'Reports on (1) the Conservancy of the Shatt-el-Arab river from the Port of Basra to the Persian Gulf and on (2) the Development of the Port of Basra. By Sir George Buchanan Kt., C.I.E' [‎16v] (36/62)

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way to assist navigation or trade, indeed, attempts to improve navigable waterways
were discouraged if not prohibited. Under tbese circumstances, tbere are no
past improvements or attempts at improvement to comment upon, and tlie wliole
subject has to be dealt with ah initio.
5. The SJiatt-el-Arab. —The Shatt-el-Arabriver is formed by the junction of
the rivers Tigris and Euphrates above Basra, and with the exception of the Outer
Bar, and in a minor degree, the Mohammerah Bar, and an obstruction to the channel
above Mohammerah caused by the sinking of the steamer " Ekbatana " by th©
Turks, the river from Basra to the Gulf presents no difficulties to navigation.
The channel is wide with a depth at lowrwater on spring tides of 30 to 40 feet,
and there are no awkward bends or turns.
The Outer Bar is a serious obstruction. It is 25,000 feet broad, composed of
fine sand and silt and limits the draught of vessels entering the port to a maximum
of 20 feet and that only at spring tides.
6. The Kamn river. —The Karun river joins the Shatt-el-Arab at Moham
merah and is navigable for river craft as far as the town of Ahwaz, 110 miles by
river from Mohammerah. At Ahwaz navigation is stopped by extensive rapids,
^ut above the rapids there is sufficient water for very shallow draught vessels
for a further distance of 82 miles—that is to say within 10 miles of the town of
Shushtar.
On the lower river there is an abundance of water during the flood season,
extending from April to July, but in the winter which is the season when there
the greatest amount of traffic, the river is very low and vessels of 3 feet draught
are sometimes unable to reach Ahwaz.
7. The Tigris river. —The river Tigris, once one of the main avenues for the
world's commerce, has, through the systematic abstraction, for hundreds of years,
of its waters for canals and irrigation ditches, deteriorated to such an extent that
its very existence as a river is threatened ; and although during the high-water
season there is abundance of water, during the low-water season navigation is
limited to vessels of 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 6 inches draught. There are, also,
numerous awkward bends and shoal patches encountered throughout the route.
8. The Euphrates river. —The above remarks apply equally to the Euphrates,
which although formerly a good navigable river from Samawah to Kurna has,
since the bursting of its banks between Sukresh-Sheyukh and Chabaish, practically
ceased to exist as a river between these points, and in winter months has some
times less than a foot of wa,ter.
9. Land Routes. —There is now a railway to Nasiriyah, forming the first
Section of the Basra-Baghdad Eailway, which will certainly be completed at
an early date.
Proposals for improvements,
10. The Port of Basra. —As already stated, at the time of the British occupa
tion, port accommodation as generally known was non-existent, but considerable
progress has already been made in this matter. At Margil, five miles above the
Turkish customs house, there is a long strip of foreshore with deep water close
to the bank, and this site has been selected for the wharves and warehouses for the
future port.