Aqueducts is a significant watercourse which carries water from a source to the distribution point. There are various types of Aqueducts.
There are various types of aqueducts and the simplest types are mostly small ditches which cut into the earth. They run through the underground tunnels.
The Modern types of aqueducts use the pipeline as their path. This types of canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water for consumption and other agricultural as well as irrigation purposes.
Waterways are the type of canals which are used for carrying ships, boats and people from one place to another.
The path of waterways is known as the secondary by-product of our countries extensive historical watermark network. It plays a vital role in Transportation.
This includes the different features like river, streams, canals, lakes, reservoirs and docks.
Waterways help to provide a safe operating environment by reflecting on the local environment. Waterways also help to decrease the carbon footprints and reduce Road congestion and improve the health of the local community.
The Canals which has discharged more than ten cumecs is known as the Main Canals. The Main Canal is also known as the Arterial canal.
The Main Canal is the superior canal of the drainage system which helps to collect the water from the drainage canals and conducts it to the water intake.
The Main Canal carries discharge directly from the river. It takes off directly from the upstream side of the weir head works.
The main Canal supplies the water to the branch canal. The Main canal cannot be used for direct Irrigation.
The Main canal helps to supply the water from a river, reservoir or canal to the irrigated land by the flow of gravity.
When the main Canal reaches the area where the irrigation is to be done it divides out in two branches which joins to the different parts of the area.
The Branch canal ends into a Distributary. The branch canals have a discharge which ranges from 5 to 10 cumecs.
Branch Canal also plays the role of the feederchannel for the major and minor distributaries. Branch channels do not carry direct irrigation but provide direct outlets.
The canals whose offtake from the Main Canal or the branch canal with the head discharge from 028 to 15 cumecs are known as significant distributaries. The Major distributaries take off water from the branch canals.
The discharge of the major distributary is less than the Branch canal. Major distributary is also known as irrigation channels because of their supply of water to the field directed through outlets.
The Discharge in the watercourses is less than 25 cumecs. A filed channel takes off from a significant distributary or minor and it depends upon the on which extent the irrigation will happen.
From the channels, water enters into the field of cultivators. Water courses field channels may be constructed by the government on behalf of the cultivators only.
These are small channels which are known as Field channels generally has a capacity of less than 05 cumecs.
The death of the water course or field channels is usually less than 1 km having a command of 10 to 15 hectares.
Unlined Canal consists of beds and banks which is made up of the natural soil. The underlined canals are not provided with the lining of impervious material.
It reduces the growth of Aquatic weeds which retards the flow and leads to an increase in the maintenance cost.
Unlined canals can tolerate velocity not more than 0.7 m/s because of the erosion.
In case of the unlined canals, there may be a danger of the breakage of the bank of the canal which is caused by the overtopping erosion and animal burrowing.
The control Canal is an artificial canal which is known for being dug Navigable by following the control line of the land.
In this alignment, the canal generally follows a country except for necessary longitudinal slope. Main Canal is run as control Canal in the header reach. It can irrigate on one side only which is the lower side.
In the control Canal, one of its sides is high so that bank is required only on the other side. There may be a risk of breaching or silting.
The control canal need not follow the same contour. To enable the water to flow by the gravity some surface slope should be given.
The drawback of the contour alignment is that it irrigates on one side only. Control panels are most suitable in the hilly areas.
Permanent Canal: A Permanent canal is a type of canal in which water is available throughout the year. This type of canal is generally directed from a permanent source of supply water bodies. Several Permanent hydraulic structures are constructed in this type of canal for water regulation and distribution. A Permanent canal can also be called as a perennial canal.
Inundation Canal: Inundation canal is a type of canal in which water is available only during the flood periods. These type of canals are taken off from rivers to control the water level in rivers during floods. A canal head regulator is provided to regulate the flow into the canal.
Irrigation Canal: A canal aligned along the boundaries of cultivatable areas in order to supply water for the purposeof agriculture is said to be an irrigation canal.
Power Canal: A canal constructed especially for the generation of hydraulic power is termed as power canal.
Feeder Canal: As the name says, a feeder canal is constructed to feed two or more other canals or branch canals.
Carrier Canal: A carrier canal is multi-function canal which serves the purposes of both irrigation canal and feeder canal. It means the carrier canal feeds the other canals as well as provides water for direct irrigation.
Navigation Canal: A canal which is constructed especially for navigational purposes is known as navigation canal. The water level required in a navigation canal is generally a lot higher to accommodate large ships, vessels, etc.
Alluvial Canal: If the canal is excavated in alluvial soils such as silt, sand, gravel, etc. then it is said to be an alluvial canal.
Non-Alluvial Canal: If the boundary surface of the canal is of non-alluvial soils such as loam, clay, rock, etc. then it issaid to be a non-alluvial canal.
Rigid Surface Canal: Rigid surface canals also come under non-alluvial canals but here the boundary surface of the canalis lined artificially with a hard layer of lining material such as cement, concrete, stones, etc.
Protective Canal: Protective canals are relief work projects which are constructed to protect a particular area from the shortage of water. The main objective of a protective canal is to fulfill the requirements of cultivators during the period of famine.
Productive Canal: Productive canals are those which will produce enough revenue for its maintenance and running costs and also to recover the initial investment made on the construction of the canal. It is said to be good if it recovers 6% of its initial investment per annum.