Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

CHAPTER III

DESIGN OF CANALS

To start with collect revenue records-

(1) Trace maps of villages coming under command from patwari records & also prepare
Khasra registers of these villages.

(2) Mark actual command line on village map. Sum up the area from khasra Nos. if part
village is coming under command & total area if complete village is coming in the
command.

(3) Area so obtained is called Gross-Command area (G.C.A)

From G.C.A work out the area which may be actually irrigated as per the levels. This
area is called Cultural Command area (C.C.A)

(4) Obtain from Agriculture department the proposed (Table 3.2) Cropping pattern and
delta at field of these crops.

(5) Prepare monthly water requirement of crops (Table 3.1)

(6) Prepare cut-off statement (Table 3.3)

Design of Canal Section-

Canal section is designed for the discharge as worked out in column Cumulative
Discharge of cut-off statement. Same section may be adopted for a group of adjacent
outlets if variation in discharge is nominal. Bed width v/s depth ratio as given below should
be followed for economical section design. B/D ratio for different discharge is given below-

TABLE 3.4

Bed width V/S F.S.D ratio for different discharge

Discharge in B/D Discharge in B/D

CUMECS Ratio CUMECS Ratio

0.30 2.90 2.25 4.0

0.40 3.00 2.50 4.10
0.60 3.20 2.80 4.20
0.85 3.40 5.50 4.60
1.15 3.60 8.50 5.00
1.40 3.70 11.50 5.30
2.70 3.80 14.50 5.70
2.00 3.90

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

TABLE 3.1

WATER REQUIREMENT OF CROPS

(Refer Technical Circular Volume II page 238)
Name of Delta in mm Area ha Water Requirement of Crops (Month wise) in Ha-mm
crop
Jan. Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Paddy 630 30 500 2600 3000 3000 3000 500

(25) (130) (150) (150) (150) (25)
Wheat 400 10 500 250 750 750 1000 750
(50) (25) (75) (75) (100) (75)
Sugarcane 1900 10 2000 2500 2500 2500 2500 2500 1000 1000 1000 1500
(200) (250) (250) (250) (250) (250) (100) (100) (100) (150)
Summer 900 20 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000
Vegetables (150) (150) (150) (150) (150) (150)

Total 60 5500 5750 6250 5500 5500 3000 2600 3000 4000 4750 2500 5250

Maximum water required is in March 6250ha.mm

= 62500 cum

Add for losses 10% =

Discharge required =

= 31.83 litres per sec (Taking base period 25 days)

(For a base period of 25 days, multiply water requirement in cum by 0.000463 for getting discharge in Litres per second)

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

TABLE 3.2

A TYPICAL CROPPING PATTERN

. PROJECT

DISTRICT. TAHSIL..

S.NO CROPS PLANTATION DURATION PERCENTAGE

PERIOD (DAYS) OF C.C.A

1. Rice OHYVTP 16-31 July 120 25

2. Rice 1 HYVTP 1-15 July 135 15

3. Rice 2 HYVTP 16-31 July 135 15

4. Rice Local transplanted 16-31 July 150 10

5. Maize Kharif 15-30 June 105 5

6. Soyabean 15-30 June 105 5

7. Wheat Local 1-15 Oct. 135 10

8. Wheat Mexican 1-15 Dec 120 15

9. Gram Early 1-15 Oct. 135 5

10. Gram Late 1-15 Nov. 120 5

11. Rafe Mustard 16-31 Oct. 135 3

12 Wheat mexican 1-15 Dec. 120 25

13. Barseem 1-15 Nov. 165 2

Sd/-
Deputy Director
Agriculture

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

TABLE 3.3

. PROJECT

SAMPLE CUT OFF STATEMENT OF CANAL

S.No Position of outlet G.C.A in C.C.A in Requirement Transmission Total Add 15% Discharge Cumulative Designed
(ha) (ha) of crops @ losses Requirement for future at Head Discharge Discharge
1.2 LPS @35% expansion of outlet

