Waterlogging Control Research Articles

Typical case analysis of deep tunnel drainage system in urban area

Urban rainstorm-waterlogging events were becoming more common and more difficult to control in the past decade. With the inadequate capacity of urban drainage system and the low standards of drainage planning, it is urgent to reform and improve the original drainage system. However, due to the constraints of space conditions, construction costs, environment interference and some other factors, it is not easy to transform the original drainage system and the effect is not obvious. Urban deep tunnel drainage system is an important method to alleviate urban waterlogging, as well as the initial runoff pollution and overflow pollution. The research on urban deep tunnel drainage system is necessary and important, especially in rapid urbanizing countries like China. The preliminary planning and studies have been done in several cities in China with the aim of solving urban waterlogging problem by urban deep tunnel drainage system. This kind of system has already been applied maturely in many developed countries/cities, such as Singapore, Chicago, London and so on. These applications can provide many experiences and lessons for Chinese engineers and researchers. By introducing the work principle of urban deep tunnel drainage system and analyzing its design and uses at home and abroad, this review provides technical support of deep tunnel system to reduce pollution and waterlogging. From the typical cases investigated in this paper, they confirmed that the urban deep tunnel drainage system could play a multiple role in urban waterlogging control and reducing overflow pollution. For example, in London, Paris, Singapore, they are used for drainage and the pollution control of overflow; in Tokyo and Hongkong, they are used for urban waterlogging control; in Chicago they are used both for waterlogging control and overflow pollution control. Although the experience of foreign countries and cities can be used for a reference to the system’s development in China, it cannot be completely copied. Besides, this review paper also points out the direction and main goals for the future research on urban deep tunnel drainage system. There are four key problems analyzed on its development, which are involved in both technical problems and management approaches. Some achievements have been made in urban hydrological simulation and evaluation technology, but this kind of technology has just started and has not been widely used. Scheduling management and joint design with other projects like sewage treatment plant are other two important parts that are directly related to the normal operation and efficiency of the tunnel. And it still faces many of unavoidable technical problems such as geological problems, operation management problem, etc. The review has summarized the key issues for researchers to understand the principles, development status and key problems of urban deep tunnel drainage system. It has certain reference value not only to the planning/design of urban drainage system, but also to the construction of the Sponge city. In the serious situation of the urban waterlogging as well as the initial runoff pollution and overflow pollution, it can be conducted that the research of urban deep tunnel drainage system has urgent practical needs and broad application prospects in China. Moreover, how to combine the characteristics of each city and find property solutions to the key problems still need further study.

A MAR to address the water with high content of suspended solid with a case study in the Yellow River flood plain, China

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) system is often adapted to alleviate drawdown cone and increase the water supply. In this study, an Open channel-Underground perforated pipe-Shaft system which included three identical subsystems was designed on the basis of local ditches, and applied at the Yellow River flood plain, Linqing city in North China. Three anti-clogging methods of the filter tank, inclined underground perforated pipe and shaft were adopted to lower the amount of fine suspended particles in source water. The dimensions and materials of each subsystem were tested and then determined by analytical method, numerical method and laboratory physical model experiment. The filter tank bottom area is 4m2, perforated pipe diameter of 30cm, length of 200m made from plastic blind drains wrapped with geo-textile and 20cm of coarse sand filled around, slope of 1/500, and the shaft depth of 10m. A pilot project was constructed in the study area covering 5.4hm2. Field recharge experiment and tracer test were conducted so as to monitor groundwater level and flow rate in perforated pipe. The measurements showed that the total infiltration amount attained from the field recharge experiment was 65,925m3, which was close to the simulation results by analytical and numerical methods; the average velocity in the perforated pipe between the inlet and the shaft was 150m/h approximately by both tracer test and theoretical calculation. This MAR project has the advantages of no energy consumption, no land occupation, managed groundwater recharge and water logging control. Therefore, its wider application in the location with similar conditions can be expected in future.

