Benchmarking Irrigation Water Delivery Performance Before and After Irrigation Modernization: A Case Study of the Uluborlu Irrigation Scheme, Türkiye

Aynur Fayrap

doi:10.24925/turjaf.v14i9.2556-2564.9312

Authors

Aynur Fayrap General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, Department of Operation and Maintenance, Branch of Irrigation and Drainage, 06530, Ankara, Türkiye https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5924-6126

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i9.2556-2564.9312

Keywords:

Irrigation modernization, Benchmarking, Water delivery performance, Water saving, Pressurized irrigation network

Abstract

The demand to enhance irrigation system performance through modernization and more effective water management has grown due to climate change and growing water constraint. It is necessary to use objective and standardized performance assessment techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of irrigation modernization. Using globally accepted benchmarking indicators, this study evaluated the effect of irrigation modernization on water delivery performance in the Uluborlu Irrigation Scheme, Türkiye. The project was first put into service in 1984 as a conventional open-channel, gravity-fed irrigation system. Since 2012, it has been updated and run as a pressurized, piped irrigation network. Irrigation water delivery performance was assessed using three benchmarking indicators: annual relative water supply (ARWS), annual irrigation water delivery per unit irrigated area (AIWD-IA), and annual irrigation water delivery per unit command area (AIWD-CA). Annual data from the pre-modernization (2002–2011) and post-modernization (2012–2021) periods were compared. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data, and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to investigate the differences between the two periods. After modernization, the benchmarking indicators steadily declined. ARWS decreased from 0.81 to 0.61, AIWD-IA from 5 913.1 to 4 472.1 m³ ha⁻¹, and AIWD-CA from 5 345.5 to 3 740.7 m³ ha⁻¹. Additionally, a more reliable irrigation water delivery regime was demonstrated by fewer standard deviations following modernization. Temporal trends and descriptive data consistently showed reduced water delivery levels over the post-modernization period, although these decreases were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Although the anticipated benefits were only partially realized, the results show that irrigation modernization enhanced operational water conservation and contributed to a more reliable irrigation water delivery regime. This study demonstrates that benchmarking provides a robust and standardized framework for evaluating irrigation modernization outcomes and supports evidence-based decision-making for sustainable irrigation management.

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