Optimal water use and cropping pattern for Thrithala regulator-cum-bridge project
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Date
2001
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Department of Land and Water Resources and Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur
Abstract
Reservoir projects involve huge financial investment and hence, every drop
of water stored in the reservoir must be utilised very judiciously. Allocation of water
in the case of multi-purpose projects among various competing needs such as
drinking water, irrigation, pisciculture, downstream flow, etc. is a matter of great
concern. Hence, formulation of optimal operational policies for reservoirs has
become highly essential to improve their financial viability, social acceptability and
overall performance. So a study has been undertaken for a regulator-cum-bridge
under construction at Thrithala in Palakkad district of Kerala state in Indian
peninsular with the specific objectives of determining the optimum water allocation
of the reservoir for meeting various demands on it and obtaining the optimum
cropping pattern for the command area.
A linear programming model was formulated to optimize the reservoir
operation of the multipurpose project with the objectives of Drinking water demand,
Irrigation demand, Pisciculture demand, and Downstream flow demand, in the order
of priority. The deviations of the allocations from the targets to be achieved were
minimized by introducing penalty coefficients to each deviation according to their
order of priority. Using the irrigation allocation from this model, another Linear
Programming model was formulated to obtain the optimal cropping pattern for the
command area. Both models were solved using Excel Solver software package. The
optimal operational plan and the optimal cropping. pattern obtained were compared
with the operating plan and cropping pattern proposed by the irrigation department.
The optimal operation plan with the incorporation of additional objectives was found
to be more socially acceptable and economically viable. The optimal cropping
pattern showed that there is more than 100% increase both in the net benefit as well
as in the net area irrigated.
Description
PG
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Citation
171824