An estimation method of the direct benefit of a waterlogging control project applicable to the changing environment

Abstract. The direct benefit of a waterlogging control project is reflected by the reduction or avoidance of waterlogging loss. Before and after the construction of a waterlogging control project, the disaster-inducing environment in the waterlogging-prone zone is generally different. In addition, the category, quantity and spatial distribution of the disaster-bearing bodies are also changed more or less. Therefore, under the changing environment, the direct benefit of a waterlogging control project should be the reduction of waterlogging losses compared to conditions with no control project. Moreover, the waterlogging losses with or without the project should be the mathematical expectations of the waterlogging losses when rainstorms of all frequencies meet various water levels in the drainage-accepting zone. So an estimation model of the direct benefit of waterlogging control is proposed. Firstly, on the basis of a Copula function, the joint distribution of the rainstorms and the water levels are established, so as to obtain their joint probability density function. Secondly, according to the two-dimensional joint probability density distribution, the dimensional domain of integration is determined, which is then divided into small domains so as to calculate the probability for each of the small domains and the difference between the average waterlogging loss with and without a waterlogging control project, called the regional benefit of waterlogging control project, under the condition that rainstorms in the waterlogging-prone zone meet the water level in the drainage-accepting zone. Finally, it calculates the weighted mean of the project benefit of all small domains, with probability as the weight, and gets the benefit of the waterlogging control project. Taking the estimation of benefit of a waterlogging control project in Yangshan County, Guangdong Province, as an example, the paper briefly explains the procedures in waterlogging control project benefit estimation. The results show that the waterlogging control benefit estimation model constructed is applicable to the changing conditions that occur in both the disaster-inducing environment of the waterlogging-prone zone and disaster-bearing bodies, considering all conditions when rainstorms of all frequencies meet different water levels in the drainage-accepting zone. Thus, the estimation method of waterlogging control benefit can reflect the actual situation more objectively, and offer a scientific basis for rational decision-making for waterlogging control projects.

Root Distribution and Nitrogen Fixation Activity of Tropical Forage Legume American Jointvetch (Aeschynomene americanaL.) cv. Glenn under Waterlogging Conditions

We investigated the root distribution and nitrogen fixation activity of American jointvetch (Aeschynomene americanaL.) cv. Glenn, under waterlogging treatment. The plants were grown in pots under three different treatments: no waterlogging (control), 30 days of waterlogging (experiment 1), and 40 days of waterlogging (experiment 2). The plants were subjected to the treatments on day 14 after germination. Root dry matter (DM) weight distribution of waterlogged plants was shallower than controls after day 20 of waterlogging. Throughout the study period, the total root DM weight in waterlogged plants was similar to that in the controls. Enhanced rooting (adventitious roots) and nodule formation at the stem base were observed in waterlogged plants after day 20 of waterlogging. The average DM weight of individual nodules on the region of the stem between the soil surface and water surface of waterlogged plants was similar to that of individual taproot nodules in the controls. Waterlogged plants had slightly greater plant DM weight than the controls after 40 days of treatment. The total nitrogenase activity (TNA) of nodules and nodule DM weight were higher in waterlogged plants than in the controls. Waterlogged American jointvetch had roots with nodules both around the soil surface and in the area between the soil surface and water surface after 20 days of waterlogging, and they maintained high nitrogenase activity and net assimilation rate that resulted in an increased growth rate.

Simulation of Horizontal and Vertical Drainage Systems to Combat Waterlogging Problems along the Rohri Canal in Khairpur District, Pakistan

AbstractContinuous seepage from earthen canals creates a serious water-management problem in Pakistan. Efficient water management through a properly designed drainage system is therefore indispensable and imperative not only for the control of waterlogging, but also to provide a favorable environment for crop root development that ultimately enhances crop growth and increases yield potential. This paper discusses the effectiveness of different remedial measures adopted to intercept seepage from the Rohri canal and control the rising water table on 1,000 ha of agricultural land near the Gambat railway station in the district of Khairpur in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. A three-dimensional (3D) finite-element model for groundwater flow and solute transport (FEMGWST), developed at Universiti Putra Malaysia, has been used to evaluate the performance of horizontal and vertical drainage systems, operating either independently or simultaneously, for different flow levels in the Rohri canal. Simulation results ...

