Distribution and Operation Plan

Dr. Maung Maung Naing

Deputy Director
Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department

December 17, 2020

1
 Outlines of Discussion

 Preparation and Processes of Water Distribution

Formulation
 Basic Information for Water Distribution Plan
 Behaviors to be avoided by the Rules
 Water Balance
 Operation Rule Curve/Water Distribution Plan
 Japan Case lectured by Dr Masayoshi Satoh
 Some points in Myanmar
 Preparation of Water Distribution

 Roles and Duties of Water Management

Organizations

 Confirming Present Water Use Status/Practices in

Irrigation Scheme/System

 Establishment and Observance of Rules for Water

Distributions
Basic Process in Formulating Water Distribution Plan

Step-1: Calculation of water availability

(retained volume + expected inflow)

Step-2: Division of allowable irrigated area

(crops/cropping calendar/estimated unit WR)

Step-3: Division of water distribution for the areas

(rotational irrigation schedule of DYs/Minors)

Step-4: Confirmation/finalization of
water distribution plan/schedule
(Departments and farmers)
 Basic Information Required for
Water Distribution Plan
 Irrigated areas/irrigation blocks (as per DYs/Minors)
 Number of farmers/water users (as villages, canals)
 Cropping seasons
 Current practice & rules (type of water distribution,
irrigation schedule, irrigation methods)
 Unit water requirement/supply (water use/consumption)
 Farming practice (tools, methods, cultivation rate
(farming progress))
 Function of canals/structures
 Type of crops
 Involving organizations (Depts. & farmers/water users)
 Irrigated area (Ac)

Start of initial
water distribution

Nursery & land

preparation

Transplanting

Planned irrigation

Harvesting
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6
Water Distribution for Paddy Irrigation
 Understanding of Water Demand & Supply

Gross water Net water requirement

=
requirement Irrigation efficiency

Distribution
Eva

Conveyance
loss loss
Intake
Seepage

Paddy farm
Conveyance Net water
loss
requirement
(ET+P-ERf)
 Cropping Calendar/Time Flow
Division of Irrigation Blocks at each canal
 Same growing stage
 Easy calculation of
WR/WS
 Easy control of
Early season Mid-season Latter season operation

 GS is not uniform.
 WR is high & low.
 Not easy for control.
Early season Mid-season Latter season
 Behaviors to be avoided/prevented by the rules

 Unauthorized/illigal intake of water from canals

 Arbitrary construction of canals/gates
 Water distribution deviating from the plan
 Structures/gates operated by the unauthorized persons
 Cultivation not following the proposed cropping
calendar
 Not following irrigation schedule/rotational water
distribution plan
 Taking additional water for adjacent areas not
included in the plan areas.
 Water Balance in a Paddy Field

Rainfall

Evapotranspiration
Drainage
Intake

Lateral
Lateral Change in seepage
water
seepage Percolation storage

(Water supply) (Water Demand )

(Irri + Eff Rainfall) = (ET + Percolation + Drainage + WS change)
 Water Balance in a Reservoir

Evaporation from the

water surface

Full level Overflow at the spillway

Inflow Storage
Low level Irrigation release at the conduit
Seepage at the dam made
with earth

Storage (day-2) = (Storage + Inflow – Overflow – Eva – Seepage – Irrigation ) (day-1)

 Plan of Water Distribution

Storage (day-2) = (Storage + Inflow – Overflow

– Eva – Seepage –

Irrigation) (day-1)

 Irrigated Areas
 Days of the season

((ET + Percolation + Drainage + WS change)

– Eff Rainfall)
 Rule Curve for Water Distribution

Which is a Priority Season & Crops?

Full level
Storage (ac-ft)

Low level

Season 1 (day) Season 2 (day)

 Plan of Water Distribution

 If Expected water supply > Expected water demand

Plan of water distribution = Expected water demand
because water availability is more than water demand of the
scheme.

