'Summary of correspondence relative to the administration of the Port of Basrah and measures for the control of the shipping traffic in Mesopotamia.' [‎32v] (64/134)

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understanding, however, that the views expressed herein are subject to confirma
tion or otherwise when surveys have been made.
The Tigris between Qurnah and Amarak.
(3) Sir William Willcocks in his book " The Irrigation of Mesopotamia,' r
stated that the very existence of the Tigris as a river was threatened in this reach
by various large streams which took off from the main river and in three specified
cases he designed waste weirs with crests 50 centimetres (19-68 inches) below
lo-w water level in order to retain the bulk of the low water flow in the Tigris proper.
These weirs were to be solid masonry and the estimate for the three was about
£ 45,000. I am in entire accordance with Sir William Willcocks' diagnosis and
T propose to put in hand working surveys of the various canal junctions at the
earliest date.
(4) I noticed on my inspection the usual bars and difficult crossings which
one would expect to find on a river flowing through an alluvial plain and also
a number of awkward bend3 and I can quite understand that in the low-water
seaosn, navigation between Ezra's Tomb and Qualet Salih is extremely difficult.
I noted six places where engineering surveys are required and these will be
made as soon as possible.
(5) When all the surveys enumerated above are completed, I will consider
the practicability of executing the following works
(a) Lowering by judicious dredging of the various bars and casement of
awkward bends.
(h) Construction of temporary emergency weirs for the next low water
season which will keep the bulk of the low water flow within the
Tigris.
(6) To carry out {a) some small light draft dredgers are an absolute necessity
and in a separate communication I have described the type of machine required.
With reference to (6) it is neither possible nor desirable within the next few
months to construct Sir William Willcocks' permanent weirs but I propose to build
temporary structures of timber, earth and reed mattresses which will 1 think
serve their purpose for the low water months.
The Ewphrates between Qumah and Nasiriyah.
(7) In his book Sir William Willcocks has described the bursting of the right
bank oi the Euphrates whereby for 110 kilometers (68 miles) the Euphrates has
no bed at all and has its main junction with the Tigris at Garmat Ali 40 miles
below the old junction at Qurnah and in connection with his irrigation scheme he
proposed to allow the whole of the water of the Euphrates to find its way to Gamiat
Ali, but to restore the right bank from Qurn: h and join it to the left bank at
Sukess Sheyukh at a cost of £70,000, thus ensuring the passage of the spill water
of the Tigris down the old channel of the Euphrates to Qurnah.
(8) For the purposes of navigation we must look at the matter from a different
point of view, our immediate objective being the establishment of a channel
whereby river steamers could navigate at all times of the year between Basrah
and Nasir'yah. At the present time the Euphiates flows in a well defined channel
from its source to the neighbourhood of the town of Sukess Sheyukh some 80
miles in a direct line from Basrah but 5 miles above Suk a channel called the Haqui-
kah takes off from the Euphrates whilst below Suk the Euphrates divides into
the Mezlik and Umm Nakhalah channels and various streams. These channels
spread fanwise and are lost 10 miles below Suk in vast shallow lakes and swamps
extending'to Garmat Ali and Basrah which in the low water season are only 2 feet
deep in parts ; that is to say, navigafon is limited to native boats.
(9) The problem before us is to make a chai nel through the lakes, and so
far as depth of water is concerned, I can discover little to choose anywhere, but
the distance across varies considerably ; thus from Garmat Ali to the mouth of
the Euphrates is about 60 miles but from Qumah along the old bed of the Euph
rates there is a deep well defined channel to a point called Chabaisk whence the