Drainage enables the reception of all excess water from the catchment area—either by gravity (free fall) or artificially using pumps—and evacuates it further into the main receivers: the Tisa and the Danube rivers.
The routes of the Basic Canal Network (OKM) are designed so that the dimensions of the flow profiles of these large and powerful canals meet requirements both horizontally and vertically. The catchment area that drains by gravity has been placed in a particularly favorable position, and in Banat, this area makes up about 60% of the total catchment.
The gravity drainage area of the basic canal network amounts to:
- in Banat: 440,000 ha
- in Bačka: 530,000 ha
The total inflow of excess water is significant, so new drainage systems have been built and existing ones reconstructed. The drainage function is partially used even during the construction of individual OKM sections and is significantly enhanced after the completion of specific units and the establishment of a water regime.
In central and northern Banat, with the commissioning of completed OKM sections by 1972, the conditions for receiving and evacuating excess water from the catchment area have significantly improved. Some local drainage systems now have more favorable outlets, allowing for gravity drainage over a larger area, thus eliminating the need to pump water into the Tisa.
With the completion of the main canal, drainage conditions in this part of Banat will improve further, as the planned water regime will then be established. However, it is only with the construction of upcoming drainage systems that this function of OKM will be expanded, i.e., the degree of OKM utilization for drainage will increase. This is primarily required by agriculture and new demands in the near future.
The total length of major canals and watercourses that are canalized and part of the OKM system is:
- in Banat: 509 km
- in Bačka: 421 km
It is also important to note that the gravity drainage area of OKM receives water from the territories of Hungary and Romania. Nevertheless, drainage remains the most developed activity within the OKM. This is not surprising, considering that this was anticipated in the OKM design plan.
All development programs for drainage system construction were carried out based on investment programs. Until the late 1980s, construction progressed well.
Funding for the construction and reconstruction of drainage systems came from multiple sources: the General Investment Fund, banks, water management organizations, and agriculture. The period up to 1975 is considered the best period for the construction of the detailed canal network. Later plans and construction programs for drainage systems were implemented under more difficult financial conditions, with the goal of bringing all systems to the same level of security.
In the later period, a more complex approach was adopted—besides the open canal network, drainage systems were also constructed. These drainage systems are experimental and research-based, aiming to gather valuable experience in this field.
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