DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATED WATER FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM FOR LOW-DISCHARGE IRRIGATION CANALS

Enhancing the efficiency of water resource management and the operation of irrigation canals is directly linked to the automation of water monitoring, accounting, and distribution, which is a key priority in this field. The challenge of ensuring adequate irrigation in areas with insufficient natural moisture is exacerbated by the inadequate operation of irrigation networks, particularly canals with low discharges. To address this issue, algorithms for the control of hydraulic gates have been developed as part of the design of an automated water distribution system for low-discharge irrigation canals. The use of a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller is proposed, enabling automatic regulation of gate opening and closing based on water flow data obtained from flowmeters.