________________In CUMECS ____________________________

Tail

1 (CH.12.0) 190 160 0.192 0.067 0.259 0.039 0.298 0.298 0.39
2 938 (R ) 380 310 0.372 0.130 0.502 0.075 0.577 0.875 0.88
3 735 (L ) 460 365 0.438 0.153 0.591 0.089 0.680 1.555
4 622 (L ) 170 142 0.17 0.060 0.230 0.035
2.567 4.122 1.62
5 622 (R ) 1538 1236 1.483 0.519 2.002 0.300
6 488 (L) 160 140 0.168 0.059 0.227 0.034 0.261 4.383
4.40
7 372 (L ) 630 528 0.634 0.222 0.856 0.128 0.984 5.367
8 290 (R ) 340 290 0.348 0.122 0.470 0.071 0.541 5.908 5.91
9 110 (R ) 1200 1003 1.204 0.421 1.625 0.244 1.869 7.777 8.04
5.009 1.753 6.762 1.015 7.777 CHECK

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

For Designing anal section following parameters are assumed-

(1) Bed Width (2) Depth of water (3) Side slope (4) Bed slope (looking to the
command & topography (5) Co-efficient of rugosity also called Mannings N which
depends upon the material through which canal is flowing.

As per Technical Circular Vol.II P.159, value of N for different materials is as

given below-

TABLE 3.5

CANAL CONDITION VALUE OF 'N'

1 Canals in excellent condition, constructed with well 0.015

graded smooth surface, uniform cross-section, regular
alignment, free from sand, gravel, pebbles vegetaion.

2 Canals coated with sediment or in stiff tenacious clay oil 0.0175

3 Canals in sandy & clay loam soils in average condition, 0.020

small variations in cross-section fairly regular alignment.

4 Canals in earth in very good condition. 0.0225

5 Canals in earth in tolerably good order or for canals in 0.025

mixed compact gravelly soil or gravel ranging upto 8 cm.
diameter

6 Canals in rough gullied hard pan with eroded irregular 0.03

cross section& large gravels in bed.

7 Canals with rough scoured beds with cross-section about 0.04

half filled with aquatic plants.

8 Canals in very poor condition, thick vegetation on the 0.075

banks trailing in the water.

As per technical circular of N should be taken as 0.0225 in all unlined canals, In

general Mannings N is taken as below (as per T.C Volume II page 159) -
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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

TABLE 3.6

For more than 30 cumecs 0.020

30 cumecs to 1 cumec 0.0225
Below one cumec 0.025
Water course 0.030
Line C.C canals 0.018

SIDE SLOPES:

Side slopes also depend upon the strata available. In general following slopes are
adopted

TABLE 3.7

1 Very light loose sand to average sand soil 1.5 : 1

2 Balck cotton soil - Inner 1.5 : 1 or 2 : 1, outer 2:1
3 Rock- 0.5 : 1 to 0.25 : 1 depending upon rock classification.

Limiting Velocities

Velocities as worked out shall not exceed the following limits:

IS : 7112 1973

Values of Rugosity Co-efficient (n) For Unlined Canal

S.No Type of Canal Minimum Normal Maximum

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
(1) Earth,straight and uniform
(a) Clean,recently completed 0.016 0.018 0.020
(b) Clean, after weathering 0.018 0.022 0.025
(c) Gravel, uniform section clean 0.022 0.025 0.030
(d) With short grass, for weeds. 0.022 0.027 0.033
(2) Earth, winding and sluggish:
(a) No vegetation 0.023 0.025 0.030
(b) Grass, some weeds 0.025 0.030 0.033
(c) Dense weeds or aquatic plants in deep 0.030 0.035 0.035
channels

