“Drip Kit” is a movable low-cost drip irrigation created by fourth year Agricultural Engineering student Job Siwimol Lekkridee from the Faculty of Engineering at RMUTT, with mentorship from Prof. Veerapong Krusong, who designed and built the “Drip Kit.”
Ms. Job said that she created the “Drip Kit” to help farmers establish an irrigation system that saves costs and is movable. She designed a bag to carry water that can also carry the equipment as well. The components of the “Drip Kit” are: 1. Bag to carry 20-25 liters of water. With water, the water level in the bag will be 35 cm above the water distribution channel. 2. 160 cm adjustable steel frame for hanging the bag, which can be adjusted in six lengths, ranging from 100-150 cm. 3. Main pipe that connects to the valves and fittings. 4. A total of six parallel drip lines. Each line contains five holes to distribute water, with each hole being 30 cm apart. With all equipment, the bag weighs no more than six kilograms.
It takes approximately nine to 10 minutes to assemble the “Drip Kit” and eight minutes to dissemble and keep all the equipment. 1. Assemble the steel frame for hanging the bag by twisting the screw. 2. Hang the bag on the steel frame and select the desired height. 3. Connect the main pipe together by using a three-way connector fitting. 4. Connect the main pipe with the pipe that is connected to the valve. 5. Connect the main pipe to the bag. 6. Connect the parallel drip lines to the main pipe. 7. Fill the bag with water and it is ready for use.
The average flow rate and duration of water until the bag became empty was tested at a height of 150 cm, 120 cm, and 100 cm. The height of the water in the bag was at 125 cm, 95 cm, and 75 cm and yielded an average flow rate of 0.54, 0.43, and 0.37 liters/hour respectively. The time it took until the bag became empty was 1 hour 53 minutes, 2 hours 46 minutes, and 4 hours 7 minutes respectively. Each “Drip Kit” costs approximately 2,500 THB to make. Farmers that are interested can ask for more information by contacting Prof. Veerapong or calling Tel. 081-302-4182.
