Performance Appraisal of Ravi Shankar Sagar Project Using Comparative Indicators

Reservoirs are subject to periodic degradation, resulting in a reduction in their overall performance. A timely performance assessment is required to address the deteriorating condition of the reservoir. In the present study the performance of the Ravi Shankar Sagar Project (RSSP) was assessed using some selected comparative performance indicators, namely, (i) agricultural (standard gross value of production (SGVP)); (ii) water-use (relative water and irrigation supply); (iii) Physical (irrigation ratio), and (iv) Hydropower (relative power supply). These indicators reveal the relative health of the RSSP over the years. The present study was carried out to evaluate the outputs and impacts of irrigation management practices and the hydropower performance of RSSP. The linear programming (LP) model was formulated using 1800 constraint equations and 1080 decision variables to maximize the monthly irrigation and hydropower releases from the RSSP. The LP model algorithm runs through Python 3.9 script. A total of 30 years (1989–2018) of monthly inflow data was collected from the Dhamtari gauging station of RSSP that was used in the LP model simulation. Monthly water requirements of the main cultivated crops in the study region, namely, rice, pulses, maize, wheat, and sugarcane, were estimated through CROPWAT 8.0 software in which the soil data obtained from the inbuilt system, and the required meteorological data obtained from CLIMWAT 2.0. The observed performance indicators varied significantly year-on-year based on RSSP cropping patterns, storage availability, and hydropower needs. This set of performance indicators developed in the study herein will help improve RSSP operations.