Purpose: to assess and analyze the current state of the Azov main canal in Rostov region to formulate the promising directions in water distribution automation.
Materials and methods. The information on the characteristics of the irrigation system posted on the information portal of the Federal State Research Institution All Russia Scientific and Research Institute for Irrigation and Farming Water Supply Systems “Raduga”, reference materials from literary sources, and reconnaissance data were used.
Results. The reasons for the low efficiency of irrigation water distribution and use were: changes in agriculture since the 1990s, an increase in the number of small producers, as well as deterioration in technical maintenance and loss of automation systems. The analysis over nine years showed an increase in water diversion volume from 53,100 to 62,982 thousand cubic meters and water yield from 25,900 to 46,969 thousand cubic meters, while the relationship between the volumes of water supply and disposal remains unstable. The number of water users increased from 55 to 84, and the irrigated areas – from 3800 to 4100 hectares. The efficiency of water use is also unstable, which indicates loss of opportunities for optimization.
Conclusions. The Azov main canal, previously equipped with automated systems, is now controlled manually. The canal is silted up and does not meet the design parameters. Low activity of farmers, a shortage of finances and personnel aggravate the situation. However, there are prospects for modernization, including the restoration of the hydrometric infrastructure and the introduction of modern automation systems.
the Azov irrigation system, main canal, water distribution, water registration, water use efficiency, hydrometric network, automation
Senchukov G. A., Gostishchev V. D. Analysis of the state and prospects of water distribution in the Azov irrigation system. Ways of Increasing the Efficiency of Irrigated Agriculture. 2025;95(1):137–155. (In Russ.).
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