Aids to maintenance: guidelines for monitoring system condition.

Abstract

The first part of the report presents an overview of maintenance procedures in the irrigation sector including case studies on the management of maintenance funding in Sri Lanka and Mexico. The report also reviews the 'types' of asset failure seen in irrigation systems and their consequent impact on function. The impact of physical, environmental and institutional characteristics on rates of asset deterioration and consequent budgetary need is also reviewed. The section concludes with a discussion of the practicality of linking maintenance to 'standards of service' as perceived by irrigators.

The second part of the report describes the MARLIN procedure which provides:

  • A planning tool for periodic maintenance tasks based on objective criteria.

  • Standardised condition assessment procedures linking condition to hydraulic function and structural stability.

  • Guidance on task priorities.

  • A dynamic inventory of assets, their condition and maintenance history.

The output also contains a detailed analysis of the performance and maintenance constraints from 1985 to 1997 seen on the Muruthawela Irrigation System in Sri Lanka, where these maintenance planning procedures were developed.

Field application of the procedure is made easier through use of the MARLIN software, developed during this project, but the procedures and proformas provided in this report and the companion document 'A Procedure for Panning Irrigation Scheme Rehabilitation', (OD/TN 84) can also be adopted without use of the software.

Citation

HR Wallingford, UK. 101 pp.

Aids to maintenance: guidelines for monitoring system condition.

Published 1 January 1998