IRRIGATION CANAL

LINING
SCOPE

DEFINITION
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
TYPES OF CANAL LINING
CONSIDERATIONS
WHAT IS IRRIGATION CANAL LINING?

Canal Lining is an impervious layer that is

provided at the bed and sides of canal to
improve the life and discharge capacity of
canal.
PURPOSE

The main aim of lining the irrigation canals with

impermeable material is to stop seepage,
thereby saving valuable irrigation water. When
canal is lined, considerable additional area can
be commanded with the help of the saving
resulted from lining the canals.
ADVANTAGES

1. Water Conservation
2. No seepage of water to adjacent and or roads
3. Reduced canal dimensions
4. Reduced maintenance
5. Prevent and control growth of weeds
6. Avoid waterlogging of adjacent land
7. Theft of water by cultivators is stopped.
DISADVANTAGES

Higher initial investment; a lined canal is 3 to 4 times costlier

than an unlined one of the same capacity.
Costly repairs.
Shifting of outlets is very costly because it involves dismantling
and relaying of lining.
Longer construction period.
More sophisticated construction equipment and skilled labor
are required.
COST of LINING

The costs of lining can be very high, depending on the

local cost of lining material and of labor, as well as on
the length of canal to be lined. Prices of lining material
vary from place to place. Irrigation committees and
farmers who are considering lining the canals in their
irrigation scheme should gather information on prices
of material and of the labor required.
Economics of Canal Lining:

The annual cost of canal lining includes:

a. Annual interest charge on the average
investment during the life time of the
lining.
b. Annual depreciation changes.
Economics of Canal Lining:

The annual benefits actually derived by

lining the canal include:

a. Saving in seepage loss

b. Saving in maintenance and operation cost
c. Other additional benefits.
Types of Lining

Cement Concrete Lining

Portland cement concrete is more resistant

than most other lining materials; therefore, it is
preferable for higher water velocities.
Cement Concrete Lining
 Cement Concrete Lining

Advantages of cast-in-situ cement concrete linings:

1. Longer life than that of any other type
2. Least permeable of all types
3. Permits fast construction by mechanical means
4. Most resistant to erosion
5. Low recurring maintenance charges
 Disadvantages of cast-in-situ cement concrete linings:
1. Higher initial cost
2. Greater possibility of temperature cracking
3. Less flexible and easily affected by adverse subgrade
conditions
4. Skilled supervision and construction necessary
Types of Lining
Brick Lining

This kind of lining, large amounts of cement are required for

mortar and plastering. The construction of this type of lining
requires more labor than other methods. The concrete blocks,
bricks or stones are laid flat on the compacted sided and the
bed of the trapezoidal canal. The joints are filled with mortar,
which should have a cement-to-sand ratio 1:3 or 1:4 (by volume).
A rectangular canal can be constructed with the concrete or
masonry bed and vertical masonry walls.
 Brick Lining

This lining is always preferred for the following reasons:

1. This lining is economical
2. Work can be done very quickly
3. Expansion joints are not required
4. Repair works can be done easily
5. Bricks can be manufactured from the excavated earth near the site
However, this lining has certain disadvantages,
1. It is not completely impervious
2. It has low resistance against erosion
3. It is not so much durable
Types of Lining

Plastic Lining

The plastic as a material for canal lining offers certain

characteristic advantages like negligible weight, easy handling,
spreading and transport, immune to chemical action and
speedy construction. To anchor the membrane on the banks
V trenches are provided. The film is then covered with
protective soil cover.
 Plastic Lining

Theplastic lining is easy to install. Such a flexible lining is

useful in soils that contain swelling clays or gypsum.
However, plastic linings are easily damaged by
vegetation, machines, people or animals. When
exposed to strong sunshine over prolonged periods, the
plastic may disintegrate.
Types of Lining

Asphalt Concrete Lining

Asphalt concrete may be an economical substitute for

unreinforced Portland cement concrete in small canals where
the cost of asphalt is sufficient low to offset a possible shorter life
expectancy, and where the aggregate available is suitable for
asphaltic concrete but not of sufficiently high quality for
Portland cement concrete.
 Asphalt Concrete Lining

