1 AIT Asian Institute of Technology

Modeling runoff from small agricultural watersheds in the semi-arid tropics

AuthorKumar, Alok
Call NumberAIT Thesis no.WM-96-20
Subject(s)Runoff

NoteA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering. School of Civil Engineering
PublisherAsian Institute of Technology
Series StatementThesis ; no. WM-96-20
AbstractA major portion of the Semi-Arid area in India have the Vertie Inceptisols soils. These soils are located on lands exceeding 2% slope, shallow, and prone to soil erosion. The crop productivity in these soils is affected by the less amount of soil water available to the plant, and because of the severe loss of soil during the heavy storms. The present study has been undertaken with a view to deveĀ°Iop a model for the Vertie Inceptisol soils to predict the runoff which is relatively simple in concept and with a reasonable data demand. The developed model integrates the processes of evapotranspiration, infiltration, and soil moisture redistribution and predicts seasonal runoff, soil moisture storage, evapotranspiration, and deep percolation on a daily basis. In this model the retention parameter is calculated based on the soil moisture accounting procedure, and the evapotranspiration is estimated on the basis of time delay factor. The model is validated against the measured data from the Vertie Inceptisol watershed. The predicted runoff from the model matches well to the runoff measured from the watershed. Another available model PERFECT is also evaluated against the same set of data and the model is found to over predict the runoff. The model developed in this study is simple and has less data requirement, hence finds a possible wide range of application besides the prediction of runoff. It can be used for estimating natural recharge to groundĀ· water, determining effective rainfall, evaluating the impact of land use changes on the water yield of a watershed, and for irrigation scheduling.
Year1996
Corresponding Series Added EntryAsian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. WM-96-20
TypeThesis
SchoolSchool of Civil Engineering
DepartmentDepartment of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE)
Academic Program/FoSWater Engineering and Management (WM)
Chairperson(s)Murty, V.V.N.;
Examination Committee(s)Loof, Rainer;Kubo, N.;
Scholarship Donor(s)Royal Government of Netherlands ;
DegreeThesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1996


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