Integrated Reservoir-Based Canal Irrigation Model. II: Application

Abstract

In a companion paper, development of an integrated reservoir-based canal irrigation model (IRCIM) was described. This developed model combines catchment hydrological modeling, reservoir water balance, command hydrological modeling, and a simple canal hydraulic simulation through a rotational irrigation management system, and simulates the whole system as a single unit to ensure equitable distribution of supply to meet the demand if possible, or, to minimize the gap between the supply and demand. In this paper, the developed model was applied to Kangsabati Irrigation Project, West Bengal, India, as a case study. Results showed that IRCIM successfully simulated the operation of the test reservoir after proper calibration and was able to determine better delivery schedules than that actually practiced. The best delivery schedule determined by IRCIM improved the performance of the test irrigation project considerably over the actual delivery schedule for most of the simulation years. Based on these yearly results, a year-independent alternative delivery schedule was also proposed which could be followed mechanically without a manager’s expertise or experience on the particular irrigation project. It was also shown that IRCIM could be used successfully both modulewise or in an integrated way depending on the requirement of the irrigation manager for efficient operation of any reservoir-based canal irrigation systems either for preseason planning of allocation schedules based on hydrologic and hydraulic simulations or for postseason evaluation of the system performance.