‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎205r] (408/949)

/
($051
bank beyond present limits of cultivation is impossible owing 1 to configuration of land. Do levels
admit of Hatnuns being drained through Shelag into Gaud-i-Zirreh, and what would be
approximate cost,of any great necessary works? Failing this, extension of irrigation in Peisian
Seistan by works within Persian territory seems impracticable. Is this the case ? It is m st
improbable, judging’ from our experience in Kurram, that Amir would ever agree to fresh
channel being dug through Afghanistan to irrigate fresh lands in Persia, and it may be necessary
to limit award to declaring amount of water required for existing Persian cultivation, and such
area as is at present irrigable by channels taking off below the Band-i-Seistan; so we should be
glad to know what this is distributed into areas at present irrigated and unirrigated. If you
can colour a map to show areas irrigated, areas unirrigated but irrigable, and areas not com
manded, it would be of great assistance. Please refer to my demi-official letter of 8 th January
1904, which will explain my meaning.
The file, which has been printed up, may now be sent, confidentially, to the Public Works
Department. We should be glad of its very early return.
E. H. S. Claeke,—18-10-04.
Public Works Department.
In another file now returned to the Foreign Department, I have dealt with the general
question of fully utilising the waters of the Helmand river from a purely irrigation point of
view, and reference may be made to the note in that file to show what the estimated areas,
water-supply, cost, and possibilities aie considered to be.
The question for consideration here is how to give effect to the Goldsmid Award, and I will
deal with this only from the administrative point of view of a canal officer called on to give
effect to the proposals put forward now.
2 . Water-supply. —Sub-division of the water will be the chief duty of the canal officer, and
it is necessary he should have very clear rules to direct the attention of the State officials to,
when dry years occur and difficulties arise in satisfying requirement. The memorandum
attached to Colonel McMahon's letter No. 2407, dated 25th September 1904, shows that the
following offtakes exist at present.
(i) East of Pulaluk. —The 1" to 4-mile map shows three small canals in Afghan
territory, which are presumably outside the question now at issue.
(ii) Pulalak to Bandar-i-Kamal Khan. —Paragraph 51 of the memorandum under
reference shows that there are four canals which usually draw off 83 cusecs.
[а] The remark under (i) supra applies to the Rudbar canal.
( б ) The same remark would apply to the Chahar Burjak and the two Bandar-i-Kamal
Khan canals, provided these are not very largely extended so as to irrigate below
Kila-i-Fath on the north, and in the Tarakun tract on the south side. To obviate
future difficulties, it appears very desirable to have some clear understanding or
preferably some clear provision which would obviate the Afghans taking off an
undue supply from the Helmand before it reaches Bandar-i-Kamal Khan. Canal
extension might not only in very dry but in ordinary years lay Persian Seistan
dry.
(iii) Bander-i-Kamal Khan to Kohak. —In paragraph 49 of the memorandum under
reference it is stated that seven canals are taken off, and that these carry, averagely, 294
cusecs between September and March. These are mostly small canals at present on the
north side of the river. As in the case of (ii) supra, they are apparently capable of great
extension beyond Killa-i-Fath, and the same remarks, as above made, apply to this eventuality.
The Sultani, the last of the seven canals, has already been used, to a small extent, to convey
water past Kohak Band, the present regulating station.
(ir) Below Kohak. —The first Persian canal offtake is located here. In normal years, the
supply reaching Kohak between September and March will be as follows : —
Supply at Bandar-i-Kamal Khan ... ... 4,200 cusecs
Deduct offtakes, vide (iii) supra ... ... 294 „
—
Reaching Kohak ... ... ... 3,906 „
—
3. Regulating Station. —In the draft award A, it is proposed in paragraph 2 that Persia
have one-third of the supply at Kohak, and in paragraph 3 it is stated that the one-third propor
tion applies to the whole river at Bandar-i-Kamal Khan. Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 are rather
confusing to me, as 294 cusecs are taken off between the two places just mentioned.
It would make matters clear if the Foreign Department could draw a line on the map,
and have it agreed to that the proportions oj the sup pi// crossing that line are to be so much
for Afghanistan and so much for Persia. In making this suggestion I am aware that pre
existing Afghan rights have to be recognised. If the line is to be the boundary of Seistan,
then I would venture to suo-irest that this mav be clearly shown on the map. If this is done,
it will not matter where the Afghans take off their canals.
* v •'* •* — ^ w .. . _ . _ *