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'A note on communications and irrigation in the Persian province of Arabistan' [‎5v] (15/34)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (13 folios). It was created in 1917. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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4
From the ulitarian point of view there is no doubt that the prosperity ot the
province would be much enhanced by the irrigation and cultivation of the
270 square miles contained within the Myanab island, and whether this could best
be achieved by repairing the broken bund or building a new one in another position
can only be ascertained when the proposals have been examined in detail by a
competent engineer.
Ahwaz.
10. At Ahwaz, on the line of one of the shelves of rock which form the rapids,
can be seen the remains of the massive weir built in the time of the Sassanians and,
above the weir, the old canals are easily traceable.
Major Morton’s scheme, which has been examined and reported on favourably
by Sir John Benton, late Inspector General of Irrigation, comprises the irrigation
of some 300,000 acres on the left bank of the Karun below Ahwaz, as shewn on plan
reproduced herewith, and he proposes to build a masonry dam more or less on the
site of the old Sassanian dam ; whilst in order to maintain navigation in the low-
water season, he proposes to close the canal from about the 7th of October to the
middle of January if necessary, or, alternatively, to abandon river transport and
build a railway from Mohammerah to Ahwaz. In this connexion he remarks,
that if navigation on the lower Karun were abandoned those who owned steamers
would find compensation for their loss in other ways, and that a canal on the line
of railway would open up the country to an extent which would never be possible
with the present state of affairs. In my tour of the country I was much impressed
by its possibilities, once the irrigation systems were restored ; and in the matter
of navigation, it is an axiom that if water is wanted for irrigation, navigation must
give way, and in the new circumstances which have arisen, I should have no
hesitation in taking up, if necessary, the whole of the low-water supply of the
Karun at Ahwaz.
NAVIGATION.
11. The Karun is described m ah the textbooks as the only navigable river m
Persia, and one conjures up visions of a deep, broad river up which steamers of
considerable size and draught can navigate with speed and safety. The reality is
unfortunately, the very reverse of the vision: the river is only navigable from
Mohammerah as far as Bandar Nasiri where the rapids begin, and in the flood
season the current is so swift as to make upward progress very slow whilst in the
low-water season, which is also the busy season, the numerous sandbanks and
shallows have rendered navigation to Ahwaz most difficult, and at tim.es impossible
for vessels of over 3 feet draught.
From Ahwaz to above the rapids it is possible to navigate a very shallow
draught \ essel as far as Dhelalieh, 6 miles below Shushter ; and it is said that the
Shatait is also navigable for some distance from Band-i-Qir.
There was great competition among the European nations 75 years ago for
the privilege of navigating This avenue of expeditious approach to the great
cities and^centres of corn cultivation in the west of Persia,” to quote Lord Curzon’s
Persia , and when in 18S9 the lower Karun was thrown open to navigation?
tie Persian Go\ernment, to the mercantile marine of all countries, it was

About this item

Content

This note on communications and irrigation in Arabistan was written by Sir George Cunningham Buchanan and was printed in Simla at the Government Monotype Press. The information in the note is divided using sub-headings which include:

  • general description
  • communications
  • the Karun River
  • irrigation (in Shushter and Ahwaz)
  • navigation
  • proposals for improved communications

Folios 8-9 contain photo illustrations of the Karun River and Ahwaz Rapids.

Four maps are enclosed at the back of the file (folios 11-14).

The file was previously marked confidential.

Extent and format
1 volume (13 folios)
Arrangement

The information in the file is arranged by subject.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 15; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence between ff 4-7.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'A note on communications and irrigation in the Persian province of Arabistan' [‎5v] (15/34), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/15, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043707877.0x000010> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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