Analytical Solution for Drainflows from Bilevel Multiple-Drain Subsurface Drainage Systems

AbstractWaterlogging and soil salinisation is widespread in the semiarid, irrigated areas of the world. Subsurface drainage is a useful tool in reducing these effects on crops; however, there has been negative downstream effects of drainage in the salt loads discharged to rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Thus, subsurface drainage in semiarid, irrigated areas needs to balance the demands of providing adequate waterlogging and salinity control while minimizing salt loads. Bilevel drainage, in which shallow drains are placed between deeper drains, is a potential method to meet this required balance. This paper describes the development of an analytical solution to this design approach. A previous potential theory was extended to incorporate multiple series of shallow drains placed between two deep drains. The analytical solution was then applied using the Mathematica software to provide useful information on flow rates and flow lines with varying configurations of deep and shallow drains. The theory was then use...

Spatial-typological differentiation of the ecosystems of the West Siberian Plain. Communication II: Underground phytomass, dead organic matter, and soil humus

Similarity was quantified for the ecosystems of the West Siberian Plain based on the masses of plant cover, dead organic matter, and underground organic matter (including soil humus) and the resultant matrix was subjected to cluster analysis. The results showed that the differentiation in the vegetation was nearly equally attributable to zonal gradients of thermal and moisture conditions (waterlogging), while the differentiation in the underground part of the ecosystems was predominantly under control of waterlogging. Intratypical differences in the underground part were due to zonal-subzonal heterogeneity in the gradients of thermal and moisture conditions, composition of vegetation, and flooding during snow-melt period. Such division did not entirely agree with subzonal division. The ecosystems were rather aggregated on the basis of the three abovementioned characteristics, with flooding and forest-forming species being the same.

Developing drainage as the basis of comprehensive control of drought, waterlogging, salinity and saline groundwater

The North China Plain is short of water resources. The disasters caused by drought, waterlogging, salinity and saline groundwater are the main restrictive factors for sustainable development of agriculture. The regulation of the Haihe River and the excavation and dredging of main drainage rivers have remarkably improved the drainage outlets to drain floodwater, excessive rainwater and saline groundwater into the sea. Exploiting groundwater, including brackish and semi-saline water by tube wells, has the objectives to combat drought by making irrigation possible in the spring, to lower groundwater levels before the rainy season, to increase percolation and underground storage of rainwater, to reduce surface runoff, to leach salts from the soil by summer rainwater and to prevent waterlogging, thus transforming the natural rainfall into available water resources. In autumn and winter river water is diverted to and stored in deep ditches and canals to recharge groundwater and to promote the freshening of saline groundwater. In this way, through the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater, the balance between exploitation and supplementing of water resources in the area has been maintained, and the comprehensive control of drought, waterlogging, salinity and saline groundwater, the sustainable utilization of water resources, the sustainable development of economy and society, and a good eco-environment has been realized. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. La Plaine de Chine du Nord manque de ressources en eau. Les désastres provoqués par la sécheresse, l'engorgement, la salinité et les eaux souterraines salines sont les principaux facteurs limitants du développement durable de l'agriculture. La régulation du fleuve Haihe et l'excavation et le draguage des principaux cours d'eau de drainage ont remarquablement amélioré l'évacuation des crues, des excès de précipitations et des eaux souterraines salines vers la mer. L'exploitation par forage des eaux souterraines, y compris les eaux saumâtres et semi-salines, a pour objectif de combattre la sécheresse en permettant l'irrigation de printemps, d'abaisser les niveaux des nappes avant la saison des pluies, d'augmenter la percolation et le stockage souterrain de l'eau de pluie, de réduire le ruissellement de surface, de permettre le lessivage des sels par les pluies d'été, et d'empêcher l'engorgement des terres, transformant ainsi les précipitations normales en ressources en eau disponibles. En automne et en hiver l'eau des cours d'eau est prélevée et stockée dans de profonds fossés et canaux de façon à recharger les nappes et favoriser la dilution des eaux souterraines salines. L'utilisation conjointe des eaux de surface et des eaux souterraines a ainsi permis de préserver l'équilibre entre l'exploitation et la mise à disposition de ressources en eau dans le secteur, et de parvenir à la maîtrise complète de la sécheresse, de l'engorgement, de la salinité et des eaux souterraines salines, à l'utilisation durable des ressources en eau, au développement durable de l'économie et de la société, et à un éco-environnement satisfaisant. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

