'REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1904-1905' [‎157v] (90/116)

V
Chap IV.
PRODUCTION
AND
DISTRIBUTION,
Other Bunds.
Surveys.
Plantations.
The Eastern Kara,
Hiral Canal.
Other branches o£
the Eastern Nara.
Jamrao Canal,
Bad Canal.
Nasrat Canal
Fuleli Canal.
66
BOMBAY ADMINISTRATION REPOET.
It was found impossible to close the main breach, but the discharge through it
diminished, with the result that but little damage was done to the kharif crops, while rabin^ 8
benefited. . # ^
Excepting a breach on 30th July at mile 5/2 of the Man j hand Bund and the
satisfactory working of the new loop to the Nangeshah Band, the other bunds stood well ^
the inundation. In view of active erosion of the river against the Sukkur-Begari and Bao?
Uchito Bunds, a new loop to the former was completed, and two new loops to eacbC'
commenced^ the total expenditure on this account being Us. 95 ; 80/.
The Nangeshah, Baghar-Uchito, Mulchand-Shahbandar and Kokawari Bunds were ra ;
and strengthened in certain lengths to the full standard height and section at a cost f
Es. 17,599.
Contour surveys for improving existing canals were in progress.
The surveys for the improvement of the irrigation of the Rohri Sub-Division, commenced'
the previous year, were completed at a cost of Rs. 7,928, excluding charges for regob
establishment.
Tree planting was carried on during the year along the canal banks, and, although owb
to severe frost the operations were not as successful as they. would otherwise have been, sti!
progress is being made. Nurseries have been started and maintained, and are well stocked wit!
young trees.
Indus Left Bank Division.
The works referred to in the previous report, which were commenced last year, include | e
extension of the Rata Bund with its two sluices, which prevents the Nara water from
overflowing its right bank into the Makhi Dhund, where it lost much of its silt, and a no?
mouth and Head Regulator to the Mithrao Canal were completed at a total cost of Rs. 1,^00!
The Hiral Canal was partly opened on March 21st to give water for the irrigationof Egyptian
cotton, important experiments in the cultivation of which are being carried out by the Deputy
Director of Agriculture, On May 21st, the full supply was admitted for kharif cultivation,
The canal again worked very successfully, and it is expected that the area cultivated in this its
second year will be double the area anticipated when the project was prepared.
The cultivation on the other branch of the Eastern Nara is expected to be up to the average,
The mouth of the Jamrao Canal, which flows for about 10 miles through a great sauiy
waste, caused much anxiety owing to the great scour which took place, doubling the originalW
width in some places. This has been checked by means of brushwood groynes, which confine :
the canal to its designed channel, and which are kept up throughout the year by a regular staf
of work people.
The canal and its minors were maintained at a cost of Rs. 1,45,007.
No new Colonists were imported from the Punjab, but an area of 5,567 acres wasgrantel
to relatives of Punjabi Colonists, who had come to Sind with hopes of getting land.
An experimental farm has been established at Mirpur Khas on the Jamrao under tie |
supervision of theDeputy Director of Agriculture. If through its means, Zaminddrs are led to
realize that excess in watering is productive of deficient outturn, the lessons inculcated will be of
the greatest value to the Jamrao especially and to Sind generally.
Owing to changes in the river course, which have been in progress for several years, great t
difficulty was experienced in keeping up the supply in the D£d Canal, and the branchesstoppd ^
flowing dangerously early, but the crops were saved by giving water by rotation. This con- :
stant trouble with the mouths of inundation canals makes cultivation on them more or lessof [
a gamble, and will prevent any large increase in the area under cotton. A cut 85 feet in widtl
was made from the river after the inundation to give a supply in the beginning 1 of the next
season. Land to the extent of about 1.800 acres was given to local Zamindars in extension of [
their holdings, but land is taken up slowly on this canal, owing to much of it being cultivabls
by lift only, and to the great uncertainty of the water-supply. A survey will be made next
year to ascertain whether a canal from Rohri to feed the Dad and other canals in the Hyderabad j
Collectorate is likely to be profitable.
The Capital outlay of the year on the Nasrat Canal was one lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , which was j
incurred on completing masonry works and in excavating two distributaries and a drainags
channel.
To provide drinking water in the desert, the canal was opened on April 18th, two hwi^ iS
before the usual date, and flowed till the end of December.
. Latterly the mouth of this canal has given no trouble, as it takes off from an arm of fbe
river in the Khairpur State, but there are indications that the mouth of this arm may suffer
from erosion, which would cause a fall in the Nasrat water level.
The excavation of village water-courses was nearly completed, and an area of 61,097^
was given out, of which 8,133 acres was given to junior Talpurs and 947 to Military
pensioners.
The Capital expenditure on the Fuleli during the year was Rs. 69,739 which was incu^
m completing the Pandhiwah, (a private water-course, which was brought on the 0
Government canals in 1903), on the Contour Survey and on the distributaries to the Nas irffa
diversion, which have been described in former reports.
The da,
isiiowar
Steam
wirt 0 ?
The pH 11
aI
improvement
for som
and are now
next year, ai
The onl
the KaalaH
oonstructed a
northern end
is the best an
Several ]
Endeavours
and plantatio
During f
miles, In a '
'andCihorabai
These hydrog
there is at pr
the depth of s
surface gradic
most of these
Special borin
possibility of
will be resum
existence of i
The disi
season and at
meters. The
per second on
reading on tl
the 6th Aug\
second on th
gauge read 1
A con^
dime to Sep
Average disch
Maximum dis
Minimum
Minimum mea
. Silt exj
the cold we
surface, and
depth of 15 ■
. The te
Principally
embankment
^nths oft?