An ecohydraulic approach to the modernization of farmer managed irrigation systems in Nepal
Adhikari, B.; Verhoeven, R.; Troch, P. (2007). An ecohydraulic approach to the modernization of farmer managed irrigation systems in Nepal, in: Irrigation show 2007 - Proceedings of a meeting held 9-11 December 2007, San Diego, California. pp. 832-843
In: (2007). Irrigation show 2007 - Proceedings of a meeting held 9-11 December 2007, San Diego, California. Irrigation Association: San Diego. ISBN 9781605600987. 874 pp., more
This paper focuses on the optimization and expansion of farmer managed irrigation systems (FMIS) in Nepal. The three systems under concern namely the Majhara kulo, the Budhan kulo and the Raj kulo, situated at the left bank of the Babai river were constructed in the 1940s by the local community, using their indigenous knowledge. Actually the 5400 hectares (ha) area covered by these FMISs forms the head reach of the Babai Irrigation Project (BIP) which is aimed at providing irrigation water to an additional 8100 ha area after the construction of a new headwork and a 28 km long main canal in 2000. The annual volume of water to be claimed as “priority right” of the FMIS area is 86 million m3, whereas the total available water volume is 682 million m3.In this paper it is shown that by replacing the old, leaking diversion constructions by new diversion weirs and control gates, a much better water distribution can be achieved during the low flow periods, while in periods of flood the newly designed irrigation system is able to continue acting as a flood management and protection system.It is demonstrated that the approach of the FMIS modernization, besides being technically viable, is user as well as environment friendly due to its capacity to preserve the existing water management tradition of the farmers while at the same time, offering the opportunity to substantially extend the total irrigated area.
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