IRRIGATION IN INDIA

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9125, 8 June 1895, Page 9

IRRIGATION IN INDIA

" Weekly Press and Referee." [Contributed.] " What irrigation has done in America " has ofren been descubed; it may be interesting to foliow up the subject and show what has been done by irrigation in a single province in ludia —The Paujab. The figures are taken from the latest official report published—.bat for 1893-94. The irrigation works in India are of two kinds—canals and reservoirs. Of the latter there are only a few small ones in The Punjab, situated in the Goorgaon di trict near Delhi. These were constructed and made over to the Civil officers of the district by whom they are managed, so that the Canal D.-partnient has no longer anything to do with them.

The canals, agaia, are classed under two heads —perennial and inundation. The former irrigate all the year round, whilst the latter only work in the summer months, when the melting snows in the Himalayas give a plentiful eupply of water in the rivers.

The total mileage of canals completed up to 1893-4 was 4,313 miles, with 8,765 miles of major distributions constructed by Government, and exclusive of the minor distributaries made by the people to lead the water into their fields. The area of irrigation varies considerably with the season, but the province is so largo, stretching from Peahawur to below Ddllii and from the borders of Scinde to the Himalayas, that the average Is pretty constant, for when there is drought at one extremity the rain falls plentifully at the other. The year 1893-4, however, was a bad one for canals, as the total area irrigated was only 2,786,356 acres against 3.042,241 in l«91-2. Ou the Sirhind Caual alone there was a decrease of 400,000 acres.

The value of the crop irrigated was seven and a half million sterling, and of this three million was for wheat grown upon 1,096,748 acres. This is the market value of the produce at the nearest district town, and is not its value f.o.b. at Bombay or Calcutta. The capital outlay on construction was £9,034,504 and the assessed revenue £735,473. But this latter sum does not represent the full value to the Government of the canal, for the enhanced value of the land admits of a higher land tax, and for the matter of that the whole land revenue of the area under irrigation is entirely dependent on the supply of water. Should the crops fail the revenue would have to be remitted. -

These canala with certain railways are classed ac "Famine Protective Works," for as before remarked when there i 3 scarcity at one part there is a surplus at the other, so that in the Punjab actual famine has been effectually grappled with and there are ho longnr those awful scenes one has passed through in former years.

In passing I may mention one curious fact about the early days of the Punjab before roads and railways were constructed. One year there was such a bumper crop in certain districts in the north of the province that the Revenue had to be remitted. The grain was a drue in the locil market, there was no means of transporting it elsewhere, and the people could get no money to pay their rates. Those days have passed and the grain is now cheaply transported to the London market.

There are five perennial canals besides a great number of Inundation ones on the lower reaches of the Indus, Chenab and Sutlej rivers. The Swat canal in the N.W. is only twenty-two miles long, has 143 miles of major distributaries and irrigates 110,819 acres. This work wan largely a political one to pacify the wild Afreedies in the Swat valley. It cost £363,418 and was opened in 1885.

The Chenab canal, which takes (out of that river and irrigates the land south of it, was only opened in 1892, and at present has but 141 miles of canal and 653 miles of major distributaries completed. In 1893-04 it irrigated 270,405 acres. It is capable of large development and there is an immense area of uncultivated land waiting for water. The Baree Doab canal takes out of the Bavee river at the foot of the hills, runs past Amritsar and Lahore to Gogaira half way to Moottan. Ie has completed 362 miles main channels, 1053 miles major distributaries, and irrigated 540,057 acres. It was opened in 1860. The Sirhind canal takes out of the Sutlej river and irrigates the lands to the south of it. It has completed 542 miles main canal, 4653 miles of major distributaries and irrigated but 275.897 acres. There was a falling off of over 400,000 acres owing to plentiful rainfall. It was opened in 1883, and when completed will water 750,000 acres.

Then there is the Western Jumna canal, which takes out of the Jumna river at the foot of the hiUs, and has four main branches running to Delhi, Robtule, Hisear and Sirsa. It has 393 miles of canal and 1417 miles of major distributaries completed, and in 1893 94 irrigated 359,943 acres. In 1877-78 which wan a year of famine, the area was 507,974 acres. This canal was commenced in 1819 —seventy-six years ago by Captain Colvin of the Bengal Engineers, and was opened for partial irrigation two years later—lt was more or less on the lines of an old channel constructed by the Moghul Emperor of Dehli—Feroze Shah, who reigned A.D 1351-1388. It has been gradually developed since Captain Colvin'a day and has atill some miles under construction. When he flrat commenced work he had a squadron of cavalry attached to him. The line ran through tracts of dense juogle Inhabited only by cattle thieves and outlaws for the wilds were far too deep to admit of the irrigation necessary for the smallest patches of cultivation. The only crops they could grow were sparse fields of millet, which was sown and allowed to grow as bsst it could, the cultivator gathering what wae left him by the deer, the wild pigs, &c. But in a few years after the introduction of canal water the jungle disappeared, and the raiders became peaceful cultivators of the soil. Villages sprang up, and although the fields were at first often tilled with weapons handy the people quietened down. Now, far as the eye can reach, there is a sheet of cultivation largely composed of sugarcane and the more valuable crop*. Such Is the effect of canal water in India.

1893-91. SSH D^ U ' Ifr i!?e. On * Miles. a£i lee> Acres. Swat Hirer M 22 143 110.819 Cbenab .. 11l 653 270 405 BareeDoal .. 362 1,053 510,057 Sirhind .. .. 542 4.653 275.897 Western Jumna 393 1,417 359.913 Total Perennial 1,460 7,919 1,557,121 Inundation „ 2,853 816 1,229,235 Grand Total.. 4,313 8.755 2.786.356 FJ.