In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful
Lecture 13
Canal Regulation Works
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS)
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Indus Basin Irrigation System
Key Facts
Reservoirs 3
Barrages 16
Headworks 2
Link Canals 12
Canal Systems 44
Watercourses 107,000
Length of Canals 56,073 km
Length of 1.65 million km
Watercourses (200 – 800 acres)
Avg. Canal Diversion 104.74 MAF
67.11 MAF – Kharif
37.63 MAF - Rabi
Groundwater 41.6 MAF
Abstraction
Tubewells > 550,000
Irrigated Area 36 million acres
Avg. escape to sea 39.4 MAF
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Outline
• Distribution System of Canal Irrigation in Pakistan
• Canal Regulation Works & Their Types
– Canal Head Regulator
– Cross Regulator
– Canal Escape
– Metering Flume
– Canal Outlet/Module/Turnout/Mogha
– Canal Fall
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Distribution System of Canal Irrigation in Pakistan
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Distribution System of Canal Irrigation in Pakistan
1) Main Canal (> 10 cumec)
Carries directly heavy water supply from the river and is not used for direct
irrigation except in exceptional circumstances
2) Branch Canal (5 – 10 cumec)
Branches of main canal in either direction taking off at regular intervals and
is not used for direct irrigation, but sometimes direct outlets are provided
3) Distributary (0.25 – 3 cumecs)
Take off from branch canal, however sometimes directly take off from main
canal. They are real irrigation channels in the sense that they supply water
for irrigation to the field through outlets provided along them
4) Minor (0.25 – 3 cumecs)
Take off from branch canal directly or from distributary and supply water to
the water course through outlets provided along them
5) Water Course / Field Channel (< 0.25 cumecs)
Small channel which ultimately feeds water to irrigation fields. Field channel
may take off from distributary or minor or even from branch canal directly
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Canal Regulation Works
Canal Regulation
The water, which enters into the main canal from the river through
Canal Head Regulator, has to be divided into different Branches and
Distributaries. Process of distribution is called “Regulation”, which is
achieved by means of regulators
Canal Regulation Works
Works constructed in canal in order to control & regulate discharges,
depths, velocities, etc are known as Canal Regulation Works, which
ensure efficient functioning of a canal irrigation
The important Canal Regulation Works are:
1. Canal Head Regulator
2. Cross Regulator
3. Canal Escape
4. Metering Flume
5. Canal Outlet/Module
6. Canal Fall
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
1. Canal Head Regulator
A canal head regulator is provided at the head of the off-taking
canal and serves following functions:
• regulates/controls the supply of water entering the off-take canal
• controls the entry of silt in the off-take canal
• prevents river floods from entering the canal by shutting off gates
• serves as a meter for measuring discharge
• helps in shutting off supplies when not need in off-take canal, or
when off-take canal required to be closed for repair purposes
Typical section through Canal Head Regulator
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
1. Canal Head Regulator
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
2. Cross Regulator
A canal head regulator controls the supply of the off-taking channel;
while a cross-regulator controls the supply of the parent channel
A head regulator provided at the head of the off-taking channel,
controls the flow of water entering the new channel, while a cross
regulator may be required in the main parent channel d/s of the off-
taking channel, and is operated when necessary so as to head up
water on its u/s side, thus to ensure the required supply in the off-
taking channel even during periods of low flow in the main channel
Typical section through Cross Head Regulator
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
2. Cross Regulator
Main functions of a cross-regulator are:
1. To effectively control the entire Canal Irrigation System
2. When water level in main channel is low, it helps in
heading up water on u/s & to feed off-take channels to
full demand in rotation
3. Helps in absorbing fluctuations in various sections of the
canal system, and prevent the possibilities of breaches in
tail reaches
4. Cross-regulator is often combined with a road bridge so
as to carry the road which may cross the irrigation
channel near the site of cross-regulator. It is also usually
combined with a fall (if required at the site of cross-
regulator); where it is called a fall-regulator
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Alignment of the Parent and Off-taking Channels
Best ideal alignment is when the off-
taking channels makes zero angle with
parent channel initially and then
separates out in a transition smoothly
As an alternative to the transitions, both
the channels (off-taking & parent) should
make an angle with the parent channel
upstream of the off-take