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

(d) Earth bottom and rubble sides 0.030 0.035 0.040

(e) Stony bottom and weedy banks 0.025 0.035 0.040
(f) Cobble bottom and clean side 0.030 0.040 0.050
(3) Dragline excavated or dredged:
(a) No vegitation 0.025 0.028 0.033
(b) Light brush on banks 0.035 0.050 0.060
(4) Channels not maintained (weeds and brush
uncut)
(a) Dense weeds high as flow depth 0.050 0.080 0.120
(b) Clean bottom, brush on sides 0.040 0.050 0.080
(c) Same, highest stage of flow 0.045 0.070 0.110
(d) Dense brush, high stage 0.080 0.100 0.140

Note:- (1) For normal alluvial soils, it is usual in India to assume a value of n = 0.2 for
Bigger canal (Q 15 cumecs) and n = 0.0225 for smaller canal ( Q 15 cumecs)
(2) A suitable value of n should be adopted keeping in view the local conditions and
the above values as a guide.

TABLE 3.8

S.No. Material Limiting Velocity

(1) Soft earth or very fine clay 0.08 - 0.09
(2) Soft clay or fine clay 0.15 - 0.23
(3) Very fine or very light pure sand 0.23 - 0.30
(4) Very light loose sand or silt 0.30 - 0.46
(5) Graded sand or light sandy soil 0.46 - 0.60
(6) Average sandy soil & good loam, ordinary earth soft
moorum 0.61 - 0.76
(7) Sandy loam 0.76 - 0.84
(8) Light ordinary earth or sandy bed 0.76 - 0.91
(9) Average loam or alluvial soil 0.84 - 1.14
(10) Firm loam or clay loan 0.91 -1.14

(11) Firm gravel or clay 1.10

(12) Stiff clay soil, ordinary gravel soil, clay or gravel 1.22 - 1.45

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(13) Broken stone & clay 1.52

(14) Coarse gravel, shingles, shale, hard moorum, hard 1.52 - 1.83
moorum with boulders
(15) Conglomerates, cemented gravel, soft shale, tough 1.83 - 2.45
hard pan, soft sedimentary rock
(16) Soft rock 1.37 - 2.44
(17) hard rock 3.00 - 4.57
(18) Very hard rock or cement concrete 4.57 - 7.62

Permissible velocities as per technical circular are as below

TABLE 3.9

S.No Type of soil Water depth in canal

Below 0.6 m From 0.6 m - 1.20 m Above 1.2 m
1 Light sandy soil 0.50 m/sec 0.55 m/sec 0.60 m/sec

2 B.C soil, Kanhar soil Matasi 0.60 m/sec 0.75 m/sec 0.90 m/sec
soil
3 Moorum & other similar hard 0.91 m/sec 1.00 m/sec 1.10 m/sec
strata

Mannings Formula -
Where V Velocity in m/sec
N Rugocity Co-effcient
R Hydraulic mean Depth in m.
S Bed slope

Example for Design of Canal Section Data Assumed

(1) Cummulative Discharge 1.555 cumecs

(2) Bed slope 1 t 3000
(3) Canal is passing through black cotton soil, therefore
limiting velocity is 0.75 m/sec
(4) Side slopes 2:1
Trial for different assumed B/Width is as shown in

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

TABLE 3.10

Trial Discharge Bed Depth Side Area Perimeter R= (R) Bed N V Designed Remarks
No reqd.(OR) width of slope N (B+nd)d B+ 2d2 (A/P) 2/3 Slope m/sec discharge
2
Cumecs (B) in water =2 Sq.m 1+n ) m S= (Qo)Cumecs
(m) (m) (2:1) (A) (P) (1/3000)
B3.75

1 1.555 3.8 0.8 2:1 3.68 6.58 0.56 0.68 1:3000 0.0225 0.55 2.02 High

2 1.555 2.8 0.75 2:1 3.23 6.15 0.53 0.65 1:3000 0.0225 0.53 1.71 High

3 1.555 2.75 0.73 2:1 3.07 6.01 0.51 0.64 1:3000 0.0225 0.53 1.60 Adopted

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Compendium of Small Canal in MP By MG Choubey

The section may be adopted from ch.622 to ch 735 (Table 3.3) as variation in
discharge is nominal. Similary other sections are designed and tabulated in Design
statement of Canal. A typical Design statement of canal is shown in Table 3.12.

