A methodology for expenditure planning of irrigation infrastructure using hydraulic modelling techniques

Abstract

Poor performance of existing irrigation schemes has been well documented. Increased world population and competition with other uses of water require that irrigation schemes be better managed and more productive. One of the main causes of poor performance is the low expenditure on irrigation infrastructure due to the limited financial resources of developing countries, where the majority of irrigated agriculture exist. Consequently, irrigation systems are failing well within their design lifetime, wasting the large capital investments made in their construction.

In addition there is an increasing interest in the long-term performance of irrigation schemes, and in expenditure and asset management planning to ensure sustained levels of service. At present, no complete methodology or procedure exists for linking the expenditure on irrigation infrastructure to improvement in system performance. Such methodology is paramount for planning efficient expenditures which, when made, should sustain the level of performance/service of irrigation systems as expected by their beneficiaries, at least cost possible.

A methodology for linking irrigation system performance to structure and conveyance system condition has been developed in this research. It enables different expenditure options to be considered and assessed, which is an essential element of any asset management planning tool. The methodology uses hydraulic modelling techniques as its main analytical tool besides performance assessment and cost-benefit analysis. Approaches of multi-criteria analysis are used to aggregate the various hydraulic performance and other criteria used to evaluate expenditure alternatives into overall performance scores.

The development of the methodology was achieved through the investigation of some common and important infrastructure-related problems. Two main problems related to canal networks and regulator structures were investigated on a real-life case study using hydraulic modelling. Procedures for quantifying the impacts of each problem and analysing the possible alternatives for curing them are presented. The research shows that the developed methodology has been successful as a planning and decision aid tool in analysing the expenditure alternatives of the cases studied. Nevertheless, the methodology is not limited to these two cases only. General procedures for analysing any infrastructure-related problem which affects hydraulic performance are also outlined.

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