IMPROVING IRRIGATION WATER CONVEYANCE AND DISTRIBUTION EFFICIENCY USING LINED CANALS AND BURIED PIPES UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITION

A field experiment was carried out at El-Mahmoudia command area at El-Beheira governorate, Egypt, during two growing seasons summer and winter 2014/2015, to Improve irrigation water conveyance efficiency using lined canal and upvc buried pipes under Egyptian conditions. The experiment consists of three types of on-field water distribution canals (Merwas); Earthen canal, Lined canal and Upvc buried pipes. Six Evaluation parameters were measured; conveyance efficiency, water saving, irrigation time, land saving, cropping intensity and crop yield, the financial analysis had been applied. The result showed that the conveyance efficiencies were 65%, 92.2% and 98.7% in winter, while the conveyance efficiencies were 59.6%, 87.1% and 89.7% in summer, for earthen canal, lined canal and buried pipes, respectively. The impact of development on reducing conveyance losses comparing with earthen canal were 68.1% and 96.3 for summer, while it was 77.7% and 96.3 for winter, under lined canal and upvc buried pipes, respectively. The impact of improvement on decreasing irrigation time was ranged from 50% to 60% for the different field crops. The benefits of land saving were about 0.8% of the total saved area after development by lined canal and 1.4% of the total command area saved after development by upvc buried pipes, it had become available for agriculture. The highest profit as a percent was obtained under maize, for both lined canal and buried pipes, respectively.