FEM MODELING TO INVESTIGATE SEEPAGE LOSSES FROM THE LINED NADIAD BRANCH CANAL, INDIA

Abstract

Three sections of the lined Nadiad branch canal, involving a canal length of 8.6 km, were considered to investigate pre- and post-monsoon seepage losses. The hydraulic conductivity of the lined material was considered to be one-tenth that of the top soil, based on an earlier report which indicates a ten-fold reduction in seepage losses as a result of lining of canals. A finite element program was developed to incorporate all the flow domain conditions of the canal-phreatic aquifer system. Sensitivity analysis showed that variation in the hydraulic conductivity of the canal liner or the topsoil layer had less influence on seepage flux values compared with changes in canal supply depth or aquifer hydraulic conductivity.