One hundred years of waterlogging and salinity control in the Indus valley, Pakistan: a historical review

Pakistan has waged a struggle of near epic dimensions for the control of waterlogging and salinity in the Indus Basin, a struggle which has engaged much of the country resources, greatly challenged its political commitment and is already lasting more than one hundred years. This paper records the history, the successes and failures, the ups and the downs of this struggle and ends with perspective analysis of the present status and remaining issues. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rethinking rational solutions for irrigation salinity

Effective control of waterlogging and salinisation of irrigated landscapes in arid countries requires implementation of appropriate irrigation and drainage strategies at both the farm and irrigation area levels. These strategies need to be underpinned by a general understanding of the importance of managing groundwater abstraction from the deep aquifer in balance with recharge, to minimise salt mobilisation whilst controlling near-surface water table depth. A better understanding of the regional groundwater dynamics is required to quantify on-farm as well as regional impacts of drainage management options. This paper describes environmental concepts and modelling tools to develop and implement effective irrigation and drainage management options. Environmental concepts discussed include groundwater management zones, recharge quotas, hydraulic loading, tradeable crop area allocations and drainage reuse. These concepts can be formulated into effective management policies for providing optimum drainage service by using appropriate modelling tools such as the Salt Water And Groundwater MANagement (SWAGMAN) series. Case studies from Pakistan and Australia are included to illustrate the need for rational drainage design and future challenges for managing to achieve sustainability of irrigation areas.

Mechanisms and control of water logging and groundwater flow in the ‘Ucarro’ sub-catchment

The occurrence of seasonal water logging was studied across a small (639 ha) catchment in the south-west of Western Australia. There are two groundwater systems in the catchment, a seasonal aquifer perched on the ‘B’ horizon of a duplex soil, and a deeper, perennial system which upslope is 6–8 m below the surface, but intersects the surface in the valley floor. The perched aquifer causes water logging across about 25% of the catchment. Water logging risk was predicted using a steady state hydrological model (Topog_Simul, [Water Resource Res. 22 (1986) 794]) and a hydrogeomorphic classification [Hydrogeological characterisation of catchments using Hydrogeomorphic Analysis of Regional Spatial Data (HARSD): characterisation of Axe Creek Catchment, Vic., Australia. In: Tanaguchi, M. (Ed.), Subsurface Hydrological Response to Land Cover and Land Use Change. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht] and both models compared favourably with occurrence mapped from air photography. The patterns of water logging occurrence also compared well with simulations using a dynamic catchment model (Topog_Dynamic, [Modelling drainage and transient water logging in an agricultural catchment. In: Proceedings of the 25th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium and 2nd International Conference on Water Resources and Environment Research, Brisbane, 6–8 July 1999. Water ’99. Publ. Inst. Eng. Aust., p. 999; Agric. Water Manage. 39 (1999b) 283]). The dynamic modelling showed that the impact on transient water logging of an existing drain and tree system in the catchment is only local to the area of the trees and drains, and does not contribute in a major way to the transient water logging further down the slope. However, this modelling, as well as long-term groundwater simulations (FlowTube, [Calibration and modelling of groundwater processes in the Liverpool Plains. CSIRO Land and Water Technical Report 5/00.]), showed that over time the trees would help lower groundwater relative to the “do nothing different” scenario. The long-term modelling also showed that a substantial portion of the catchment would have to be planted in order to have a major impact on groundwater discharge at the valley floor, and hence on salinity of both the soil and the stream.

