Introduction: Praganna Kulo Irrigation System

Praganna Kulo Irrigation System (PKIS) is originally an age old system of Farmers Managed Irrigation System (FMIS), situated in Deukhuri valley of Dang district in the mid-western part of the country (Fig. 1). This system has been developed by farmers themselves around 100 years ago without any financial support from government.   The jtotal net command area of this system is 5799 ha. The source of water for the system is West Rapti River. Three side intakes are built in right bank of the West Rapti river. Apart from this, two local streams originated from Siwalik ranges namely Dolai khola and Singai khola is also harnessed to supply the water in command area.      

West Rapti River is a perennial river, situated in the Mid-Western Development Region. The river originates from Mahabharat ranges. Surface runoff and ground water recession are the primary source of discharge in the river. As a result, there exists a large temporal and spatial variation in flow. Jhimruk River and Mari River are the two main tributaries of the West Rapti River. The catchments area of this river comprises of mainly forest, settlement, cultivated land, water bodies, wasteland and grazing land. The catchment area of the basin at 700m downstream of Bhalubang Bridge of East –West Highway, is about 3903.74 km2. 

Figure:  Location Map of Praganna Irrigation System

PKIS has been rehabilitated and modernised with a loan assistance from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED). According to the feasibility study report prepared by a local consultancy in 1996, KFAED agreed financial loan assistance of equivalent to One Million Five Hundred Fifty Thousand Kuwaiti Dinars (1,550,000 KD) in accordance with the agreement (Loan No. 552) signed on 26 October 1998. Its effective period being from 1 January 1, 1999 to July 15, 2006. Thus, DoI instigated the project named Praganna Kulo Irrigation Project (PKIP) in January 1999 to rehabilitate and modernize the farmers managed irrigation systems (FMISs) towards providing assured irrigation in an area of 5977 ha.

The whole works under the project was accomplished through sixteen contracts. The construction of all the rehabilitation and modernization works of the project started in June 2002 (Jestha, 2059) and was substantially completed in time or in advance of the intended completion date, until 09 July 2006 (25 Ashad, 2063). 

2        Physical Aspects of the system

Several intakes are functioning to supply the water in command area. As the command area gets water from West Rapti River, Dolai Khola, Singai Khola, Kaudiya Khola and even local drains, a numbers of side intakes have been developed to divert water from those rivers and kholas.

1)      Intakes along West Rapti River

Three intakes, namely Intake No.1 at 0+000 km for Barakhutti Bankulo Main Canal (BBM) Systems (450 Ha), Intake No. 2 at 0+531 km for Kalapani Main Canal (KM) System (4400 Ha), and Intake No. 4 at 5+304 km for Bhanpur – Majhmeria Canal (BMM) System (950 Ha), have been constructed along the Right side of West Rapti River.

The intake 1 is designed to supply maximum of 3.3 m3/sec at water level of 297.39m in the river, the estimated High Flood Level (HFL) at this point of the river being 299.29 m. The intake 2 is intended to supply maximum of 2.2 m3/sec. The intake is designed such that it can supply 4.4 m3/sec when water level in the river is 295.57m when all the four gates are opened. It can supply 2.2 m3/sec when water level in the river is at 294.52 m and only three gates are opened. The estimated HFL at this point of the river is 298.58 m.

The intake 3 is intended to supply maximum of 4.75 m3/sec in BMM. This intake is designed such that it can supply 10.0 m3/sec when water level in the river is 280.28 m and 4.75 m3/sec when water level in the river is at 279.26 m. The estimated HFL at this point of the river being 282.28m.

2)      Intakes along Dolai Khola and Singai Khola

Three canal system, namely Narayanpur Canal, Lathawa – Paharwa canal (540 Ha), Dolai canal (60Ha), Tikuligadh canal and Panchgaon canal have been using water directly from Dolai Khola. All of these systems are a part of Kalapani main canal. In order to divert water into Narayanpur canal, a concrete HW (Dolai-I) with intake on the right bank Dolai Khola has been constructed in the north of East-West Highway (EWH). Lathawa-Paharawa canal has an open side intake on the right bank downstream of Dolai-I intake. For Tikuligadh canal and Dolai canal, intakes on the right bank of Dolai Khola as a gabion weir has been developed in the south of EWH.  A second concrete HW (Dolai-II) downstream from this gabion weir has been constructed to supply water into Panchgaon Canal System.

Tikuligadh link canal from the gabion weir over Dolai Khola terminates into Singai Khola to augment discharge in this. To supply into the Tikuligadh Main Canal over the Singai Khola, a gabion weir has been designed across this khola.

Similarly, Panchgaon link canal from Dolai II HW terminates into Singai Khola over which a concrete HW has been designed to supply into the Panchgaon Main Canal system on the right bank of this khola. The Panchgaon canal portion between these khola is termed Panchgaon link canal.

3)      Intakes over Kaudiya Khola

At Bankatti village in the south of EWH, a concrete HW has been designed to divert water on its right bank into Sanoghumna main canal. Thuloghumna main canal diverts water from this very khola via a ramshackle masonry HW constructed by Care Nepal sometime in the past further downstream near its outfall in Rapti River.

2.2  Canal Systems

The canal systems of PKIS is a network of canals that draws water form West Rapti, Dolai Khola, Singai Khola and Kaudiya Khola. PKIS has contour type canal network with different sources of intake as shown in figure 3. Although, there are three side intakes in West Rapti river and several kholas for water augmentation, the overall canal system is divided into four groups.

a)      Barakhutti Bankulo Canal: This canal system gets irrigation water from the intake 1. Feeder canal is 0.59 km originates from upstream of Bhalubang bridge while the main canal is 10 km. There are 12 major branches from main canal and several outlets are also provided from main canal. Only the southern part of command areas is irrigated form this canal network except some areas in the north by Uttar Masuriya Branch at chainage 5+075 of the main canal. Canal is currently in operation to chainage 8+866 (last branch outlet).