Bricks are laid in layers of two with about 1.25 cm of 1 : 3 cement mortar sandwiched in between. Good quality bricks should be used and these should be soaked well in water before being laid on the moistened canal surface.
216 IRRIGATION AND WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING
Brick lining is suitable when concrete is expensive and skilled labour is not available. Brick lining is favoured where conditions of low wages, absence of mechanisations, shortage of cement and inadequate means of transportation exist. Brick linings have been extensively used in north India. The Sarda power channel has been lined with bricks. The thickness of the brick lining remains fixed even if the subgrade is uneven. Brick lining can be easily laid in rounded sections without form work. Rigid control in brick masonry is not necessary. Sometimes reinforced brick linings are also used.
