Question

Give a geographical reason for the following:

Inundation canals are being converted to perennial canals.

Why are inundation canals converted into perennial canals?

Answer 1

Inundation canals are being converted to perennial canals because:

1. Inundation canals originate from rivers and lack regulating systems such as weirs, whereas perennial canals retain water year-round.
2. Inundation canals, often known as “flood water” canals, only receive water when rivers flood during the rainy season. Perennial canals receive water throughout the year.
3. During droughts, these canals dry up.
4. Unlike perennial canals, inundation canals are not lined, allowing water to infiltrate into the surrounding land and generate swamps.
5. Inundation canals, unlike perennial canals, do not have a regulatory mechanism at the head and cannot be utilised to irrigate higher levels.