Surface drainage systems, such as shallow ditches and open channels, are used to remove excess surface water from soil. They must be planned carefully based on topography, rainfall, and soil type. Maintenance is necessary to prevent silt deposits and erosion. Proper surface drainage prevents soil problems and ensures crops are not waterlogged.
In areas of high rainfall or low soil percolation, it is necessary to use surface drainage systems to remove excess surface water from the soil. Commonly used surface drainage systems include shallow ditches, open channels, grassy streams, and sloping banks. These drainage systems drain surface water quickly and efficiently, but don’t make much difference to groundwater. If there are land drainage problems due to groundwater, they will need other solutions.
Surface drainage must be carefully planned taking into account the topography of the land, the amount of rainfall received and the type of soil. In some cases, shallow ditches that follow the contours of the land may be sufficient, in others it may be necessary for the ditches to be deeper or for the land to be leveled or sloped to facilitate soil drainage. The ditches can follow a random pattern or a parallel pattern.
Large fields with many depression areas do well with randomly patterned field ditches. These shallow ditches follow the contours of the land, do not impede the movement of agricultural machinery and drain water from depressed areas. Parallel field ditches are excellent for agricultural drainage on flatter types of land and are also used to prevent erosion on sloping farmland. The water from the camp ditches is drained into lateral ditches. Lateral ditches then carry the water to a spillway.
Other methods for effective surface drainage include grading and leveling the land. Both involve the use of soil-moving equipment such as tractors, scrapers and graders to alter the surface of the land and facilitate surface water runoff. The land is first leveled to give it a proper slope and then sanded to remove any dips or obstructions.
Open drains and ditches must be maintained regularly to keep them free from silt deposits and vegetation growth. They also need to be monitored for signs of erosion. Sometimes open ditches, if they are quite deep, may need to be fenced in to prevent animals and people from accidentally falling into them.
Surface drainage is important in agricultural areas as it prevents many water-related soil problems and ensures that crops do not become waterlogged. Having a proper surface drainage system also prevents the topsoil from being washed away. The drained water is usually carried to a stream, river, dam or other drainage ditch.
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