ABSTRACT
Irrigation canals form a complicated hydraulic system as they have to handle the motion of water and sediment as well as the mutual interaction of both motions. Flowing water transports sediment, this sediment causes changes in the bed and on the sides of the canal, which also influences the water movement. Hence, sediment transport and water flow are interrelated and cannot be separated; they influence each other in an implicit manner. The time scales of the two processes in canals are different (see Chapter 4) and therefore, the water flow and sediment transport can, in the first instance, be treated separately to specify their specific properties and characteristics.
