Abstract
Irrigation and drainage projects affect the physical, chemical, and biological components of the ecosystem and their eventual success depends on how adequately the environmental aspects are addressed at the planning and design phases. Drainage is generally required to combat the twin problems of waterlogging and soil salinity and to ensure sustained irrigated agriculture in the arid and semi-arid regions. While the benefits of drainage can be counted in terms of improved crop yields and increased economic gains, the cost to the environment may also be high. Environmental impacts may be positive or negative and may occur both on and off site. Their relative importance should be considered in the context of the socio-economic conditions and evaluated on both short and long term bases. The positive on site impacts of drainage projects, besides increased agricultural production and improved water regime and microclimate, also include reduction in water borne diseases and increased social, cultural and employmental opportunities. Among the negative offsite impacts, the concern for the disposal of saline drainage effluent, historically confined to major soluble salts and plant nutrients, now also includes toxic concentrations of several trace elements and pesticides. Reliable estimates of the volume and composition of drainage effluent in time arc needed to envisage and plan environmentally acceptable strategies for its disposal or treatment. Public health issues also need to be addressed.
The paper reviews the environmental issues related to drainage projects and identifies the technical options for the management, reuse and disposal of drainage effluent. Improved on-farm water management practices for minimizing the volume and salt load of drainage water, relative merits of different modes of conjuntive use of fresh and saline water including drainage effluent, and water treatment options are discussed. An example on the application of a numerical model to compare the drainage salt load under alternate drainage designs during reclamation of a 2000 ha highly waterlogged saline area in Haryana is presented. Future research and monitoring needs are also discussed.
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Kamra, S.K., Rao, K.V.G.K. (1996). Environmental Aspects of Subsurface Drainage Projects. In: Singh, V.P., Kumar, B. (eds) Water-Quality Hydrology . Water Science and Technology Library, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0393-0_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0393-0_16
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