to efficiently meet current water requirements of all the sectors, i.e., agriculture, domestic and industrial, an ab initio level of water reallocation and efficient water management, with consideration to groundwater quality and its safe yield, in various areas are recommended. This might systematically reduce the waterlogged areas, support greater cropping intensity than is currently being practiced, and free up water for horizontal expansion, such as in the Thar Desert.

SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT: CONTEXT OF NATIONAL WATER POLICY

The basic dynamics of irrigation development in India are changing. In the past there has been sufficient water and land available to expand the irrigated area. This is no longer the case, with both good quality land and adequate water now constraining further development in many states. Many states are now entering a period of vertical integration, where better management of existing irrigation systems rather than construction of new schemes predominate. This transition will require new skills and expertise within Irrigation Departments if they are to meet the current and upcoming challenges. As we have stepped into the twenty first century, the new frontier is boosting water productivity, getting more from lesser amount of water devoted to crop production. Improving the performance of completed MMI schemes has been the main focus of the NWM and the 12th FYP and set a target of increasing the WUE by 20%. WUE studies carried out by the CWC on 30 MMI schemes indicates that in nine schemes WUE was found to be less than 30 percent and the average was 38 percent. The NWM and 12th FYP targets the average figure would need to rise to 46% by the end of the plan period. Water measurement and quantification, participatory irrigation management, conjunctive use of surface and ground water, integrated water resource management, modernization of irrigation systems, demand based delivery of irrigation water, large scale promotion of water saving crop production technologies, expansion of micro irrigation into canal command areas are some of the areas identified for sustainable management of irrigation water.

Optimization of Cropping Pattern in a Canal Command Area Using Fuzzy Programming Approach

Optimal cropping pattern depends on water availability and other constraints like crop area, soil properties, use of fertilizer, and local socio-economic conditions. Availability of water depends upon various hydrological and climatological factors like rainfall in area, aquifer properties of the area, existing canal network in the area etc. Use of surface and groundwater conjunctively not only improve production but also help in sustainable water utilization. Benefit and production (yield) are the two most important objectives for optimal cropping pattern. Single objectives considering benefit and production are formulated and solved for nine scenarios. Single objective separately optimize benefit or production only. Single objective maximization of benefit/production does not guarantee maximization of production/benefit. Multi objectives optimization of benefit and production simultaneously give optimal solution incorporating benefit and production. In present paper multi objectives optimization problem is formulated and solved using fuzzy programming approach (FPA) with linear, exponential and hyperbolic membership functions. Results of different optimization techniques (single objective, multi objective) and different membership functions are discussed and compared.

Comparison of tank silt and farm yard manures in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility in redgram in alfisol of NSP left canal command area

On farm field experiment on effect of soil amendments in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility in redgram were taken up in Alfisols of NSP left canal command area during Kharif 2006 and Kharif 2007 at pilot area Ganapavaram of Nagarjuna Sagar Project left canal command under A.P. water management project funded by FAO. The trial was carried with the farmers participatory mode to study the impact of application of tank silt and farm yard manure as soil amendments in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility and on crop yield of redgram. The five treatments consisted of 5t FYM/ha, 10t FYM/ ha, 20t tank silt/ha, 30t tank silt/ha and RDF. Application of 20 t of tank silt + RDF and 30 t of tank silt + RDF application recorded highest grain yield of 2290 kg ha ?1 and 2180 kg ha ?1 during Kharif , 2006 and 20 t of tank silt + RDF recorded highest grain yield of 2280 kg/ha followed by application of 30 t of tank silt+ RDF (2130 kg/ha) and application of 10 t of FYM+ RDF (2040 kg/ha) during Kharif , 2007, respectively. Post harvest soil analysis revealed that the organic carbon content was high in 10 t FYM + RDF where as the application of increased tank silt recorded increase in water holding capacity during the both the years.