Predicting and controlling water logging and groundwater flow in sloping duplex soils in western Australia

Water logging and groundwater recharge were studied at a site in southwestern Australia characterised by sloping duplex soils in a Mediterranean environment. The specific objectives of the study were: (a) to determine the effectiveness of land management systems involving trees, shallow interceptor drains, and perennial pasture in reducing water logging and recharge risk; and (b) to predict water logging risk at the plot and catchment scale. We found that properties inherent in the site (soil hydraulics, topography, surface dams) had a larger control over seasonal water logging than differences in vegetation cover, with large variations in water logging and recharge over a relatively small area. Such variability would be difficult to capture in any detail using a process model of water logging. The tree/drain systems had local effects on water logging control, but this was mostly due to the direct effects of the trees, which provided localised discharge from deeper groundwater systems.

Ecology of herbaceous perennial legumes: a review of characteristics that may provide management options for the control of salinity and waterlogging in dryland cropping systems

Salinity is a widespread problem caused by an imbalance between rainfall and transpiration in the dryland cropping systems of southern Australia. The need to use more perennials has been identified and this paper examines the possibility of replacing annual with perennial pasture legumes and the germplasm available to do so. While lucerne is already used widely in eastern Australia it has only recently been adopted in the wheat belt of Western Australia. There are doubts about its adaptation to acid soils and to climates where summer rainfall is low and ambient temperatures are high. There is also a need to diversify the species available to reduce the likelihood of invasion by exotic diseases and insects. Several genera are likely to be of value in this respect, although few will be as widely adapted as lucerne. Perennial legumes are found in environments ranging from alpine to desert. Targeted collections of genera from the dry areas, especially where soils are acid, are likely to yield species of value. These may include perennial species of Astragalus, Hedysarum, Lotus, Onobrychis, Psoralea, and Trifolium. Some Australian genera, for example Swainsona, Glycine, and Cullen may also be of value. Most of these genera are from alkaline soils, and the need to cope with acid soils that are often high in free aluminium is seen to limit their use in southern Australia. However, since virtually nothing is known of the ecology and ecophysiology of species from the dry areas, it is possible that through selection and the use of adapted rhizobia, some at least may be of value in Australian conditions. Cropping in rotation with perennial legumes is likely to involve several changes in farming systems. It is impossible to predict their nature but it is essential that we understand what these changes are before the species are widely introduced. Account must also be taken of their ability to use water. It is entirely possible that perennials from dry areas are dormant in summer despite the fact that there is no evidence in the literature to this effect. It was concluded that although lucerne is suitable for phase farming, alternatives to lucerne are needed. They will have to match the water-using and nitrogen-fixing capacities of lucerne, and farming systems will be required that make full use of the new germplasm. Collaboration with institutions in the Mediterranean basin and elsewhere is needed and a beginning has been made in this direction.

