5th International Conference on Rain Water Cistern Systems
"Rainwater Catchment for Future Generations"
Keelung, Taiwan, R.O.C. - August 1991

Section 5: Cistern Management and Operation Guidelines

Page 267

Water Operation On Tameike In Toban Region In Japan: A Rain Water Catchment System

Kunihiko Kitamura
Ishikawa agricultural college Japan

Isao Minami
Kyoto university, Japan

Abstract

Toban region has been irrigated mainly by tameikes which are operated mostly intensively. The rules of operation have been formed by farmers experience for hundreds of year. They are reasonable and instructive. So the author had investigated about the tameike operation in the Toban irrigation area for several years and got the following results.

1) Tameikes are classified into four types by their function, mother-ike, daughter-ike, independent-ike and collecting-ike. They compose a water system combining the function of each type of ike. Features of the system are much related to the topography. For example, in the flat belt, a close combination between mother-ike and daughter-ike Is obviously seen. In the mountainous belt, each independent-ike irrigates its own area independently. And each collecting-ike exclusively supplies its daughter-ikes. In the middle belt, the characteristics of both flat and mountainous belt are seen.

2) A standard storage level is set at each tameike. Usually, it is decided at a level of half to one-third of its full depth. When the storage of daughter-ike decreases to this level before the middle of September, the mother-ike supplies her during the night, from 20 to 6 o'clock in the next morning.

3) A ditch-tender selected among farmers exclusively operates the tameike and distributes the water to each plot of field systematically. His standard working time is usually 12 hours a day, from 6 to 18 o'clock. When it rains, he stops release of tameike to conserve its storage.

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