Spring Water Quality Assessment and Its Utilization through Gravity and Solar-based Micro Irrigation System for hilly region

Abstract

This study aims to assess the spring water quality and its potential use in agriculture through gravity-fed and solar-powered micro-irrigation system. Water samples from naula at experimental farm of ICAR-Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, Almora, Uttarakhand, were collected and analysed for irrigation quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness and concentrations of Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, HCO₃⁻, and Cl⁻, including, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and coliform counts. Based on these parameters, all spring samples were classified as ranging from excellent to good in terms of irrigation suitability. The spring water stored in polylined tank and its effective utilization through gravity and solar based micro irrigation system done at site. The variation in emitter discharge was up to 42% as the gravity head increased from 1.75 m to 5.7 m. For micro-sprinklers, the maximum discharge variation was 8.53% under gravity heads of 3.6 m to 5.7 m, respectively. A solar pump with a capacity of 0.25 HP was tested at 5 m head for operating both drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems, and performed satisfactorily with coverage area 290 m2 and 198 m2, respectively. The coverage area reduced slightly to 220 m² for drip and 137 m² for micro-sprinklers at 10 m head condition, reflecting the influence of pressure head on system efficiency and water distribution satisfactorily.