GIS based Irrigation Canal Alignment in Wayanad District, Kerala

Occurrence of prolonged droughts and floods in various parts of the country is primarily due to the improper management of water resources, which also hinders the growth of the nation. The only way to solve the issue is by constructing canal to the drought areas from the dam or rivers located nearby. The massive task of constructing canals requires multidisciplinary investigation on hydrological and agricultural factors that can be done using GIS and REMOTE SENSING. This project describes the design of a suitable path for construction canal from Karapuzha Dam in view of geomorphology, soil, land use and land cover pattern. Canals are also used for interlinking rivers. The digital information on topography, soils type, drainage pattern are obtained from SOI data and the land use/land cover pattern from LISS III image.1 meter contours was prepared using ASTER DEM image. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was extracted by interpolation from contour lines and used for horizontal and vertical alignment of the canal. The primary objective of the project is to identify the application capabilities of GIS in canal alignment. It also involves the estimation of agricultural and socio-economic benefits for the settlements in the reservoir basin.