Groundwater modelling for need assessment of command scale conjunctive water use for addressing the exacerbating irrigation cost inequities in LBDC irrigation system, Punjab, Pakistan

Bari Doab on Pakistan side of the border, about 29,000 km 2 , is one of the most productive agri- cultural regions in the Sub-continent. The surge in population has increased the competition for available water resources. Ensuing to this, a number of irrigation- related issues have gained prominence. Effects of in- creasing climate aridity towards lower part of Bari Doab have emerged in the form of accelerated groundwater depletion. Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) command, lying in the centre of Bari Doab, faces maximum spatial climate variability across its command area. This is the first model-based study of the long-term irrigation cost inequities due to successively increasing groundwater depletion towards the tail end. In the model, total water requirements of a grid cell are withdrawn from surface and/or sub-surface sources, based on rainfall and canal water availability. Groundwater pumping estimation is the most complex parameter; crop water deficit approach was adopted for the purpose. Due to excessive groundwater depletion, a tail-end farmer currently incurs 2.19 times higher irrigation costs as compared to the head-end counterpart. An additional depletion of 8-11 m is ex- pected in the lower half of the command till 2031, in contrary to stable conditions in head end. As a result this irrigation cost anomaly is simulated to be further aggra- vating to 2.36 times in year 2031. Thus, irrigation systems with significant spatial climate variability need appropri- ate command scale conjunctive management of surface and groundwater by the concerned irrigation planning and management agencies. This would help in plummeting the exacerbating irrigation inequities by reducing waterlog- ging and groundwater depletion.

Nonlinear Optimisation Using Production Functions to Estimate Economic Benefit of Conjunctive Water Use for Multicrop Production

Uncertainty and shortages of surface water supplies, as a result of global climate change, necessitate development of groundwater in many canal commands. Groundwater can be expensive to pump, but provides a reliable supply if managed sustainably. Groundwater can be used optimally in conjunction with surface water supplies. The use of such conjunctive systems can significantly decrease the risk associated with a stochastic availability of surface water supply. However, increasing pumping cost due to groundwater drawdown and energy prices are key concerns. We propose an innovative nonlinear programing model for the optimisation of profitability and productivity in an irrigation command area, with conjunctive water use options. The model, rather than using exogenous yields and gross margins, uses crop water production and profit functions to endogenously determine yields and water uses, and associated gross margins, respectively, for various conjunctive water use options. The model allows the estimation of the potential economic benefits of conjunctive water use and derives an optimal use of regional level land and water resources by maximising the net benefits and water productivity under various physical and economic constraints, including escalating energy prices. The proposed model is applied to the Coleambally Irrigation Area (CIA) in southeastern Australia to explore potential of conjunctive water use and evaluate economic implication of increasing energy prices. The results show that optimal conjunctive water use can offer significant economic benefit especially at low levels of surface water allocation and pumping cost. The results show that conjunctive water use potentially generates additional AUD 57.3 million if groundwater price is the same as surface water price. The benefit decreases significantly with increasing pumping cost.

Quality Assessment of Tubewell Water for Irrigation and Impact on Soil and Crops in Central Punjab, Pakistan

Aims: The study was conducted to assess the quality of tubewell (TW) waters for irrigation and their effects on soils and crops. Place and Duration of Study: Canal Command Area (CCA) of Chichawatni and Sahiwal tehsils of district Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan during 2012 and 2013. Methodology: A total of 529 TW water samples were collected from nine distributaries of Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC); four on right s ide (RD); five on left side (LD).Twenty composite soil samples were collected at plough layer depth (0 to 15 cm) from the selected farmer fields irrigated with TW and canal water (CW). Soils were analysed for pHs, ECe, and water samples were analysed for E C, cations (Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ , Na + ) and anions (CO 3 2 - , HCO 3 - ) and then RSC and SAR were computed. Total dissolved salts (TDS) of TW waters were used to estimate the amount of salts added into soil with the irrigation. The salts addition into soil under different crops was also

Seasonal Evaluation of Trace Metals in Irrigated Soils at Various Sites in Phuleli Command Area (Sindh), Pakistan