While designing canal

(1) Bed slope is not changed without a control structure.

(2) For canals off taking from storage reservoirs, velocities more than limiting velocity
may be controlled by flattening bed slope; by reducing the Full Supply Depth &
increasing bed width or by introducing a fall.

(3) Critical velocity ratio is to be followed for canals off-taking from Pick Up weirs,
Barrages & Diversion schemes.

(4) Sluggish velocity may be improved by reducing bed width & increasing F.S.D.

After fixing above parameters remaining parameters, to be fixed, are

(1) Free board (2) width of inspection path (3) width of inspection road

(4) Minimum Height of service Bank.

For canals having filling more than 3 m. earth work should be competed at OMC &
MDD. Canals having more than 6 m. bed filling shall be designed as per specifications
of earth dam having boulder toe fiter etc. & side slope as per earth dam section.

Free board in Canals

TABLE 3.11

Full Supply Depth (m) For Discharge 3 For Discharge Above 30

cumecs & less more than 3 cumecs
(m) cumecs & less (m)
than 30 cumecs
(m)

0.30 0.60 m

0.30 to 1.75 m 0.60 m 0.75 1.00

1.75 to 2.50 m 1.00 1.10

2.5 to 3 m -- -- 1.25

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TABLE 3.12

S.No REACH OR BED SIDE DEPTH AREA IN PERIMETER (A/P) Bed Velocity QD
2/3
Cumecs Width slopes of water SQ.M (P) Slope (V) Cumec
(m) (m) (B+nd)d B+ 2d2 m/sec
2
1+n ) m

1 0-110 7.777 2.00 2:1 1.90 11.02 10.51 1.04 1:4000 0.73 8.04

2 110-372 5.908 2.30 2:1 4.50 7.95 9.02 0.93 1:3000 0.75 5.91

3 372-622 4.383 2.20 2:1 1.35 6.62 8.25 0.86 1:3000 0.69 4.56

4 622-735 1.555 2.75 2:1 0.73 3.07 6.01 0.64 1:3000 0.52 1.60

5 735-938 0.875 0.80 2:1 1.92 4.38 0.58 1:3000 0.46 0.88
0.80
6 938-Tail 0.298 0.50 2:1 1.08 3.29 0.48 1:3000 0.38 0.41
0.60

QR Denotes discharge required

QD Denotes discharge designed

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(1) When canal is in full Cutting, the free board as specified above may be
reduced by 15 cm.
(2) For small channel where discharge is less than 0.25 cumec & F.S.D is less
than 0.5m. free board of 0.30 m is adequate.
(3) For water courses 20cm free board is sufficient.

Width of Inspection Path

The smaller bank of the canal is called inspection path. It is generally provided to
the side on which either (i) these is no command, or (ii) command is lesser as compared
to the other side.
Following top widths for inspection path should be adopted for unlined channel in
earthen reach-
TABLE 3.13
Upto 0.3 cumec 1.00 m
0.3 cumec - 1.5 cumecs 1.50 m
More than 1.50 cumecs upto 7 cumecs 1.75 m
More than 7 cumecs upto 14 cumecs 2.00 m
More than 14 cumecs upto 30 cumecs 3.00 m
More than 30 cumecs 4.25 m

Width of Inspection Road-

TABLE 3.14

(As per Technical Circulars Volume II

Above 1.42 cumecs 3.66 m

Below 1.42 cumecs 3.00 m

Inspection road should be provided on the command side of the canal.

The above widths are excluding Dowel width. A 1 in 20 slope towards outside should
be provided for effective drainage.

