Irrigation Systems: Design, Planning and ConstructionAdrian Laycock Of all the confrontations man has engineered with nature, irrigation systems have had the most widespread and far-reaching impact on the natural environment. Over a quarter of a billion hectares of the planet are irrigated and entire countries depend on irrigation for their survival and existence. Considering the importance of irrigation schemes, it is unfortunate that until recently the technology and principles of design applied to their construction has hardly changed in 4,000 years. Modern thinking on irrigation engineering has benefited from a cross-fertilization of ideas from many other fields including social sciences, control theory, political economics and agriculture. However, these influences have been largely ignored by irrigation engineers.Drawing on almost 40 years of experience of irrigation in the developing world, Laycock introduces new ideas on the design of irrigation systems and combines important issues from the disciplines of social conflict, management, and political thinking. |
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amount applied automation avoid banks calculated canal system capacity cause cent channel closed common compaction concrete considered construction continuous cost countries crop cross damage demand depending depth developed discharge distributary distribution downstream drainage economic effective efficiency engineers farm farmers field figure first flow gates give head hydraulic increased India irrigation joints land less limited lining loss maintenance masonry material means measure method natural normally operation outlet Pakistan parabolic pipe pipeline planning possible practice precast pressure problems profile proportional pump reach reasons reduced regulators rehabilitation reservoir response result river root roughness scheduling scheme sediment seepage shown side silt slope soil stone storage structures supply surface unit Upper upstream usually valves velocity water level weir width