When parent channel has to be carried
straight, the edge of the canal rather than
the center line should be considered in
deciding the angle of the off-take
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
3. Canal Escape
Escape is a side channel constructed to remove surplus
water from an irrigation channel (main canal, branch canal
or distributary, etc.) into a natural drain. The water in the
irrigation channel may become surplus:
• Due to some mistake or difficulty in regulation the head
• Sometimes, the cultivators may find that the demand of
water is over and may close their outlets suddenly
• Due to excessive rainfall in upper reaches
Canal Escapes are the safety valves of canals in case of
accidental breaches and must be provided at regular
intervals depending upon the importance of the channel and
availability of a suitable drainage for the disposal of the
escaped water. Minimum capacity of escape is generally
kept as half of the channel capacity at the point of escape
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
3. Canal Escape
Types of Canal Escapes:
i) Weir Type Escape or Tail/Surplus Escape
In this type, the crest of the weir wall is kept at RL equal to
canal FSL. When the water level rises above FSL, it gets
escaped. The weir type escape may, however, be provided at
the tail end of the canal and is useful in maintaining the
required FSL in the tail reaches of the canal
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
3. Canal Escape
ii) Regulator Type Escape or Scouring/Sluice Escape
In this type, the sill of the escape is kept at canal bed level
and the flow is controlled by gates. This type of escapes are
preferred these days, as they give better control and can be
used for completely emptying the canal. The escape may, be
constructed for the purpose of scouring off excess bed silt
deposited in the head reaches, from time to time
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
4. Metering Flume
A meter is a structure constructed in a canal for measuring
its discharge accurately. A metering flume is an artificially
flumed (narrowed) section of the channel which can be
utilized for calculating the discharge in the channel
The normal u/s section of the channel is narrowed by
masonry walls with a splay of 1:1 to 2:1 to a rectangular
section called Throat. From where, channel is diverged to
attain its normal section by means of masonry wings with
splay of 2:1 to 10:1
Types of Metering Flumes
1. Non-modular Venturi Flume or Drowned Venturi Flume,
generally called Venturi Flume
2. Modular Venturi Flume or Free Flow Venturi Flume or
Standing Wave Flume
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
4. Metering Flume
i) Venturi Flume
Venturi Flume consists of a gradually contracting channel
leading to throat and a gradually expanding channel leading
away from it. Stilling wells are provided for measuring head
at the entrance and at the throat. If h is the difference of
heads between two wells, then the discharge is given by:
Where:
Cd = Coeff. of Discharge
a1 = Area at Entrance = B1 y1
a2 = Area at Throat = B2 y2
h = Difference of Heads between two Wells
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
4. Metering Flume
ii) Standing Wave Flume
When a standing wave (i.e. hydraulic jump) forms on the d/s
glacis in the diverging channel, the flume is called a standing
wave flume. It is superior to venturi flume because its
discharge depends only upon the u/s head over the crest of
the throat, and also for same u/s head, its discharge capacity
is more than that of venturi flume. Discharge formula is:
Where:
Cd = Coeff. of Discharge
B = Throat Width
H = Total Head U/S of Throat
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
5. Canal Outlet or Module or Turnout or Mogha
A canal outlet or module is a structure built at the head of
the watercourse so as to connect it with a minor or major
distributary channel
Types of Outlets / Modules
i). Non-modular Outlet
Discharge depends upon the difference of head between
distributary & water course
ii). Semi-modules or Flexible Modules
Discharge is independent of the water level of water course
but depends only upon the water level of the distributary
iii). Rigid Modules or Modular Outlets
Discharge is constant & fixed within limits, irrespective of
the fluctuations of the water level of the distributary or of
water course or of both
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall or Drop
Whenever the available natural ground slope is steeper than the
designed bed slope of the channel, the difference is adjusted by
constructing vertical “falls” or “drops” in the canal bed at
suitable intervals. The structure built to safeguard the drop is
called a canal fall structure, which is an integral part of an
irrigation system
The basic requirements for this structure are:
• Suitable energy dissipation arrangement
• If there has to be a bridge, then a suitable amount of fluming
(constriction) is to be provided for economy
• The crest must be designed to maintain normal supply depths in the
canal u/s
• The initial cost of construction & the cost of maintenance should be
