Saudi Water Academy
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What is an irrigation ditch?

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What is an irrigation ditch?

In traditional irrigation systems, those in charge of operating an irrigation ditch would allocate the water according to local customs and rules. Water may be allocated and distributed using traditional systems or modern division boxes.

1 . What does irrigation ditch mean?

An irrigation ditch, canal or channel is a type of hydraulic structure, a man-made channel to convey water for irrigation or other uses.

2 . Types of irrigation ditches

According to the type of water channel, we can classify irrigation ditches as:

    • Main ditch: is the canal that carries water from the intake structure at the source of supply.
    • Field ditch: it transports water from the main ditch to the irrigated fields, or else the water is stored next to the main ditch for other uses.
    • Earth ditch: a canal dug out directly on the ground with no concrete lining.

    3 . How do irrigation ditches work?

    An irrigation ditch has flow division boxes to divert the water to smaller canals. Ditches have overflow structures to prevent damages when the water discharge is too high, as well as settling structures and filters, to retain any sediment or debris.

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