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TABLE 3.15
(As per IS 7112-1973)

Discharge (Cumecs) Minimum Bank Top with

Inspection Bank Non Inspection Bank
0.15 to 7.5 5.00 m 1.5 m
7.5 to 10.0 5.00 m 2.5 m
10.00 to 15.00 6.00 m 2.5 m
15.00 to 30.00 7.00 m 3.5 m
30.00 and above 8.00 m 5.0 m

Dowel width-

Provide Dowels on Inspection roads as given below

TABLE 3.16

DOWEL PARAMETERS
Top width Side Depth Total
Discharge
slopes bottom
width
Upto 1.50 cumecs 0.20 m 1.5:1 0.20 m 0.80 m
More than 1.50 cumecs 0.30 m 1.5:1 0.30 m 1.20 m
For light soils & discharge more than
1.50 cumecs 0.30 m 1.5:1 0.30 m 1.20 m

For inspection roads upto 1.50m width dowel is not required.

Minimum height of inspection path & road above natural ground
(As per technical circular Volume IA)

Minors 0.3 m
Distributaries 0.3 m
Man Canal 0.6 m

However, this may be reduced for providing smooth service road on canals.

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CURVES Canal Curves-

Formulae to work out different elements

Tangent length (OT1 & OT2) =

Lenth of curve =

Length of offset from tangent

(1) Ox = (Exact)

(2) Ox = (Approximate)

Degree of Curve -
Minimum radii of curves :

(A) As per technical circular :

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TABLE 3.17
Capacity of canal Minimum
(Cumecs) Radii (M)
Above 85 1500
85 to 30 900
30 to 14 600
14 to 3 300
3 to 0.3 150
Below 0.3 90

(B) As per IS 5968 1970

TABLE 3.18

Unlined Canals Lined Canals

Discharge Minimum Discharge Minimum
(Cumecs) Radii (Cumecs) Radii
m m

80 & above 1500 280 & above 900

Less than 80 to 30 1000 200 - 280 760
Less than 30 to 15 600 140 - 200 600
Less than 15 to 3 300 70 - 140 450
Less than 3 to 0.3 150 40 - 70 300
Less 0.3 90

On lined canals where the above radii cannot be provided super-elevation shall
be provided.

When a body moves in a circular path it gets deflected from its tangent to the circle
by a force acting towards the centre of the circle. To maintain equilibrium & to counteract
this tendency of water moving round a curve to attack its concave bank under the action of
centrifugal force, super elevation or raising of the outer side is most essential. For canals
having velocity upto 1 m.sec. effect of centrifugal force is very nominal & may be neglected.
Super elevation in canals is worked out as below

(1) F =

Where

F Centrifugal pressure difference ( in m)

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V Velocity m/sec

R Radius in m

F Bed width in m

G Gravitational constant value 9.81

(2) V1 = V+

Where V = Average velocity

(3) V2 = V-

D1 =

D2 =

Super elevation = D2 D1

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Example Design : a super elevated curve in a lined section for the following date of
a channel:
Discharge 28.31 cumecs
Bed width 18.29 m
Depth 1.83 m
Bed slope 1 in 5714
Side slope 0.5 : 1
Velocity 0.80 m/sec
N 0.0225
C.V.R 1.00

For Brick pitched sections or rough masonry n = 0.015, neglecting side slopes for lined
section.

Effective bed width =

= 12.19 m.
Taking 1 : 1 side slopes for lining

Average velocity (V) =

= 1.10 m/sec

Let the radius or curve = 600 m

F = x

= x

= 0.0025 m

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V1 = V +

= 1.26 m/sec

V2 = V

= 0.94 m/sec

Super elevation =

= 0.63
Spoil Banks:

In case of canals in heavy cutting spoil banks should not be higher than 6 m. At
intervals of 50m. a gap of 6m. should be left for efficient drainage. The side slope of the
spoil bank should not be steeper than 1.5:1. As per technical circular vol.I-A top width of
spoil bank should not be more than 3 m. The inner toe of spoil bank shall be parallel to 3
m. away from outer edge of the canal embankment & the spoil bank shall be neatly dressed
and finished, all stones from the excavation shall be separately stacked & shall be utilized.

