Evaluation Of The Procedure To Design Irrigation Canals With Sediment-Laden Water By The Rational Method

The design of irrigation canals with sediment-laden water is generally below expectation and potential as in most cases the aspects of sediment transport and in some cases the proposed management plans were not included in the design process. The sediment transport process is affected by the flow conditions in the canals, and the latter are affected by the existing water delivery mode. Hence, the design is one of the important aspects that determines the sediment transport process and sedimentation or erosion. A design that reflects the energy considerations (rational method) will lead to less sediment problems for the design discharge. However, changes in the discharge and the connected sediment behaviour are not covered by this design and mathematical modelling of the sediment transport offers the possibility to investigate the distribution of sediment deposition or entrainment for a particular flow and a specific situation in time and place. The mathematical model SETRIC has been used to evaluate an existing design and its effect on the sediment transport process. The modelling results show that it is possible to reduce sedimentation problems by improving the existing design approach.