Existing Solutions

Reservoir, irrigation zone and agricultural productivity

technical

• Social
• Integral

In the late 90′s, users of the module 8 belonging to the Association of Users “General Eufemio Zapata Salazar, AC”, began to suffer water shortages due to the flow decline the “The Sabines” spring which gives life to the Cuautla River and is the main source of irrigation supply to this organization belonging to the Irrigation District 016 in the “State of Morelos.”

 Moreover there is a deteriorating infrastructure resulting from the improper operation of the system as well as the lack of appropriate and consistent preventive maintenance, resulting in a reduction of up to 70% in the volumes extracted.

 That is why it is necessary to build infrastructure and modernize irrigation systems so that water can be supplied to the agricultural sector in the region. The Gigante dam and its irrigation zone benefits 108 hectares and 93 families. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 485 thousand cubic meters and the irrigation is applied through mechanization with Drip irrigation and sprinkler impact systems in lands of Rural Property belonging to Col. Leopoldo Heredia, in the Ayala Municipality. The community is a combination of urban and rural population of medium income. By ensuring irrigation in the region an increase in sugarcane production of 70 ton/ha to 120t/ha will be achieve.

 At the state level this work represents a solution to social conflicts between water right users of the lower Rio Cuautla irrigated area.

The reservoir and the irrigation project area are located in the Ayala Municipality in the State of Morelos, Mexico,

The project is a demand from users of the “module 8” belonging to the “General Eufemio Zapata Salazar, AC,” Users Association which took part in the process of finding potential solutions to the problem, and a choice of location of the infrastructure in question.

Following this the National Water Commission through the Balsas River Basin Agency, made the necessary studies to identify the feasibility, benefits and the construction of the dam, involving the users in every step.

The project’s continuity is reflected in the development, operation & maintenance of the infrastructure.

The works (dam and irrigation project zone) are built and fully operational.

 Also, along with investments in mechanization a program of crop conversion is being promoted, which together with The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), actions in this direction are coordinated to visibly improve the economic condition of all producers in the region.

The main question would be, How to mitigate water shortage for agricultural use, suffered in central state of Morelos? The answer being the building of El Gigante dam with a storage capacity of 485 thousand cubic meters and an irrigation project area of 108 hectares, of which, 80 % is by drip irrigation and 20% by impact spraying.

By building this infrastructure, it directly benefited 93 families, but the main reward is the solution of social conflicts over scarce water resources between communities of the municipalities of Ayala and Tlaltizapan, through an increasein the efficiency of irrigation by modernizing old water distributing methods In addition to directly supporting the economy of the region

Indicators:

• Hectares of modernized farm land, (ha).
• Water irrigation hectares Incorporated (ha).
• Tech Incorporated rain-fed land, hectares (ha).

Interested parties could be any authority and /or user that require effective solutions for efficient water use in agriculture;

Interested parties could be any authority and /or user that require effective solutions for efficient water use in agriculture;

Such actions could see large-scale benefits in comprehensive systems, which are linked locally and regionally.

In order to maximize the impact, marketing campaigns could be arranged to show users the profitability of modernization, showing the economy in water usage savings in in the short-and long-term.

The building of infrastructure, in this case for storage and optimal distribution of water for agriculture, will never cease to be of great importance and benefits but its necessary to have in place support systems and mechanization by type of crop or the different characteristics particular to every place in order to make the system more efficient.

 The investment for this type of infrastructure is according to the one planned, for example for the “El Gigante” dam, the investment was 35 Million 714 Thousand and 58.58 pesos, and this project has the following features:

• Concrete dam, with a gravity section height of 29.02 meters, crest width of 3 meters and 160 meters of overall length.
• 30 meter long Creager type profile spillway crest, finished in a ski jump like structure with a energy-dissipating structure for a design flow of 115 m³/s.
• Intake housed on the left, with steel pipe penstoke of 304mm (12”) nominal diameter and 12.20 m in length.
• Emergency spillway on the right bank built with steel pipe of 914 mm (36”) nominal diameter and 20.20m long, with a design flow of 5.0 m³/s.

The irrigation project area was built with an investment of $ 7,630,965.54 and includes:

• 6.97 km of main line with 1 and 14 inches diameter pvc duct.
• Distribution network of 6.75 km with 14, 12, 10, 8 and 6 inches diameter pvc pipes.

 This project was done for the benefit of 108 ha and 93 families, whose only source of income comes from farming, so it becomes highly necessary to implement efficient systems for water resources, due to the shortage of resources and entails a high dependence on the cycles of nature (rain fed irrigation) which would have as a consequence, a high vulnerability to potential disasters and economic uncertainties. It is, also, a support system which will no longer be marked by the seasonal cycle.

Water rights user associations, State government, and basin agencies from the national water commission.

Name: Juan Carlos Valencia Vargas, Balsas Basin Organism from the National Water Commission in México.

Address: Nueva Bélgica S/N, Esq. Pedro de Alvarado, Col. Reforma Norte C.P. 62260, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México

Telephone +52(777) 3139950, +52(777) 3113022 ext. 1000, 1001, 1002, email:

juan.valencia@conagua.gob.mx

 Name: Pablo Jaime Jiménez Barranco, Director de Hydro-agricultural infrastructure Balsas Basin Organism from the National Water Commission in México.

Address: Av. Universidad N° 5 Planta Baja, Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México,

Telephone +52(777) 1013512, +52(777) 3113022 ext. 1400, 1401, email: jaime.jimenez@conagua.gob.mx