IRRIGATION ENGINEERING

SEMESTER VII
Civil Engineering
Waterlogging
Two major Impacts of Irrigation
1. Water logging; and
2. Salinity.
 Water logging

When water table rises to such heights that the soil pores in
the root zone become saturated, thus displacing the air, the
land is said to be water logged.
With restriction of normal circulation of air, decline in level
of oxygen and increase in the level of carbon dioxide occurs.
Over irrigation can raise the water table high enough to
suffocate plant roots with water logging.
The process of water logging starts even when water table is
quite below the surface.
Water rises on the surface due to capillary action. Capillary
action depend upon the type of soil, being small height for
coarse and sandy soil and large for fine grained soil.
The water table which is considered harmful will
depend on the type of crop, type of soil and the
quantity of water.
With respect to the type of crops, depth of water
table may vary over a wide range from zero for rice to
about 1.5 m for other crops.
Depths of water table below ground level, for
different crops are given below which will adversely
affect their yield:
 Causes of Water Logging
1. Over and Intensive Irrigation:
irrigation water applied to the fields is more than the
requirements of crop and this result in deep
percolation. Percolated water augments the ground
water storage and causes rise in water table.
2. Seepage of Water from Adjoining High
Lands:
The water from adjacent high lands may seep into
the sub-soil of the affected land and may cause rise
in water table.
3. Seepage of Water through the Canals:
4. Impervious Obstruction:
Seeping water below the soil moves horizontally. If
this flow finds an impervious obstruction, rise in
water table occurs on the U/S side of the obstruction.
On the same ground if an impervious stratum occurs
below the top layer of pervious soil, seeping water
will not be able to go deep and this also causes quick
rise in water table.
5. Inadequate Natural Drainage:
Soils having less permeable substrata (such a clay) below
the top layers of pervious soils, will not be able to drain
water deep into the ground. This will cause rise in water
level
6. Inadequate Surface Drainage:
If the area is not properly drained, the storm water will
accumulate into the depressions in the area. This
accumulated water remains percolating and causes rise in
the water table. If natural drains of the area are
obstructed by railway or highway embankments, the
water will get accumulated and thus causes water logging.
7. Excessive Rains:
8. Submergence due to Floods:
If a land is continuously subjected to submergence
by floods, water loving plants may grow in
abundance. The weed growth will obstruct the
natural surface drainage of the soil and chances of
water logging get increased.
9. Irregular or Flat Topography:
If the area is flat and irregular, the drainage of the
area is poor. This causes detention of water on the
surface for longer periods, longer water table may
rise.
10. Inadequate Capacity of Arterial Drains:
If the capacity of the drains dealing with flood water
is smaller than the required size, the flood water of
local drains will spread over country side for days.
This will cause heavy percolation of water and may
ultimately lead to water logging.
11. Construction of Reservoirs:
Seepage from reservoirs, canals, may cause water
logging of the adjoining areas.
 Effects of waterlogging on plant growth

Some important effects of waterlogging on plant

growth are given below;
1) The air in the soil pore is replaced by water ,leading to
oxygen deficiency and hence reduce the plant growth.
2) In waterlogged soil transport of gases is reduced
disturbing normal growth.
3) Limited exchange of gases increase amount of co2
which affect transpiration and water absorption. iv.
In absence of oxygen, microbes produce toxis
substances such as methane and effects growth of
plants.
 Ill-Effects of Water Logging

1. Water logged fields generally remain wet and their

tillage becomes difficult.
2. Sowing of the crops is generally delayed because
ploughing and mulching of fields is delayed in water
logged areas.
3. The climate of the water logged area becomes damp.
Standing water in pools becomes stagnant. The stagnant
pools of water become good breeding places for
mosquitoes. All these, effects ultimately lead to
conditions detrimental to the health of the community.
4. Growth of Wild Weeds:
 Ill-Effects of Water Logging
5. If water logged area has canal system of irrigation,
the canal water will be used very little as such areas
require very little irrigation. This aspect may lead to
wastage of canal water, which remains filled up in
low areas and may cause water logging of more
areas.
6. Inadequate Circulation of Air in Root Zone:
In water logged areas, air circulation in the root zone
becomes inadequate, due to which activity of
bacteria and consequent growth of the plants is
affected.
7. Water Logging Causes Salinity of the Soil
 Remedial Measures for Controlling Water
Logging

1) All the canals and water courses, used for irrigation and
other purposes, should be lined. It is considered as one of
the most effective measure of controlling waterlogging.
2) Intensity of irrigation - in the area likely to be water
logged should be reduced. In areas where water tale is
very high, irrigation during Kharif season may only be
allowed. During Rabi season, the cultivators may he
asked to irrigate from wells.
3) Cultivators may be educated for economic use of water.
They should be made to understand the importance of
irrigation water. They should be asked to divide fields
into small Kiaries so that deep percolations do not occur.
 Remedial Measures for Controlling Water Logging

