surveying, and water and soil testing services for under-pressure irrigation projects at the level of 17,000 hectares

Since the arid and semi-arid regions cover a large part of our country, there is a significant need for proper and efficient usage of water resources. Therefore, state-of-the-art methods for water consumption have been introduced to the agricultural society. The under-pressure irrigation is one of these new methods which has a higher efficiency than traditional methods.

Extensive studies and research have been done for many years in different parts of the world, showing the capability of the under-pressure irrigation systems in more and optimal usage of water resources in the agricultural sector. If this system is properly designed and implemented, and the used materials have the necessary quality, it can cause the rational exploitation of water and soil resources. Moreover, the beneficiaries should have sufficient technical knowledge in the maintenance and operation of this system. The results of the worldwide research show that the implementation of micro-irrigation systems not only saves water consumption but also increases the amount of product and even the products’ quality. 

The ultimate goal of under-pressure irrigation is to increase and maintain crop growth over a long period of time. The irrigation study is to estimate the required water for the plant in different seasons for irrigation operations and development of irrigation program according to the type of plant, crop pattern, and appropriate irrigation method.

For this purpose, designing, surveying, and water and soil testing services for under-pressure irrigation projects at the level of 17,000 hectares in the form of 14 separate contracts have been notified to Mouj Ab Fan Consulting Engineering.

In line with its professional and ethical mission, Mouj Ab Fan has tried to perform this task efficiently with adequate planning and by using the capacity of experienced manpower.

The importance of designing and monitoring the implementation of under-pressure irrigation projects

under-pressure irrigation schemes have been considered to protect soil and water resources and increase agricultural production. Due to the climatic condition of the country, the water shortage problem, and the special attention to increasing the irrigation efficiency, the Office of Development of New Irrigation Systems of the Deputy of Water and Soil, has successfully implemented the under-pressure irrigation schemes. Supervision of ongoing projects in terms of compliance with standards and for optimal operation is an effective step to improve the irrigation efficiency in the country. Supervision of ongoing projects makes it possible to know the strengths and weaknesses of the projects and take an effective step to increase the irrigation efficiency by summarizing the gained experiences and providing guidelines based on the performed activities.

The necessity to monitor the ongoing under-pressure irrigation projects:

Eliminating the defects of ongoing projects

Discovering the strengths of the project and utilizing them in similar situations

The possibility of optimal usage of the plan in accordance with the goals

The possibility of further development of irrigation systems by implementing successful projects

study and design steps

After performing the surveying operation and making the topographic map, the studies including the implementation steps and general information are as follows:

• Collecting the statistics and information related to water resources (quantity and quality) of soil, plants, meteorology, and social and economic conditions of the Project area
• Announcing the expert advice on the possibility of implementing the irrigation methods according to the available information, interpreting the results of water, soil, meteorological tests 
• Estimating the rate of evapotranspiration and required water for plants, determining the hydro-module irrigation of the cultivation pattern during the growing period 
• Estimating the required irrigation water volume during the growing period and different years
• Determining all the specifications of the irrigation method, selecting the most appropriate procedure according to the design conditions, and presenting the complete technical specifications
• Planning the irrigation based on cultivation pattern in different months of the year
• Selecting the type of emitter or sprinkler and its complete specifications
• Network segmentation and determining the required capacity of the system
• Examining the various system layout options and selecting the optimal option
• Designing the main and sub- pipelines, providing the complete hydraulic specifications including the piping route, flow rate, diameter, speed, pressure drop, height difference, and pressure at the beginning and end of all piping routes
• Calculating the required pressure, flow rate, and providing the relevant table
• Selecting the central control station components in the localized irrigation
• Selecting the pump and its driving force
• Taking water from the water supply source and transferring it into the under-pressure irrigation network
• Providing the exploitation and maintenance instructions of the pipe network and the designed irrigation method
• Quantity surveying and estimating the volume of earthworks according to the presented plans 
• Estimating the list of required supplies and connections
• Estimating the cost of executive operations (pipelines, pumping station, central control, transportation, electrical installations, basin construction, etc. based on the relevant price list)
• Estimating the total cost of the project and financial reviewing 
• Compiling the reports and preparing the relevant maps