Water Logging & Salinity
Water Logging
• An agricultural land is said to be water-
logged when its productivity gets affected by
high water table.
• Productivity gets affected when root zone of
plants gets flooded with water for long time.
• Nutrients like nitrates are required by the
plants which are produced by bacteria, and
they require oxygen for survival. Water
logging kills these bacteria.
Soil water / root zone
Aeration Intermediate zone
Lithosphere zone
Capillary zone
Water Logging
As per WAPDA’s criterion, the land having depth to water table less than
3 m is classified as water logged area.
Further Categories:
(1) Severely Water Logged Area (D = 0 -1.5 m, about 0 - 5')
(2) Less Severely Water Logged Area (D = 1.5 – 3 m)
Water Logging
(1987 data)
Causes of Water Logging
(1) Over and intensive irrigation
(2) Seepage of water from adjoining high lands
(3) Seepage of water through canals
(4) Impervious obstruction
(5) Inadequate natural drainage
(6) Inadequate surface drainage
(7) Excessive rain
(8) Irregular or flat topography
Causes of Water Logging
(1) Over and intensive irrigation
Policy of intensive irrigation increases water table.
To avoid this policy of extensive irrigation should be used.
(2) Seepage of water from adjoining high lands
Water from adjoining high lands may seep into subsoil of affected land
and may raise water table.
(3) Seepage of water through canals
Water may seep through beds and sides of canal network, reservoirs etc.
which increase water table.
(4) Impervious obstruction
Due to impervious strata water table rises from upstream side.
(5) Inadequate natural drainage
Soil having less permeable substratum below pervious soil will not able to
drain water deep into ground causes high water table.
(6) Inadequate surface drainage
If proper drainage is not available then the storm water constantly
percolates and rise level of water table.
(7) Excessive rain
Excessive rainfall may create temporary water logging (less intensity for
longer durations).
(8) Irregular or flat topography
In steep terrain water is drained quickly but in flat terrain drainage
is poor which raise water table.
Effect of Water Logging
Normal cultivation operations cannot be carried out easily in wet soil (makes
cultivation operation difficult due to standing water).
Certain water loving plants like grasses, weeds etc grow in water logged land
and affect the growth of the crops.
Water logging kills the bacteria which produces nutrients.
Causes the loss in crop yield.
Spread of mosquitoes and malaria.
Destruction of roads due to reduced bearing capacity.
Water logging leads salinity.
Causes dampness in buildings, appearance of salts on surface, weakens the
plaster and produces ugly spots.
If salty soil is used to make bricks, salts appear on the wall surface.
Remedial Measures for Water Logging
1. Lining of canals and water courses
2. Reducing the intensity of irrigation
3. Introducing crop rotation
4. Optimum use of water
5. Provision of intercepting drains
6. Provision of efficient drainage system
7. Improving natural drainage of area
8. Lift irrigation
1. Lining of canals and water courses
Lining of canal system reduces seepage of water.
2. Reducing the intensity of irrigation
In area where there is possibility of water logging, intensity
of irrigation should be reduced.
3. By introducing crop rotation
Certain crops require more water and others require less
water, so by rotation of these crops high water table could
be avoided.
4. Optimum use of water
Certain fixed amount of irrigation gives best results.
Less than and more than that reduces yield. This optimum
amount should be used for cultivation
5. Provision of intercepting drains
Intercepting drains along canals should be provided which
prevent seeping canal water from reaching the water
logged areas.
6. Provision of efficient drainage system
A good horizontal drainage system should be provided for
rainstorm water (surface and sub-surface).
7. Improving natural drainage of area
To reduce percolation of water the water should not stand
on surface for longer periods.
8. Lift irrigation
It helps in lowering the water table through tube
wells (vertical drainage).
Land Drainage
In irrigated area two types of drainage can be provided:
(1) Surface drainage
(2) Sub-surface Drainage / Tile Drainage
SCARPS: Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects
Difference between Canal and Drain
1) Surface drainage
Surface drainage is the removal of excess water by using and
constructing open ditches, field drains, land grading, and other
related structures.
Open drains/ditches which are used to remove water from excessive
irrigated areas and storm water are broad and shallow in shape
called shallow surface drains. These carry runoff to outlet drains
which are large enough to carry flood water, these drains are
called deep surface drains.
Land grading includes continuous land slope towards field drains.
Shallow surface drains are trapezoidal in cross section and are
constructed to carry normal storm water.
Deep surface drains are constructed to carry storm water plus excess
irrigated water from shallow/tile drains.
2) Sub-Surface drainage / Tile Drainage
Subsurface drains are required for soils with poor internal drainage and high
water table.
Tile drains are pipe drains and made up of porous material circular in cross
section.
Diameter may vary from 10 to 30 cm.
These drains laid below ground level and connected with each other.
Construction of subsurface drainage is given below:
(I) Envelope filter:
The trenches are back filled with sand and excavated material.
The tile drains should not be placed below less permeable strata.
When it is situated below less permeable strata then these are surrounded by
graded gravels called ‘Envelope Filters’.
It prevents inflow of soil into drain and increases effective tile diameter.
(II) Outlets for tile drains
• Water from tile drain is discharged into some bigger drains
called surface drains.
• The water from tile drains may be discharged by gravity or
pumping.
(A) Gravity outlets
(B) Pump outlets
Spacing Equation for Tile Drains
Salinity
Salinity is the process of accumulation of salts on the land surface or at
some depth below the land surface due to high water table close to land
surface for a longer time.
In water logged soils, salt appears on the surface with water due to
capillary action, water gets evaporated leaving layer (5-7.5 cm) of salts
on the surface (Efflorescence). The land effected by this process is
called saline soil.
Salinity is measured as the total amount of dissolved salts in parts per
thousand (sometimes called PSU or Practical Salinity Units by
scientists). Ten parts per thousand is equal to one percent.
Injurious salts are Alkali Salts like Na2CO3, Na2SO4 etc. Among these
black alkali is the most harmful and Na Cl is least harmful. These salts
are soluble in water.
The primary man-made cause of Salinity is irrigation.
River water or groundwater used in irrigation contains salts, which
remain in the soil after the water has evaporated.
Ground affected by Salinity
Salinity Control
The aim of soil salinity control is to prevent soil degradation from salinity
and reclaim salty (saline) soils.
Soil reclamation is also called soil improvement, rehabilitation, remediation.
It requires:
(1) Efficient Drainage
(2) Leaching
LEACHING
The primary method of controlling soil salinity is to permit 10-20% of the
irrigation water to leach the soil, be drained and discharged through an
appropriate drainage system.
The salt concentration of this drained water is normally 5 to 10 times higher
than that of the irrigation water, thus salt export not matches salt import and
thus it is removed.
When Sodium Carbonate is present in saline soil, Gypsum (CaSO4) is
generally added to the soil before leaching by mixing with water. Na2CO3
reacts with CaSO4, forms Na2SO4 which can be leached out.
