"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [و‎‎٣‎٦‎٠] (٨٦٢/٧٢٢)

WATERWAYS 561
depots. The dimensions of the Kut lock (264 ft. by 54 ft. 6 in.)
restrict the size of steamers and barges. This section is now by
passed by the Kut-Baquba railway (p. 602), as it was during the
War of 1914-1918 by the Kut-Baghdad railway.
Baghdad to Mosul. This section has ledges and occasional gorges
with rapids, and wide expanses with confused channels, islets,
shingle banks, and conglomerate bars (some the remains of ancient
dams). When the river is high enough to make the bars passable, the
current is often so strong that the rapids and bends become imprac
ticable. Two small native-owned steamers navigate this section
periodically in the high-river season, taking about 15 days to reach
Mosul and 4 days to return to Baghdad; British steamer owners
regard the section as unsafe for navigation. Practically all the traffic
is downstream by rafts (kelleks), which are often damaged by rocks.
Above Mosul. The swiftness of the current and the alternating
rapids and bars make upstream navigation impossible and down
stream raft navigation difficult and dangerous.
Euphrates Navigation
The Euphrates is too shallow for steamer navigation, but small
native sailing craft carry from 20,000 to 50,000 tons a year on the
lower river. There is shakhtur and raft traffic on the upper Euphrates.
The two principal obstacles to navigation are the Hammar Lake
(average depth only 2 ft. 6 in.), and the swamps between Samawa and
the Hindiya barrage. Channels were dredged through both during
the War of 1914-1918, but were afterwards abandoned.
Navigation on the Euphrates has many of the same difficulties as
on the Tigris, especially shoals and islands. There are also sunken
masonry obstructions and, above Hit, stone piers carrying water
wheels. The beam of craft is limited by several pontoon bridges and
by the Hindiya lock. The opening or closing of the Hindiya barrage
also affects navigable conditions.
With an adequate survey, and work at difficult points, the Euphrates
should be navigable by motor launches as far as the Syrian frontier.
Shatt al Gharraf Navigation
Native craft use the Shatt al Gharraf to transport grain to Basra.
Before the construction of the Kut barrage, the Gharraf was navigable
only during the high-river season, but the barrage now ensures a flow
throughout the year.
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A 5195
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