Optimal Operation of South Indian Irrigation Systems

Abstract

An optimal operation model development method for a typical south Indian irrigation system is developed. This method envisions three phases of modeling. First is a simulation model to simulate the command area of the reservoir, consisting of paddy fields both drawing directly from the canals from the reservoir and also drawing water through tanks in the command area. This simulation model is used to determine the expected demand sequences by simulating the command area with historical data. Second is a Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) model to obtain an optimal release policy. This SDP model considers both demand and inflow as stochastic, and both are assumed to follow first-order Markov chain model. Third is simulation using the optimal release policy from the SDP model. This simulation model is used to study the degree of failure associated with adoption of the optimal operating policy for different reservoir storages at the start of the crop seasons.