A MAMMOTH ARTIFICIAL LAKE.

Waikato Times, Volume 88, Issue 13488, 19 May 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

A MAMMOTH ARTIFICIAL LAKE.

A remarkable engineering feat was recently accomplished iin Southern India when the mammoth artificial lake ot Marikanave was completed in Mysore, an Indian State ruled by an enlightened and progressive maharajn. It is IS miles long and has an area of 30 square miles. The dam thrown across the gorgt-- 240 ft wide — to impound water that erstwhile ran to waste and is now being utilised for irrigating land that would hi' otherwise patched and barren, is 1330 f- long, 162 ft high, and loft thick. A weir 470 ft long has been built to discharge excess water, which, during the monsoon, is heavy. The work was initiated and finished by Indian engineers, and is a monument to their engineering skill, as it- is a credit to the Government of his Highness the .Maharaja, who furnished the money for it. The object for which the lake has been constructed is thus described in an interesting account that appears in The Modern Review (Calcutta): "The chief object of th;- scheme is to irrigate the land round about the town ot Hiriyur. in the Chitaldrug District —a tract of land which, compared with, other parts of the State, is barren. The annual ainiall is only 15 inches, and in poor years- as little as six or ■seven. The hike would thus prevent- a huge amount of water running to waste and provide an extensive area of land with a regular supply, which would thus protect the people during the frequent periods of local scarcity."

It appears, however, that the work has not- been completed without mishap:

"In four months after the operations were commenced the work received a rude check, for cholera broke out, a most serious matter among a community of over uOW persons crowded together in huts. Drastic measures were taken. The sick were isolated; pure water was provided and the prople forbidden to drink of the contaminated stream which was the cause of the trouble; huts were destroyed and wells disinfectpd ; in all. about 400 -people died. Some 4000 work people, who had been brought to the place as the result of hard work, decamped, taking with them 2000 rupees (£133) as advances. This was ultimately recovered. Alter this tlie place was free and no pains were spared by the authorities to'protect the huge number of coolies cmployed. Before they had completed the dam a heavy flood came, covered the walls and Idled the place in which thev were working with water. The water and .sand were removed and the

work of constructing the dam was '"ontinued, with little interruption, tiil the complexion. The question of the nnturo of the stone to he used was derided by searching experiments, h was found that hematite quartzito, which could be obtained at comparatively litrle expense from the surrounding hills, would serve the purpose admirably. Small stones were used, varying from one-half to eight cubic feet. At first trolley-lines were brought into service, but later a cheaper method—bv 'nowgunnies,' or professional stone-lifters—-was in vogue, and answered very well. The work continued steadily for several

years and the channels for conveying the water were begun, but scarcity of funds necessitated a delay in the work. It was not till ten years had elapsed thr.t the dam was finished." Ihe v. riter gives the following details of to • completed enterprise: ' The sluices for the regulation ot th .vat' r are known as Stoney's patent gates. Kncli vein has two gates and is capable of discharging over 1000 cubic feet per second, under a head of six feet. Though each gate weighs almost six tons, only four men are required to lift them by means ot powerful winches. The water on passing through the sluices is carried hack into the river below, and later is caught up and diverted along two large irrigation channels. Its flow is so arranged that when power is needed a considerable fall of water is available. . . '"The total cost of the project was lo lakhs ot rupees (£300,000). While it was realised from the outset that the scheme was protective rather than remunerative, it is believed that it will

ultimately pay at least 8 per cent, on the outlay. It the power <-i,n be used tor the cotton and other industries

which may develop here, this rate will be considerably increased."

The ]>' ople for whose benefit this mammoth lake has been constructed are very superstitious and expect that evil will come out oi it. To quote the

writer: — "Ai tho foot of the dam is a small tempi ■, dedicated to the Mari goddess. The inhabitants of the district say that when >lic discovers how she has been insulted she will burst the dam, and the water, which will rise to the height of the stambha (piunacl?) of the temple of Hiriyur, will be swallowed bv the Rasava (a god\ on the top."