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Micro-irrigation Technologies in the hills of Nepal:

Poverty Reducing Low-cost Irrigation devices 1

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Introduction

 IDE Nepal is focusing on reducing poverty of small-holders in Nepal through on-farm income generation, enabled by the introduction of appropriate irrigation technologies and the development of integrated agriculture markets 2

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Technologies adapted by IDE Nepal to the needs and resources of Nepalese hill farmer

 Simplified and Low-cost (SLC) Drip Irrigation Systems  Low-cost Micro sprinkler Systems  Low-cost Water Storage tanks 3

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SLC Drip Irrigation

      It is simplified version of the conventional drip irrigation The main simplified features are low-operating head, simple drippers & fittings and small size and divisible systems The operating head is just 1 meter. The system can be run even by filing the header tank manually.

A small system including the head tank capable of irrigating 125 square meter costs US $14.

Most parts of the system last 5 years All parts of the system are manufactured and assembled in Nepal   Irrigation takes place just opening the gate valve of the head tank.

Lasts fore more than five years 4

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Basic conditions for the use of a drip system

     Water quantity:100 to 800 liters of water per day depending on the size of the system and the growing season Water quality: water free from appreciable amount of salts, sediments and organic matters. Pre-filtration is required for sediment laden water.

Land area: More than 60 square meter. Plain, rolling or terraced preferably rectangular Crops: High value crops such as vegetable or fruit crops grown in rows.

Emitters spacing:60cm 5

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Cost and irrigated area

System size Small (Basic) Medium (Basic) Large (Basic) Small ( upgrade)  Irrigation coverage drippers  125 Sqm. 80 250 Sqm 500 Sqm 125 Sqm Medium ( Upgrade) 250 Sqm No. of 160 320 80 160 Users price ($) 14 21 35 7.5

14.5

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Main Components of SLC Drip System

Parts  Head Tank Unit 1 S 1 4/30/2020 Disc filter J. Filter G. valve 14 MM PVC Main line pipe 8 mm PVC drip lateral Outlet set Dripper 1 1 2 Meter meter 1 1 1 2 10 48 1 80 M 1 1 1 2 20 96 1 160 L 1 1 1 2 40 192 1 320 7

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System Installation Process

       preparation of crop beds Erection of the support structure for the head tank Connection of the main line with the gate valves First Water dripping and marking the wet spots Preparation of planting pits Second water dripping Transplantation/seedling & irrigating 8

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Operation & Maintenance

 Routine maintenance: cleaning of filters ( once a month)  Cleaning of the drippers in case of clogging  Storage of the system during the rainy season 9

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Low-cost Micro sprinkler technology: In 1998 IDE Nepal developed pre-assembled micro irrigation technology for irrigating vegetable crops up to 500sqm The package includes all necessary components such as pipes, filter, fittings, stand etc. instead of only micro sprinkler head

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Basic conditions for the feasibility of MS system

 Pressure: Minimum 8 meters, optimum=15 meters  Water discharge: 0.10-0.2 lps (Average discharge of 1/2 inch size public tap)  Land area: More than 60 sqn  Wind blow conditions: Not too windy area 11

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Main features of the technology

 As many as 8 micro-sprinklers can be operated with half inch pipe.

 No clogging problem as filter is also included in the system  Available in already assembled form & therefore easy to install  Easy to move the position of micro-sprinklers 12

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Cost and irrigated area

M L Size S Irrigation coverage MS heads 125 sqm 2 Users price $7 250 500 4 8 10 15 13

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Low-cost water Storage tanks

   After a three year (2000-2002) action research IDE Nepal developed three models of low-cost water storage tanks basically meant for storing upland water/rainwater for micro-irrigation of high value crops during the period of water gaps Three models: Cement mortar jar, Modified Thai Jar and Ferro cement lining The size of the tanks ranges between 500 and 10000 liters 14

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Three recommended Designs

 Cement Mortar Jar (CMJ): 500 & 10000 liters ( Jar shaped, partly buried or in raised platform)  Modified Thai Jar (MTJ):1500 & 3000 liters ( Jar shaped)  Ferro cement lining (FCL): 6000 & 10000 liters ( Rectangular & almost underground 15

Durability & construction costs

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CMJ 1.0

MTJ 1.5

MTJ 3.0

FCL 6.0

FCL 10.0

CC $21 $29 $40 $68 $100 $131 NC $8 11$ $14 $22 $53 $65 Total $29 $40 $54 $100 $153 $196 Time 3 ds 3 4 5 7 7 Life 10 y.

10 12 12 16 16 16

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Basic criteria for tank size selection

  a) b) c) Water gap, area to be irrigated, daily domestic needs and investment capacity There can be following cases in terns of sources of water: Only upland water sources ( spring, taps, streams) Combination of water sources & rainwater harvesting Only Rain water harvesting 17

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Dhanyavad!

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