SALINITY BUILD-UP AND CHANGES IN THE RICE–WHEAT SYSTEM OF THE INDO-GANGETIC PLAINS

Green revolution technologies of the 1960s and 1970s have led to the emergence of rice (Oryza sativa)–wheat (Triticum aestivum) (R–W) as a major cropping system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Expansion of irrigation through a network of canals and privately owned tube wells was one of the key factors in the success of the new technologies. Since canal water supplies are not demand-driven, farmers increasingly relied on the use of ground water by installing shallow tube wells. The strategy of ground water development and its use in conjunction with canal supplies paid rich dividends in control of waterlogging and secondary alkalization and in increasing the pace of alkali soils reclamation programmes in areas underlaid with fresh quality aquifers. Rice–wheat systems were the preferred choice of farmers. Adoption of the R–W system, however, changed the salt and water balance in north-western parts of the IGP. In the north-east of Punjab and Haryana states it led to receding water tables and waterlogging, and in south-west parts to associated problems of secondary salination. In eastern parts of the IGP in West Bengal, development of ground water aquifers to meet irrigation water requirements for the intensification and diversification of agriculture has led to serious problems of ground water contamination due to dissolution of arsenic-bearing minerals under altered soil moisture regimes, conducive to oxidation of pyritic sediments. These experiences suggest that there is an urgent need for a change in the way food is produced in the IGP for sustainability of the natural resource base. This will depend on the ability to predict long-term consequences of intensification and diversification of agriculture on the farm and regional scale. Whereas issues of favourable regional salt and water balances need attention in the north-west of the IGP, rain-water management and alleviating drainage congestion can facilitate the adoption of agricultural technologies and improve productivity of the R–W systems.

Salinity on the southeastern Dundas Tableland, Victoria

Historical evidence of early salinity, vegetation and landuse changes, and pedological studies have been used in formulating a new model for salinity processes acting on the Dundas Tableland in southwestern Victoria. Contrary to previous assumptions, salinity in this area was a feature of the pre‐European landscape and was noted in the earliest surveys and journals. Analysis of historical records show an initial post‐settlement increase in the tree numbers, followed by a rapid decline much later than previously assumed. Accumulation of salts in the regolith may be attributed to marine incursions during the Miocene and Pliocene, the extensive weathering to develop a deep regolith, and wind‐blown and cyclic salt accumulation. A trend analysis of historical streamflow and bore hydrograph records does not indicate rising groundwater levels. The pedological features of duplex and sodic soil profiles support a history of prolonged seasonal waterlogging. A model with seasonal lateral flow of water through the upper regolith can better account for the spread of salinity than the rising groundwater hypothesis. By control of waterlogging, land managers could improve soil structure, enhance root growth and soil water use, as well as inhibit the spread of salinity.

Using shallow saline groundwater for irrigation and regulating for soil salt-water regime

Drought and fresh water shortage are the main limiting factorsfor sustainable development of agriculture in North China Plain.Using saline water for irrigation plays important role forovercoming the constraints and increasing crops yields. Theexploitation and utilization of shallow saline groundwaterenables to regulate the groundwater depth and to promote thetransform of precipitation into available water resources.Thispaper reviews the research and practice on the utilization ofshallow saline groundwater in the part east of South GreatCanal in Haihe River Plain. Findings are presented on the useof saline water, cycling and blending of saline and fresh waterfor irrigation, indexing of crops salt tolerances, regulating forsoil salt-water regime, saline-alkali land reclamation andgroundwater quality freshening. These approaches help therational regulation and utilization of the local water resourcesfor comprehensive control of drought, waterlogging and salinity.

Revitalizing a fertile plain: A case study in simulation and systems analysis of saline and waterlogged areas

This paper describes the application of systems analysis and digital computer simulation to the control of waterlogging and salinity in West Pakistan. The details of the project are not nearly so important here as the nature of the systems approach and the demonstration of digital computer applicability to civil engineering problems. The history of waterlogging and salinity of agricultural lands in West Pakistan is the by‐product of a truly remarkable system of crop irrigation which has been employed in increasing intensity over a period of some 3000 years. During the early part of this century British hydraulic engineers initiated the barrage system of irrigation and began to divert large quantities of water from the mighty Indus River and the five great tributaries that drain the Punjab region of the subcontinent. The economic and technologic aspects of the remedy, a well field of truly heroic proportions, are discussed; the role of the digital computer is seen to be essential to the concept and thrust of an operations research solution.