Phuleli Canal (Sindh) Pakistan is the main source of irrigation water for lower Sindh. However, its quality has been deteriorated by the addition of industrial effluents and city wastes discharged directly or indirectly into canal when it passes through Hyderabad city. For monitoring the effect of this canal water on soil quality of the command area, the present study was designed to evaluate the seasonal variability of trace metals including Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn in the cultivated soil area. The soil samples were collected from different seven sites (reduced distance, RD = 304.8 m) RD-0, RD-30, RD-50, RD-70, RD-90, RD-110 and RD-130) in four seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring) and analysed for Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn contents. Then, the obtained results were compared with the maximum permissible values of FAO for agriculture/crop production. Results showed that the Zn contents in soil samples was relatively higher than FAO permissible limits during winter in all soil layers and all sites mostly at upper reach sites of Phuleli Command area. While, the Fe content in soil at all depths was found higher during winter, autumn and spring. Whereas, in summer season it was relatively more in upper soil layers near mid to down reach sites and were not within the permissible limits of FAO. Same was true with Cu and Mn which were also not within the permissible limits of FAO for crop production. So, it was inferred that almost of the locations trace elements in soils found higher under Phuleli Canal Command area were mainly produced from various pollution sources viz, industrial and municipal liquid effluents.

Use of Geospatial Technology for Assessment of Waterlogging & Salinity Conditions in the Nara Canal Command Area in Sindh, Pakistan

Agriculture is being main stay of Pakistan economy and it’s very significant to monitor the existing agricultural areas and its changes, due to different aspects like salinity and waterlogging, which reduce the fertility of agricultural lands adversely. Managing salinity so as to minimize its environmental impact is a prerequisite for the long-term sustainability of irrigated agriculture. It is ironic that the irrigated areas are those that are afflicted most by the twin menaces of waterlogging and salinity. Geospatial technology was used to assess the waterlogging and salinity condition in Nara canal command area, during the last two surveys conducted in years 1977-1981 and 2001- 2003 respectively. After analyzing the results in detail, we obtain a clear relationship among salt affected soils, and waterlogged areas reveal that 0.2% to 1.25% of salt affected areas fall under the shallow zone with high water table. The spatial distribution of water table shows various trends among the water tables, and the surface salinity of surface saline areas has been increased due to waterlogging caused by unmanaged spatial drainage system.

Impact of Conjunctive Use of Water Resources on Crop Production in Canal Command Area-A Case Study

The study is carried out for Jamuniya, Jhansi and Khulri Minor of Left Bank Canal network of Rani Avanti Bai Sagar irrigation project. It constitutes impact of conjunctive use on water resource utilization pattern, irrigation depth, changes in cropping pattern, effect on yield of crops, water table depth and net farm return. The results indicated in Jamuniya minor have the use of surface water for irrigation is more than ground water in last 10 years. In Jhansi minor, the use of surface water for irrigation was maximum in year 2001–02 (114.88 ha) and then continuously decreased during last 10 years reached to 50.55 ha. Reverse trend was observed in Jhansi minor with use of ground water for irrigation and similar pattern was found in Khulri minor. The depth of irrigation for wheat, gram and green pea was observed the highest in Jhansi head reach 26.5 cm, 10.6 cm and 25.8 cm, respectively and the lowest in Khulri middle reach as 12.5 cm, 5.0 cm and 15.0 cm for wheat, gram and green pea, respectively. The wheat area intensity continuously increased in all minors during 2003–04 to 2009–10. The yield of wheat registered the highest (38 q/ha) in head reach of Jamuniya minor and the lowest (27.7 q/ha) in middle reach of Jamuniya minor. The yield of gram was maximum (18.21 q/ha) in tail reach of Jhansi minor and minimum (14.0 q/ha) in middle reach of Khulri minor.

Effect of soil amendments in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility in maize in alfisol of NSP left canal command area

On farm the field experiments on effect of soil amendments in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility in maize were taken up in Alfisols of NSP left Canal Command Area during Kharif 2005 and Kharif 2006 at pilot area Ganapavaram of Nagarjuna sagar project left canal command under A.P. Water management project was funded by FAO. The trial was carried with the farmer’s participatory mode to study the impact of application of tank silt and farm yard manure as soil amendments in relation to soil water retention capacity and soil fertility and on crop yield of maize. The six treatments consisted of 5t FYM/ha with RDF, 10t FYM/ha with RDF, 10t tank silt/ha with RDF, 20t tank silt/ha with RDF, 30t tank silt/ha with RDF and only RDF. Application of 10 t FYM + RDF and 10t of tank silt+ RDF recorded highest grain yield of 6000kg/h and 5500 kg/ha during Kharif, 2005 and application of 10 t FYM + RDF and 10t of tank silt + RDF recorded highest grain yield of 6100kg/hand 5400 kg/ha Kharif, 2006, respectively. Post harvest soil analysis revealed that the organic carbon content was high in 10 t FYM + RDF whereas the application of increased tank silt recorded increase in water holding capacity during the both the years.

