A digital model for irrigation water allocation to the water users associations

The CRIWAR model calculated the summarized irrigation water requirements at the root zone of a cropping pattern in Tungabhadra command area in Karnataka, whereas the WUAS-D model developed by the authors transferred the Water Users Association (WUA)-wise root zone water requirements into the quantities of irrigation water to be delivered at the various managerial points. The application and dissemination of the integrated model was found to be useful in various scenarios like variations in the water availability, alternate cropping pattern, change in the quality of canal network etc., when a large number of WUAs are to be supplied water. The feedback from the water management officials who were trained in the use of the above models in their routine water management activities helped to draw the conclusion that the model could reduce their computational time and labour remarkably, help visualize and react to various water delivery scenarios in the command area.