This type provides a fairly cheap lining, especially where the

asphalt is available within the country. It is flexible and readily
confirms to the subgrade. The disadvantages or the
limitations of this type of lining are:
1. It does not decrease the rugosity coefficient of the channel.
2. It permits certain type of weed growth.
Types of Lining

Rubber Lining

Synthetic rubber suitable for canal linings has been and is

under test. Many of this are installed experimentally as
exposed-membrane linings have shown low resistance to
puncture, and some types disintegrate rapidly upon exposure.
Thicker plastics and synthetic rubber with greater resistance to
these forces are more expensive.
Miscellaneous Types of Canal Lining:

a. Clay puddle lining:

The canal may also be lined with a clay puddle. The puddle
clay is fairly impervious when properly pugged and saturated
with water. It can be laid on the subgrade to form a fairly
watertight coating. The thick layer of puddle clay is then
protected with 30 cm thick layer of silty soil. It has been seen
that it prevents about 80% seepage loss.
Miscellaneous Types of Canal Lining:

b. Lining with stone masonry:

This type of lining is constructed with dressed stone blocks laid in mortar.
Properly dressed stones are not available in nature. Irregular stone blocks
are dressed and chipped off as per requirement. It makes the type costly.
When roughly dressed stones are used for lining, the surface is rendered
rough which may put lot of resistance to low. Technically the coefficient
of rugosity will be higher. Thus the stone lining is limited to the situation
where loss of head is not an important consideration and where stones
are available at moderate cost.
Lining with stone masonry
 Lining with stone masonry

Linings of stone are obviously too high in cost to be seriously

considered in most localities today. Even where an
abundance of suitable stone exists, in most cases the cost of
preparing and placing it would make such a lining
economically prohibitive.
Other Types of Lining Using Cement:

1. Shotcrete lining:

It is a type of lining in which slurry of portland cement,

processed sand and pure water is applied pneumatically
through the nozzles on the surface of the subgrade.
Ordinarily a mixture of cement and sand (1: 4) is used. The
jet of cement mortar slurry is shot at the subgrade and
hence this type of lining is called shotcrete.
 Shotcrete Lining

This lining is done in two ways:

a) By Dry Mix: In this method, a mixture of cement and moist sand is

prepared and loaded in the cement gun. Then it is forced through the
nozzle of the gun with the help of compressed air. The mortar spreads
over the sub-grade to a thickness which varies from 2.5 to 5 cm.

b) By Wet Mix: In this process, the mixture of cement, sand and water is
prepared according to the approved consistency. The mixture is
loaded in the gun and forced on the sub-grade.
 Shotcrete Lining

This type of lining gives good working rate irrespective of the nature or condition of the
subgrade. It works equally successfully on smooth, uneven or cracked sub-grade
surfaces.

It is of course true that for irregular and cracked subgrade surfaces the amount
required is more. This type is rich in cement and hence its cost is high. Satisfactory
curing of shotcrete is very important requirement for successful lining. It is suitable for
resurfacing the old cement concrete lining. This type of lining has been found to be
most successful.
Other Types of Lining Using Cement:

2. Precast concrete lining:

This type of lining is constructed with precast concrete slabs. The slabs are
manufactured at a suitably located central place. The slabs may then be
taken to the site at the time of construction. The size of concrete slab
should be such that it can be handled by one or two men. The size may
be 50 cm x 30 cm. The thickness of the slab may range from 5 to 6.5 cm.
The blocks are manufactured with some interlocking arrangement at
ends.
 Precast concrete lining
Advantages of pre-cast cement concrete tile linings:
1. Higher strength for equivalent thickness
2. Avoids plaster finish
3. No lead of raw materials
4. Lesser skilled labor, as compared to that for cast-in-situ cement
concrete lining, is required for pre-cast cement concrete tile lining
5. Easy to repair
6. Various types of joints possible
7. Lesser formwork than what is required for cast-in-situ cement concrete
lining, is required here
 Disadvantages of pre-cast cement concrete tile linings:
1. Slow progress
2. Not suitable for curves
3. Too light for *hydel channels
* Hydel canals often require greater thickness of lining than
the irrigation canals, because of the drawdown effects and
non-possibility of closure of hydel canals for repairs.
Other Types of Lining Using Cement:

3. Cement mortar lining:

In this type of lining it is very essential to have well graded sand. The
sand should range from fine to coarse to meet the requirements of
durability and appearance. The amount of cement required is
more and hence the cost is also more. The thickness of this type of
lining may vary from 9 mm to 38 mm. The method of construction is
similar to that of concrete lining.
Other Types of Lining Using Cement:

4. Soil cement lining:

Sometimes cement may be mixed with the water and locally available soil.
The soil before using should be thoroughly analyzed in laboratories by
conducting various tests. The water soil and cement is mixed to get a
workable mixture. After spreading this mixture on the subgrade it is
compacted to attain maximum density. This type of lining may be
constructed with a travelling mixer with a slip form. It has been experienced
that this type of lining can be constructed rapidly and has a low cost.
Thickness of Lining

Linings for Irrigation Canals. United States Department

of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. First Edition, 1963.
LABOR
1. Cement Concrete Lining

Hand placing of cement concrete is usually adopted particularly for smaller canal sections. The
cement concrete shall be dumped and spread on the bed and side slopes of the canal, usually in panels of
not more than 3m wide, with suitable joints in between.

When the lining is hand placed, attention has to be paid to the concrete mix. The concrete must
not be very fluid to avoid it creeping downward from the sides. On steep side slopes, formwork is
necessary to hold the concrete in place until it sets.

Mechanical placing of cement concrete for laying C.C. lining is usually adopted on large sized
projects in developed countries, by using slip-form machines supported on rails placed along both terms
of the canal.
 LABOR

2. Shotcrete Lining

In this type of lining, cement mortar is applied by pneumatic pressure. Shotcrete is of immense
use for smaller jobs, because of the lighter equipment and small crew required to carry out the work.
 LABOR

3. Brick, Stone or Boulder Masonry, Precast Concrete Lining

Bricks or concrete tiles can be laid by ordinary masons, and specially skilled labor, as required for
cast-in-situ CC lining, is not required.

Lining of stone masonry can be applied in areas where suitable materials, such as stone are
available. In boulder lining, the construction of this type is relatively slow, the transporting cost of the
material is very high therefore, the cost of labor is the major expense so, it cannot be recommended for
all cases.

This type is more suitable for main canals under scouring action or in locations where there is
movement of gravel along the bed.
 LABOR

4. Clay lining

If a sufficient volume of clay is available near the irrigation scheme, a clay lining could be
considered. Lining canals with clay is rather labor intensive, and so the costs of labor should be taken into
account when comparing costs and benefits.
 LABOR

5. Soil-cement Lining

It is suitable for areas where good sandy soils are available within or in the vicinity of the project
area.

6. Plastic Lining

Plastic lining is easy to install.

CONSIDERATIONS

1. Functional Success:

The canals are lined to prevent seepage loss.

Obviously the type which gives maximum
required water-tightness to the canal section
should be chosen.
CONSIDERATIONS

2. Economic Consideration:

It is very essential to make sure that the type

selected is such that the benefits derived from it
are sufficient to balance the annual cost of the
lining with safe margin.
CONSIDERATIONS

3. Structural Stability:

The type of lining selected should be sufficiently

strong to resist the damaging forces. Lining
should be sufficiently flexible to allow moderate
settlement of subgrade without cracking.
CONSIDERATIONS

4. Hydraulic Efficiency:

The lining selected should give smooth finish to the

surface. If the surface is rough the coefficient of rugosity
will be high. It reduces the velocity of flow and
consequently discharge capacity of the canal is
reduced.
CONSIDERATIONS

5. Durability:

The type of lining selected should have sufficient

working or useful life. The lining should be resistant to
wearing, weathering and chemical attack.
 economics of canal lining.xlsx