4)In order to reduce seepage from Kucha canals,

they should be designed with lesser depth of
water. Lesser depth will induce lesser head for
seepage losses.
5)Certain crops require more water than others.
If a particular field is always sown with a crop
requiring more water the chances of water-
logging are more. In order to avoid this, crops
requiring lesser, and more quantity of water,
should be sown alternately in the fields.
6) Optimum Use of Water:
Certain fixed quantity of water for a particular crop
gives best results. Less than that and more than
that reduces the yield. But most of our farmers are
unaware of this fact. They always think that more
the waterings you apply, to the field, the greater is
going to be the yield and hence they try to use
more and more water. This can be checked by
educating the farmers.
7) Revenue should be charged on the basis of quantity of water utilized and
not according to the area irrigated. This measure has its own practical
drawbacks but theoretically the cultivator would be tempted to irrigate
more area with same quantity of water.
8) Providing Intercepting Drains:
Intercepting drains along the canals, particularly in high embankment
reaches should be constructed. These drains intercept seepage and
percolation from the canals. They should not be laid very close to canals,
because then they would be drawing water from the canals directly.
9) Introduction of Lift Irrigation (Well Irrigation):
Well irrigation utilises the underground water for irrigation. Hence the
areas which are likely to be water logged in near future should be
irrigated from wells and intensity of irrigation from canals should be
reduced considerably. Well irrigation would lower the ground water-
table and chances of land becoming water-logged are eliminated.
10)Improving the Natural Drainage of the Area:
The natural drainage system of the area should be such
that no water is allowed to stand for longer period and
as soon as rain water drops on the ground it should be
immediately led to drains
11) Provision of an Efficient Drainage System:
An efficient drainage system should be provided to
drain away the storm water. A good drainage system
may consist of surface drains as well as sub-surface
drains.
12) Adoption of Sprinkler Method for Irrigation:
This method almost completely eliminates the
percolation losses from water courses.
 Prevention of water logging

1) Reducing percolation from irrigation channels

2) Reducing percolation from water courses and fields
3) Encouraging economical use of water
4) Increasing outflow from the ground water reservoir
 Prevention of water logging

 Percolation from irrigation channels

lining of channels
lowering of full supply level of irrigation channels
providing interceptor drains among channels

 reducing percolation from water courses and fields

lining of water courses
controlling intensity of irrigation
 Prevention of water logging

 Encouraging economical use of water

• educating the cultivators to use water economically
• changing crop pattern
• changing revenue policy

 Increasing outflow from the ground water reservoir

• providing a drainagesystem
• improving the natural drainage of the area
• pumping ground water
 Remedial Measures of Water logging
There are two possible ways to get rid of the water logging:
1. Surface drainage - is the removal of excess water from
the land surface to create more favourable conditions for
plant growth. The water may be from excess precipitation;
water applied in irrigation; losses from conveyance
channels and storage systems and/or water that has seeped
from ground water in upper reaches. These can be broadly
described as
i. On farm field drainage system‑
ii. Intermediate drains (collector or carrier drains)
iii. Main drains ( or sub main drains)
iv. Seepage drains
Sub-surface drainage - It is removal/control of
ground water and removal/control of salts using
water as vehicle. The source of water may be
percolation from precipitation or irrigation, leakage
from canals, drains or surface water bodies at higher
elevation. Any drain or well, designed to
control/lower the ground water, is considered sub-
surface drainage.
They may be broadly classified in two categories as
(a) Horizontal Drainage, and (b) Vertical Drainage
(a) Horizontal drainage: It is accomplished by buried
pipes or pipe less (mole) drains and also by deep
open ditches.
(b) Vertical Drainage: It consists of direct extraction of
ground water to lower the water table by a system of
shallow tube wells spread in the area.
 Salinity

If the concentration of harmful salts in the root zone

of a plant increases to such on extent that plant
growth is effected, this situation is called Salinity.
 Soil salinity

Soil salinity refers to presence of salt in root zone of

soil. It adversely affects the growth of plants.
General symptoms of salinity;
Retarded growth.
Smaller plants with few leaves.
Dark green than normal leaves. About 48 lakh ha are
estimated to be affected by salinity and 25 lakh ha by
alkalinity. Saline soils include 10 lakh ha in arid and
semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat and 14
lakh ha in black cotton soils. The alkali problem is
mainly in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
 Causes of Salinity

The factors contributing towards the problem of

salinity are almost same as that of water logging.
Every agricultural soil has certain mineral salt is also
called alkali salts in it like NaCl, Na2CO3, Na2 SO4 etc.
When these soluble alkali salts are excess in soil and
further ground water table is very near to ground, these
salts get mixed with ground water and with upward
movement of water not only accumulated in first 3~4ft
of soil layer below ground surface but also form a tin
2”~3” crust on surface
 Effects of Salinity

1) Corrosive Action to Plants.

2) Formation of Alkali Soil.
 Measures to Control Salinity

1) Preventive Measures
2) Curative Measures
 Preventive Measures

1) Controlled Irrigation.
2) Providing adequate surface drainage.
3) Allowing lower intensity of irrigation.
4) Reducing surface evaporation.
5) Not using alkaline water for irrigation purpose.
 Curative Measures

Treatment by leaching process

Chemical treatment
Treatment by mulching
Treatment by Leaching Process Leaching is the process
of extracting minerals from a solid by dissolving them
in a liquid, either in nature or through an industrial
process. In the chemical processing industry, leaching
has a variety of commercial applications, including
separation of metal from ore using acid, and sugar
from beets using hot water. Step 01. Providing
adequate sub surface artificial drainage. Step 02.
Leaching salts from the top 3~4ft of soil to ground
water table by flooding the land. Step 03. Growing salt
resistant crops (e.g. rice) for one or two seasons
Chemical Treatment PRINCIPLE Mixing gypsum
CaSO4 (@ 1 ton/acre) with salt effected soil in
presence of water. CaSO4+Na2CO3 --------->
Na2So4 +CaO +CO
Treatment by Mulching Mulch is simply a protective
layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil.
Mulches can either be organic -- such as grass
clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials --
or inorganic -- such as stones, brick chips, and
plastic It involves covering the effected land with a
covering of soil (Mulch) to reduce evaporation losses.
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