HYDRAULIC GRADIENT-

In the design of canals in filling section, the hydraulic gradient should be taken as
1 in 4 for average condition and a minimum cover of 60 cm should be provided.

For embankments more than 5m high, the true position of the saturation line shall
be worked out by laboratory tests & the stability of the slopes checked.

As per IS 7112-1973 following empirical values for the hydraulic gradients

(Horizontal to vertical 0 may be used for banks less than 5 m high.

For silty soils 4:1

For silty sands 5:1
For sandy soil 6:1

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Berms when the depth of cutting is more than 3 m, Berms of following widths are
provided as per IS 7112 1973.

(1) In partial cut & fill when F.S.L is above ground level
2 x Full Supply Depth
(2) In filling 3 x Full Supply Depth
(3) In complete cutting 2 x Full Supply Depth

Fixation of bed levels of offtaking channel from parent channel.

The main canal does serve the command directly. Direct outlet from main canal is
prohibited as it draws excessive quantity of water. However in unavoidable circumstances,
direct outlets are provided to serve any isolated patch. The distribution system can be
diagrammatically shown as below-

The conventional method is as under :-

Bed level offtaking canal Bed level of parent canal + F.S.D of main canal
(Driving head + F.S.D of offtaking canal)
Suppose,

1. Bed level of Parent canal 310.69 m

2. F.S.D of Parent canal 2.10 m

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3. F.S.D of offtaking canal 0.60 m

4. Driving head is 0.45 m

Now-

Bed level of offtaking canal = 310.69 + 2.10 x - (0.45 +0.60)

= 311.04 m

In an alternate method the depth of water in parent channel is so worked out that
the offtaking channel takes its full discharge, while parent channel is running at 50% of full
discharge. Suppose full capacity of a canal is 8.00 cumecs, F.S.D. 1.90 m, Bed width
2.0 m, side slopes 2:1, Bed slope 1:4000, N= 0.0025, B.L 310.69, Driving head 0.25m,
F.S.D of offtaking channel 0.60 m. 50% discharge is 4.00 cumecs, corresponding F.S.D is
1.35 m.
Therefore Bed level of offtaking channel = 310.69+1.35 (0.45 + 0.60) = 310.99 m

Driving head To generate certain velocity, a difference between upstream &

downstream water level is required, this difference of water levels is called Driving Head.

For design following driving heads are taken

Main Canal to Distributary 0.45 m.

Distributary to minor 0.15 m
Minor to Sub minor/water course 0.15 m
Water course to field channel 0.15 m

Head Loss When a regular waterway is either reduced or expanded or siphoned,

there is loss of head due to loss of energy in contraction, expansion or syphoning. While
preparing canal L section this should be considered. At the crossing, where measuring
device, Aqueducts, syphon etc. are provided, downstream F.S.L & accordingly bed of canal
should be depressed by minimum 0.15 m to account for the head loss. For Major
structures, head loss should be calculated.
Head loss (H) = h1+ h2+ h3
h1 = Losses at the entry & exist
h2 = Losses in barrel due to friction
h3 = Losses at elbows or beds
h1 = (l + f1 )

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Where -
f1 = A co-efficient which provides for the loss of head on entry. It may be
taken for all practical design purposes as 0.08 for bell mouth entrance and 0.505 for
cylindrical entrance with sharp edges ( unsharped mouth of the same sectional area of the
barrel).

V = Velocity in m/s
g = acceleration due to graving in m/s2
(2) Loss of Head due to friction -

h2 is calculated by

Where

Where value of a & b for C. C may be taken as 0.00316 & 0.030 respectively. L is
length of barral, R is hydraulic mean depth of barrel.
h3 is calculated as per IS 2951 (Part-II) 1965.
For measuring device like standing wave flume take head loss as 0.25 x F.S.D of
channel.

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