as low as possible
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
Types of Falls / Drops
i). Ogee Fall
In the Ogee type fall water is gradually led down by
providing convex and concave curves Drawdown
Major defects in performance are:
• There are heavy draw-down on u/s side, resulting in lower depths,
higher velocities and consequent bed erosion
• Draw-down may effect the water supply in a distributary situated
just u/s of fall
• Due to smooth transition, the kinetic energy of the flow is not at all
dissipated, causing erosion of d/s bed and banks
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
ii). Rapid Fall
The rapid fall is suitable when the slope of the natural
ground is even and long. It consists of long sloping glacis at
slopes of 1:10 to 1:20. Curtain walls are provided both u/s &
d/s of sloping glacis. The sloping bed u/s & d/s side of fall is
protected by rubble masonry, while the surface is finished
with rich cement mortar (1:3)
They worked quite satisfactorily, but were very expensive &
hence became obsolete
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
iii). Stepped Fall
Stepped fall consists of a series of vertical drops in the form
of steps. This fall is suitable in places where the sloping
ground is very long and requires long glacis to connect the
higher bed level with lower bed level
This fall is practically a modification of the rapid fall
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
iv). Trapezoidal Notch Fall
It consists of a number of trapezoidal notches between the
side walls and the intermediate pier/piers, constructed
across the channel with a smooth entrance and a flat
circular lip projecting d/s from each notch to spread out the
falling jet
The notches could be designed to maintain the normal
water depth in the u/s channel at any discharge the
depth discharge relationship remains practically unaffected
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
v). Well Type Fall or Cylinder Fall or Syphon Well Drop
This type of a fall consists of an inlet well with a pipe at its
bottom, carrying water from the inlet well to a d/s well or a
cistern. The water falls into the inlet well, through a
trapezoidal notch constructed in the well, from where it
emerges near the bottom, dissipating its energy in
turbulence inside the well
These types of falls are very useful for affecting larger drops
for smaller discharges
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
vi). Simple Vertical Drop
A raised crest fall with a vertical impact. In this type of a
high crested fall, the nappe (sheet of water) impinges into
the water cushion below. There is no clear hydraulic jump
and the energy dissipation is brought about by the turbulent
diffusion, as the high velocity jet enters the deep pool of
water d/s
This type of fall is not quite suitable for canals in which
discharge varies within a wide range
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
vii). Straight Glacis Fall
In this type of modern fall, a ‘straight glacis’ (generally
sloping 2:1) is provided after a ‘raised crest’. The hydraulic
jump is made to occur on the glacis, causing sufficient
energy dissipation. Additional a water cushion is also
provided on the d/s side to dissipate the energy of flowing
water. Suitable up to 60 cumecs discharge and 1.5 m drop
These types of falls give very good performance if not
flumed, although they may be flumed for economy.
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
viii). Montague Type Fall
The energy dissipation on a straight glacis remains
incomplete due to vertical component of velocity remaining
unaffected. An improvement in energy dissipation may be
brought about by replacing the straight glacis by a parabolic
glacis, commonly known as ‘Montague Profile’
The curved glacis is difficult to construct and thereby
rendering it costlier
Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
6. Canal Fall Or Drop
ix). Inglis or Baffle Fall
A straight glacis type fall when added with a baffle platform
and was developed by Inglis, and is called ‘Inglis Fall’ or
‘Baffle Fall’. They are quite suitable for all discharges and for
drops of more than 1.5 m
They can be flumed easily as to affect economy
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Dr. Shakil Ahmad, NICE (SCEE) NUST
Suitability of Canal Fall Or Drop
• Vertical drop falls are quite suitable for discharges upto 15
cumecs and drops upto 1.5 meters. But this type of fall
should not be flumed
• For “straight Glacis” type falls, the conclusion was, that they
work satisfactorily for all conditions, if unflumed; but in that
case they become costly. Even then, they can be adopted
suitably for discharges upto 60 cumecs and drops upto 1.5
metres, and can even be flumed
• Baffle fall or Inglis Fall may be used for all discharges when
drop is more than 1.5 meters. This type of fall functions very
satisfactorily, either flumed or unflumed, so long as it is
undrowned
• Well type falls are suitable and economical for high drops
and very low discharges. They can hence be easily used, as
tail escapes of small channels
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