Spatio‐temporal distribution of actual evapotranspiration in the Indus Basin Irrigation System

AbstractStrategic planning of optimal water use requires an accurate assessment of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) to understand the environmental and hydrological processes of the world's largest contiguous irrigation networks, including the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) in Pakistan. The Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) has been used successfully for accurate estimations of ETa in different river basins throughout the world. In this study, we examined the application of SEBS using publically available remote sensing data to assess spatial variations in water consumption and to map water stress from daily to annual scales in the IBIS. Ground‐based ETa was calculated by the advection‐aridity method, from nine meteorological sites, and used to evaluate the intra‐annual seasonality in the hydrological year 2009–2010. In comparison with the advection‐aridity, SEBS computed daily ETa was slightly underestimated with a bias of −0.15 mm day−1 during the kharif (wet; April–September) season, and it was overestimated with a bias of 0.23 mm day−1 in the rabi (dry; October–March) season. Monthly values of the ETa estimated by SEBS were significantly (P < 0.05) controlled by mean air temperature and rainfall, among other climatological variables (relative humidity, sunshine hours and wind speed). Because of the seasonal (kharif and rabi) differences in the water and energy budget in the huge canal command areas of the IBIS, ETa and rainfall were positively correlated in the kharif season and were negatively correlated during the rabi season. In addition, analysis of the evaporation process showed that mixed‐cropping and rice–wheat dominated areas had lower and higher water consumption rates, respectively, in comparison with other cropping systems in the basin. Basin areas under water stress were identified by means of spatial variations in the relative evapotranspiration, which had an average value of 0.59 and 0.42 during the kharif and the rabi seasons, respectively. The hydrological parameters used in this study provide useful information for understanding hydrological processes at different spatial and temporal scales. Results of this study further suggest that the SEBS is useful for evaluation of water resources in semi‐arid to arid regions over longer periods, if the data inputs are carefully handled. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stochastic vs deterministic programming in water management: the value of flexibility

In the paper we develop a two stage scenario-based stochastic programming model for water management in the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS). We present a comparison between the deterministic and scenario-based stochastic programming model. Our model takes stochastic inputs on hydrologic data i.e. inflow and rainfall. We divide the basin into three rainfall zones which overlap on 44 canal commands. Data on crop characteristics are taken on canal command levels. We then use ten-daily and monthly time intervals to analyze the policies. This system has two major reservoirs and a complex network of rivers, canal head works, canals, sub canals and distributaries. All the decisions on hydrologic aspects are governed by irrigation and agricultural development policies. Storage levels are maintained within the minimum and maximum bounds for every time interval according to a power generation policy. The objective function is to maximize the expected revenue from crops production. We discuss the flexibility of two stochastic optimization models with varying time horizon.

Optimal land and water resources allocation policies for sustainable irrigated agriculture

Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater is being practiced in many regions of the world to bring more areas under irrigation, increase agricultural production and productivity, and also maintain overall system balance. Successful agricultural water management policies put the physical, hydro-geological, and socio-economic constraints on these integrated water supplies. To sustain these constraints, a linear programming (LP) model has been developed for optimal land and water resources allocation in various sectors of the Hirakud Canal Command, a multi-purpose irrigation project on the river Mahanadi in eastern India. To enhance the decision-taking ability of the Hirakud command area development authority, a menu-driven and user-friendly software has been developed by Visual-Basic that incorporates model-base, data-base, knowledge-base subsystems along with the user-interface. The model-base subsystem includes LP, groundwater balance, and evapotranspiration models. The data-base subsystem includes the meteorological, crop, and water resources data. The knowledge-base subsystem was developed from the knowledge derived from the results of the aforementioned models. Sensitivity analysis of the LP model parameters was performed by varying the parameters that affect the optimal cropping pattern and groundwater allocation. The result indicates that conjunctive use of 87% surface water and 13% groundwater is the sustainable water allocation policy of the command area. The model results also indicate that a 20% deviation in existing cropping pattern is the best alternative as it considered socio-economic need and also meets the entire food demand of the study area.