Assessment of water resources allocation options: Conjunctive use planning in a link canal command

Shortages of surface water supplies necessitate development of groundwater in many canal commands. Groundwater can be used optimally in conjunction with surface supplies in a conjunctive use system. In the present study potential and feasibility of conjunctive use planning for one of the proposed link canal, Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)–Pennar (Somasila) canal, under peninsular rivers development as a part of India's ambitious river linking program, has been explored. This link canal has been proposed considering only surface water supplies, neglecting the groundwater potential. Further, water demand and available water resources of the area are evaluated considering both the surface and groundwater resources. A simple economic-engineering optimization model is presented, to explore the potential of conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources using linear programming with various hydrological and management constraints, and to arrive at an optimal cropping pattern for optimal use of water resources for maximization of net benefits. The LINDO 6.1, optimization package has been used to arrive at optimal allocation plan of surface water and groundwater. The results substantiated that conjunctive use planning is beneficial and feasible for the proposed canal command. A considerable quantity of surface water (i.e. 43,189 ha m) can be saved for the other needy area as a part of inter-basin water transfer by implementing the proposed conjunctive use of surface and groundwater.