Application of mathematical programming in irrigation management

Abstract

The study aims at looking in to the operation of an irrigation project with a view to obtaining efficiency in water management. Meshwo reservoir, a middle size project is taken for the purpose. Given the Meshwo system, the research addresses the problem of determining an operating policy that maximizes the benefits due to irrigation over a water year and meets the down stream riparian right. The problem is not simple for a] the inflow to the reservoir is uncertain, b) data is available for limited period, c) down stream riparian right, and d) evaporation loss as a function of storage level complicates the trade-off between maintaining storage and releasing water. After developing a deterministic LP and solving it for several times under different inputs, a simple release rule is derived from the results obtained. Uncertainty is then introduced in the deterministic frame work by developing fuzzy linear programming to set the targets from its solution. The study provides an analytical frame work for operations management of the Meshwo reservoir, and the methodology is general enough to be applied for similar project with multi crop pattern. The solution model being simple claims superiority over the current practice in terms of easy operation and improved efficiency.