Most of the component methods brought together into the integrated procedure were developed under earlier DFID funded projects, in particular R5840: 'Sediment Management'.

The procedure developed was presented in a manual. The manual covers both engineering advice on the diagnosis and solution of sedimentation problems and guidance on the use of a software package. The manual includes tutorials for the software. The software is called SHARC: 'Sediment and Hydraulic Analysis for the Rehabilitation of Canals'.

The procedure developed includes guidance on data requirements, data collection methods, diagnostic procedures for identifying causes of sediment problems, and a sediment control selection matrix.

As a result of the work a competent engineer, who is familiar with software issues and has some experience of modelling, can undertake a comprehensive study of sediment control options for an irrigation system. The study would form all or part of a rehabilitation of the system. The engineer would be able to:

specify measurements,

diagnose the problem,

select potentially viable options,

determine economic constraints and so eliminate some technically feasible, but uneconomic, options at an early stage,

form hydraulic designs for each potential option,

test the options in a hydraulic and sediment routing model of the system, predicting such parameters as irrigated area or desilting requirement for a number of years into the future, and

undertake a more comprehensive economic analysis that includes parameters output from the model.

The engineer in this example would need training in the concepts and the software.

The purpose of the project has been achieved by the completion of the SHARC software and the combined technical/software manual. However, the procedures have been subjected to only limited testing in the field and dissemination could be made more widespread.

Procedure for the selection and outline design of canal sediment control structures', Manual, HR Report, 1998.

'Deposition of fine sediments in irrigation canals', P Lawrence & E Atkinson, Irrigation and Drainage Systems, Vol 12, No. 12, Dec 1998.

(Technical reports and papers on most of the component methods were published prior to the project. See publications under R5840.)

Further testing is planned to highlight difficulties non-experts may find in the procedures and software.

Wider dissemination should be undertaken and uptake of the outputs encouraged through training and through applications guided by HR Wallingford. A programme of such uptake and dissemination activities was submitted to DFID in September 1998 as a proposed project in the KAR programme. The proposed work would cover both for the output of this project, and that of the earlier reservoir sedimentation project (R5839).

Tel: +44 1491 835381
Fax: +44 1491 826352
Email: dfid-kar-water@hrwallingford.co.uk