The document discusses water losses that occur in canals due to evaporation, percolation, and transpiration. It identifies the key causes of water losses for each category, such as temperature, soil permeability, and vegetation growth. Methods to reduce losses, such as efficient field irrigation practices and canal management, are also presented. In conclusion, transit water losses from the canal head to the fields are defined, and the three main causes and approaches to lower losses are recapped.

1. P R E S E N T A T I O N
O N
L O S S E S I N C A N A L S
B Y : - A N A N D K U M A R
1 6 3 3 8 5 1
I.K.G-P.T.U(MAIN
CAMPUS)
KAPURTHALA

2. CONTENTS-
Introduction
Causes of water losses
a) Losses due to Evaporation.
b) Losses due to Percolation.
c) Losses due to Transpiration.
 Methods to Reduce water losses
 Conclusion
 References

3. INTRODUCTION
 The loss of water due to seepage and evaporation
from irrigation canals constitutes a substantial
percentage of the usable water .
 From the point of the head works where the water
enters in the main channel up to the final point
where water is supplied to the agriculture field ,
considerable amount water is lost (not available for
the field-irrigation ) is called water losses or transit
losses or transmission losses.

4. CAUSES OF WATER LOSSES
 There are three basic causes of such water
losses which are as stated below :-
 1. Losses due to Evaporation.
 2. Losses due to Percolation.
 3. Losses due to Transpiration (through
the weeds and the vegetation on
the bank of channels).

5. LOSSES DUE TO EVAPORATION
 The loss of water through evaporation depends
upon various factors like temperature . Surface
are of the water bodies relative humidity (if
relative humidity is 100% i.e. the air is totally
saturated with moisture there will be almost no
evaporation if the air is totally dry i.e. there is no
moisture the rate of evaporation will be
maximum), velocity of wind , cloudiness etc.
 In the summer season in India as the duration of
the day is higher the in coming solar radiation
,through short waves ,is more and so during
these months the rate of evaporation is more and
during rainy season the rate of evaporation is
less.

6. LOSSES DUE TO PERCOLATION
a) Permeability of the soil in the bed and on the
banks of the channel
b) The depth of the water in the channel
c) Velocity of the flow
d) Amount of slit in the water
e) Temperature of water
f) Age of the channel
g) The depth of the ground water

7. LOSSES DUE TO TRANSPIRATION
 There is a little loss of water through the plants
,vegetation and the weeds on the banks of the
channels due to transportation . This can be
controlled by keeping the banks clean from the
growth of vegetation and weeds .

8. Methods to reduce Water losses
1. Field method : Distributing water on land
efficiently by attaining better soil moisture
retention .
2. Management practices : Monitor , observe and
determine soil, water conditions .

9. Conclusion:
 We conclude that water enter in main channel up to
final point where water is supplied , a water loss is
called transit losses .
 Also we have studied there are three basic cause of
such losses looses due to evaporation, percolation
and transpiration and after that we studied the
method to reduce such losses.

10. References
 Irrigation Engineering –I by Dr. Ravikant pagnis
 Google (wikipedia)