DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF SISCASDE: COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR THE SELECTION, DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF SURFACE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

摘要

There is a great demand for reliable tools which would support farmers to evaluate and optimize their irrigation systems, and to design new systems. In the era of information technology, computer models are indispensable tools for water resources professionals for the design, operation, and management of irrigation systems. The present study was carried out with an aim to develop a cost-effective, user-friendly and indigenous software package using Visual BASIC for the selection, design and evaluation of different surface irrigation systems. The developed software package has been named "SISCASDE", which consists of three modules. Module-Ⅰ was developed for the evaluation of irrigation water quality and for the selection of suitable surface irrigation system(s) based on the water quality, crop and topography criteria. Module-Ⅱ facilitates the design of Level Basin as well as different types of Border and Furrow irrigation systems using volume balance approach. Module-Ill facilitates the evaluation of these surface irrigation systems. All the three modules of the software were tested using the available published data or hypothetical data. The developed computer codes proved to be efficient and reliable for the selection of suitable surface irrigation systems; the design of basin, open-end border, closed-end border, furrow without cutback or tailwater reuse, furrow with cutback and furrow with tailwater reuse; as well as for the evaluation of these surface irrigation systems. Besides the design parameters at maximum application efficiency, the developed software also provides detailed tabular and graphical results for different design alternatives with varying application efficiencies. A comprehensive 'Help Menu' is provided in the software to facilitate a thorough understanding of the theory and methodology adopted for the selection, design and evaluation of different surface irrigation systems. Thus, SISCASDE is very user-friendly, technically robust and cost-effective. It can serve as a useful computer tool for teaching and research as well as for practicing engineers in the field of irrigation and drainage engineering.