Agri Kultuur August / Augustus 2018 | Page 24

Japan ’ s four historical irrigation and drainage systems are Kitadate- , Gorobe- , Shirakawaand Tsukidome Irrigation System
The Kitadate Irrigation System was built in 1612 and consists of head works and initially a 10 km long open canal set up on a steep slope but later further extended by 30 km subsequently to take irrigation water from the Tachiyazawa river . The water for irrigation is supplied to 2 880ha of rice paddies at present .
The Gorobe Irrigation Canal System was built in 1631 with an intake gate facility with one main canal , 9 hand-dug Tunnels of 892m , 2 Kakebi ( aqueduct bridge ), 2 Hakoiribi ( wooden inverted siphon ), 5 Ishiiribi ( stone inverted siphon ), 18 Ishizumi ( masonny ), 4 Iwakiriire ( cliff-hanging canal ), 20 Wakutate ( water distribution facilities ). The length of the barrage ( earth canal by embankment ) is 1,1km and the height of barrage is 2.4m with 3 Waterwheel facilities using water hydraulic power for rice and flour mill .
The Shirakawa basin Irrigation system was built in 1606 to 1637 and are four irrigation systems in the Shirakawa River Watershed in Kumamoto , Japan :
1 . “ Uwa-ide ” Irrigation System , of which the main irrigation canal is 14km long to develop about 330 ha of new rice fields in 1618 – 1637 ;
2 . “ Shita-ide ” Irrigation System with 12 km of the main irrigation canal for 270 ha of rice fields in 1589 – 1618 ;
3 . “ Babagusu-ide ” Irrigation System with 14 km of the main irrigation canal for 95 ha of rice fields in 1588 – 1608 ; and
4 . “ Toroku ” Irrigation System with 2.6 km of the main irrigation canal and three lateral irrigation canals constructed in 1596 – 1606 . 1 083 ha of new rice fields were developed with the irrigation systems .
The Tsukidome Irrigation Canal was built in 1705 and consists of two canals : Nishi-yousuiiji ( western irrigation canal and present-day Nagase-gawa canal with a length of 14 175 km , and a water intake with an amount of 0.8 - 1.0 m 3 / sec ) and Higashi-yousuiiji ( eastern irrigation canal and present-day Tamakushigawa canal with a length of 13 435 km , and water intake amount of 1.0 - 1.5 m 3 / sec ). The two canals were opened following the rerouting construction work of Old Yamatogawa River . Both the canals have approximate
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