Assessment of adequacy in canal irrigated system for an existing cropping pattern in upper Bhima basin of Maharashtra

In this study the irrigation performance of left bank canal in upper Bhima Basin, Maharashtra has been evaluated. This canal takes off from the Khadakwasla dam in Pune district of Maharashtra. Performance was evaluated on sub-basin scale using the adequacy indicator of hydraulic parameters based on the existing cropping pattern. Adequacy was calculated on monthly basis for the six sub-basin outlets, viz. BM48, BM49, BM50, BM51, BM61 and BM68 using average monthly data of canal flow for the period from 1975–2009. Crop water requirement was calculated using FAO CROPWAT model. Results indicated that the adequacy (PI_A) varied from 0.10 to 0.79 in all sub-basins during most of the months, indicating inadequate canal supply to meet the requirements of crops grown in the command area, while in BM49, BM50, BM51 and BM61 basins, it varied from 0.80–0.89 during the months of March, June, July, August, November and December, which indicates that in terms of adequacy the system is quite fair in few basins during half of the year.