The report presents infiltration studies of the year 1996-97 for the Bargi Left Bank Canal Command area of Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Infiltration studies are mainly addressed to a variety of applications for managing water resources. The design of methods for estimation of flood mitigation and erosion control is often based on estimates of peak discharge derived from prediction of infiltration rate. Water conservation procedures require computation of cumulative infiltration to produce estimates of runoff yield.      

Quantitatively, infiltration rate is defined as the volume of water passing into the soil per unit time and has the dimension of velocity (L/T). This rate depends on a number of factors viz. physiochemical properties of the soil, vegetation, land use pattern, rainfall intensity & duration and surface slope. Besides these factors, the depth to groundwater, climate and man’s activity also affects the process of infiltration. Under special circumstances wherein the rainfall exceeds the ability of the soil to absorb water, infiltration proceeds at a maximum rate called as soil’s infiltration capacity.

Based on the infiltration tests carried out in the Sher-Umar doab, the following can be concluded –

• The soils present in the Sher-Umar doab are mainly black clayey soil (black cotton soils) with very low infiltration capacity ranging from 0.1 cm/ hr to 4.8 cm/hr.
• The soils are not suitable for flooding method of irrigation. If this practice of irrigation is used (after the completion of the Bargi Left Bank Canal), then proper drainage should be provided.
• Excess irrigation with canal water may lead to waterlogging and salinisation.

Download the report here -