 If Expected water supply < Expected water demand

Plan of water distribution = Expected water supply
because water availability is less than water demand of the
scheme.
PDCA Circle for Improvement of Water Distribution

PLAN
 Formulation of
Water Distribution

ACTION
DO
 Feedback Monitoring
 Facility Operation
Result to Next Activity

CHECK
 Recording of
Daily Activity
Four fundamental elements in water management process

Decision

Operation

Feedback
Monitoring

D - deciding plan on reservoir operation and distribution of available

water
O - actual operation based on plan
M - watching operation and getting data on results of actual water
distribution
F - feedback to operation based on results of monitoring or to
decision process in needed

Decision (Plan)
Water distribution
(water availability, water
requirement, and revised
operation/plan for water saving)
Feedback
Evaluation/
monitoring
A procedure of water distribution
for irrigated paddy cultivation
- Reservoir water availability
- Demand area
- Cropping pattern and schedule
Water requirement calculation
- Land preparation and ET0 rate
- Canal wise requirement
- Flow rate in canals
- Irrigation efficiency
- Reservoir water balance
Ground data collection
(Off-farm/on-farm conditions)
- Farming progress
- Water level & flow discharge
in the canals
- Water abundance or shortage
 Land preparation water requirement

Four fundamental parameters

1 Soil moisture
(Air void ratio)
2 Ponding depth

3 Evaporation

4 Percolation

(Lp WR) = (Soil moisture + Ponding depth + Evaporation + Percolation)

 Estimation of land preparation water requirement

Water supply = Water Requirement – Rainfall

Soil moisture (day-2) = (Soil moisture + Rainfall – Evapotranspiration) (day-1)

Estimation of land preparation water requirement
At pre-harvesting period,
Smi+1= Min ( Smi + RFi - ETi, Lp (200))
At post-harvesting period,
Smi+1= Smi + RFi - ETi
Smi, Smi+1 = soil moisture in the paddy field (mm)
at ith and i+1days, respectively
RFi = rainfall (mm) at ith day
ETi = evaporation (mm) at ith day

Land preparation water requirement (W)

W = 200 - Sm0
Sm0 = Sm on the day of land preparation (mm)
Lp (200mm) = an average value for W
Application

Water Requirement
Irrigation Supply ET
for Irrigation
Rainfall
Qir

Hpad
Ponding Depth

Percolation
Crop Water Requirement
＝ (ET + Percolation) – Effective Rainfall
Effective Rainfall = Rainfall x 0.8 (rainfall > 5 mm/d)
0 (rainfall < 5 mm/d)
 Water balance in a paddy field area
Precipitation

ET

R D: surface inflow
Gi R: surface outflow
Go Gi: ground water inflow
Groundwater
Go: groundwater outflow
ET: evapo-transpiration
Impermeable layer

Fig. 9.1 Water balance in a paddy field area

where S1 and S2 are storages at times 1 and 2, respectively.

When P = 0, (Gi－Go) = 0 and (S1－ S2) = 0,
ET = D －R

Reference: Dr. Masayoshi SATOH, Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba

 The return flow in a paddy field changes
according to the irrigation application. (Oka-
zeki project; observation of return flow)
3.0

2.5 流入量
Inflow
流出量
Outflow
2.0
流量　mm/h

1.5
discharge

1.0

0.5

0.0
3 days
At Sakazume, Nishiura River：Total catchment area; 321ha
with a paddy area of 250ha
Inflow and outflow in an irrigated area, showing that the
origin of water in the drainage canal is irrigation water.
The difference (D – R) is 6mm/d, which is almost
equivalent to ET value.
Reference: Dr. Masayoshi SATOH, Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba
 Operation, Monitoring, Feedback
Operation Step 1
Check Discharges/methods for proper
water distribution
Operation Step 2
Required water level for each canal
Operation Step 3
Operation of water distribution to each
block
Operation Step 4
Conflict management
Operation Step 5
Recording of daily activity
Operation Step 6
Feedback monitoring result to next activity
To distribute required
volume as the plan
To adjust WL for CWR
as the plan
To adjust water
distribution with actual
crops
To solve conflict when
drought/water shortage
To evaluate the existing
water distribution
To improve the
plan/operation of the
structures for next one
Water Distribution System in Toyogawa Project,
Japan

Information by Dr. Masayoshi Satoh

Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba
 Case 2: Toyogawa project
• Toyo river has a catchment area of 742 km2,
downstream of which paddy irrigation projects
started using water in 17th Century.
• Toyogawa project is a new large scale irrigation
project that was constructed by Japan Water Agency
(governmental organization) in 1968 to irrigate
water scarce areas nearby.
• We can see a case of role sharing between farmers
and government, showing an idea of PIM in a large
scale irrigation project in Japan.
Reference: Dr. Masayoshi SATOH, Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba
 The Toyogawa Area
LEGEND
: Dam, Head Works (HW)
JAPAN Ohnyu HW
: River
Tokyo : Canal Sakuma Dam
Furikusa HW
Ure Dam
Ohshima Dam
Irrigated Area Kansagawa HW
Western Main Canal Ohno HW Tenryu River
Paddy: 5,000 ha
Toyo River Eastern Main Canal
Non-paddy: 11,000 ha
Max water requirement Toyohashi City

30 m3/s (at Ohno HW)

Pacific Ocean
Facilities
Main canals 2 N
Lateral canals 165 0 20km
Farm ponds and
distributaries 296
Reference: Dr. Masayoshi SATOH, Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba
Organizations for Facility Management
(Facility) (Organization)

Reservoir
Japan Water Agency
Diversion Dam (Public entity)

Main Canals

Lateral Canals Toyogawa LID

Common Farm Pond Local LIDs

(including Management
Distributary districts and groups)
 Who decide the target of operation:
making water distribution plan
(Facility) (Organization)

operation
Reservoir
Japan Water Agency
Diversion Dam (Public entity)
show framework
Main Canals Report and approval

Lateral Canals Toyogawa LID

decision
Common Farm Pond
Local LIDs
Distributary (including Management
districts and groups)
 Experience of failure in water distribution
• The water distribution system of Toyogawa failed during the
early operation stage of the project. It was based on the
request from the farmers. The application from farmers was to
be 3 days before the delivery.
• Under this condition, the request was too big that the
irrigation efficiency was so low and the system frequently met
water shortages.
• New constriction of regulating reservoirs inside the benefitted
area, installation of facilities that stop water supply when a
farm pond is full, were effective to control the loss of water.
• The water request system was also changed to the fixed water
delivery table system, in which water delivery is adjusted
based on the result of monitoring (*improved hardware,
too).
Reference: Dr. Masayoshi SATOH, Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba
 Characteristics of Operation Rule Curves in
Irrigation Projects of Myanmar

 Priority on Rainy Paddy in CDZ

 Priority on Summer Paddy in Lower Myanmar
 Others
 Rule Curve for Water Distribution
Priority of Rainy Season Crops (rainfed paddy)
(Irrigation Projects in CDZ)
Full level Inflow < Supply
Storage (ac-ft)

Inflow > Supply

Low level

Irrigation season (day)

Start End
 Rule Curve for Water Distribution
Priority of Dry Season Crops (Summer paddy)
(Irrigation Projects in Lower Myanmar)
Full level
Storage (ac-ft)

Very low inflow

Low level

Irrigation season (day)

Start End
 Difference in water distribution

Same point (full area)

A (area) Actual (drive farmer to start)

Plan
(based on requirement & progress)

t (time)
 Rule Curve Condition for Rainy Paddy 2020 in
Thaphanseik Project
Full level

Actual
Inflow > Supply
Storage (ac-ft)

Plan

Low level

Jul Nov
Irrigation season (day)
Start End
Successive Inflow Condition in Thaphanseik Reservoir &
It changes Rule Curve for Rainy Paddy 2020
Inflow (ac-ft)

Plan & Set Actual (2020)

Plan (2019)

Jan Jun Dec

How to decide Inflow Estimation for Water Distribution Plan?

 Average inflow?
 Minimum inflow?
 Suitable probability
Inflow (ac-ft)

based on climate change?

 Information/decision?

Probability
 Estimation of Water Requirement

Available Data in Irrigation Offices

 Discharge for Irrigation from Inflow & Outflow

Table (daily base)
 Total Irrigated area data (for each season in past
years)
 Duration of each season (irrigation period for
water supply (days)
 Estimation of Water Requirement

Average Water Supply of previous years can be

applied as water requirement for the next season.
 Calculate average water supply by Q/Area for
each period (a week or 10-day) on the previous
seasons.
 Draw average water supply graph vs periods
(interval of week or 10-day)
 Estimate average water supply from graph
 10.0

Irrigation (mm/d)
8.0

6.0
Irrigation
4.0
requirement = 8 mm/d
2.0

0.0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
10-day period

Irrigation requirement ISij = a 10-d average irrigation supply

1 n for jth period of ith year
IS j   ISij
n i 1 IS j = an average irrigation supply
(mm/d) at jth period
n = the number of years

The average irrigation water supply in each 10-day

during the considered years
 Irrigation Water Intake Systems into On-farm Plots

Type Irrigation Water Intake Systems into On-farm Plots

Type-1 Main canal Dy Canal  Minor canal  Water course  Farm plots

Type-2 Main canal Dy Canal  Water course  Farm plots

Type-3 Main canal Minor canal  Water course  Farm plots

Type-4 Main canal Water course  Farm plots

1) Water supply: main canals with plot-to-plot method

2) Limitation of budget for land consolidation and land leveling
 Satisfactory to farmers
(constant water head)
Full water level (upper limit)
Water level (m)

Unsatisfactory to farmers
(timely operation)

Low water level (lower limit = 0)

Time (day)

A state of gap between farmers and irrigation

engineers in canal water supply
 III WC1

Minor WC2
canal Farm plots
KEEP water in the
plots, BUT DON’T
CARE water loss
WC3

●Intermittent irrigation
●Rotation

Water losses (too much release without control) in a paddy block

Operation/Management of Irrigation Project

Administrative
Body
Departments/
Agencies
Farmers
(Water Users)
 Irrigation Management System
Administrative body
Ministry (MOALI)
Region/State IWUMD
Districts DOA
DALMS
Townships
AMD
Village Tracts Others

Villages

Farmers
Non-Farmers
Farmers
Non-Farmers
 Region/State
D/DD

District (DT1) DT2 DT3

AD AD AD

Township (TS1) (TS2, TS3) D - Director

SO SO DD - Deputy Director
AD - Assistant Director
SO - Staff Officer
Projects P - Irrigation Project
P1 P2 P3

The Organization of Operation and Maintenance Offices

in a Region/State
 Administrative Body Admin.
Offices

 Overall responsibilities

 Coordinating with the Gov. Agencies/Departments

 Leading to and Supporting farmers

 Organizing farmers to achieve the agriculture sector

development plans

 Coordinating with villages/farmers

 Irrigation and Water
Utilization Management
Department O&M
offices
 Organizing O & M Offices for the projects

 Taking the responsibility up to Minor (Tertiary) Canals

 Initiating Farmers to participate in Irrigation Management &

Motivating Farmers to organize WUOs/WUGs for O & M and
Management of irrigation facilities
 Collecting Water Tax from water users
 Giving technical assistance to farmers (water users)
 Farmers (Water Users) Farmers

 Growing crops (rainfed & irrigated)

 Have to take the responsibility under Minor (Tertiary) Canals

(Water Courses, Farm ditches and on-farm facilities)
 Using Traditional/conventional ways/practices (until now)
 Adopting improved agricultural methods/practices

 Have to pay water tax or maintenance cost for water use

 Insufficient knowledge/skill for irrigation (Especially,
in new project areas)
Thank you for your attention !