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'File 9/9 Bahrain Reforms. Bahrain Water Supply' [61r] (139/261)
The record is made up of 1 volume (118 folios). It was created in 16 Jul 1921-7 Jan 1927. It was written in English and Arabic. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
II.
after drilling lor a iew da^s only, they liave already reached
a, depth- of aDout. thirt y ^.ecb. as the water encountered in
the Manamah we 1 is apparently the same as that from which
the principal springs on the island are derived, and as the
veil is located sli^htl,, to the ttorth of IL kslzjl the line of
springs, support would appear to be given to the above-
mentioned theory that the source of the water must be looked
for on the Persian side of the Gulf.
In regard to the quality of the v/ater found and the
prospect of finding fresher water at a freater depth, Major
Httlmes had much to say. He waLi convinced in the first place
that the salt found in the water when it was first struck
has now been reduced more than 50% (and with this, after
tasting the water today, I agree J, and he considers in the
second place that there is danger of polluting the whole v /ater
supply of Bahrain by dril-iing deeper through the lower layer
of impervious rock, where there might just as likely be sait
as fresh water. He is however quite willing to do ^o as far
as the contracted depth of 600 feet, but only on written
instructions from the Sheikh in re^ly to a letter from him
indicating clearly the risxs involved. 1 have aaiced him to
address such a letter to the ^heikh, but, 1 would not consider
it advisable to instruct hiia to bore deeper, until the water
at present flowing from the wexl has seen puoperli tested,
and further t ina order to reduce the risk to a manxmum) antxl
a well has been drilled outside the spring area, and indicat-
-ions have been found of the probable geological conditions
below the lower layer of rock. This would be possible if the
Syndicate were to obtain an oil concession in .. at r
Major Ho lines argues however that there never was any
' real prospect of striking any other t-.an the local spring
I Mr. Madgewick is. he says, the best geological expert that the
Syndicate have, and his considered opinion is that the Haneni
w^lls are purely rain seepages.
I was rather amused by a remark i-ajor Holmes made
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence, copies of contracts and other items related to the sinking of water wells in Bahrain, and the institution of a municipal water supply to the districts of Manama and Muharraq. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly until September 1926, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Barrett thereafter), Major Frank Holmes, representative of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, F. Madgwick, geologist, and Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, deputy ruler of Bahrain.
After the forced abdication of Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah in 1923, public works projects in Bahrain, such as the sinking of artesian wells for the municipal water supply, were able to go ahead under the instigation of Shaikh Ḥamad (folios 28-30). The Eastern and General Syndicate Limited (London), represented by Major Frank Holmes, was awarded the contract to sink two wells in Manama and Muharraq to depths of 600 feet, in search of fresh water. The total expected cost of this first phase was 100,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. (folio 5). A total of 300,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. had been set aside by the Bahrain Government for the implementation of a water supply in Bahrain (folio 76). The Manama well struck good-quality water at 200 feet, and although Shaikh Ḥamad was keen to continue drilling to 600 feet, Holmes convinced the Shaikh against further drilling (folios 63-68). In the wake of the first two wells, water tanks capable of holding thirty tonnes of water were installed, and new contracts between Holmes and the Bahrain Government drawn up for the sinking of a further twelve wells, with the installation of the necessary pipework and tanks (folios 79-80, 82-83).
A minor diplomatic incident was avoided when, in December 1924, the Baghdad Times reported that Holmes was travelling to Bahrain with drilling equipment. The Secretary of State for the Colonies wrote to the Resident, reminding him to in turn remind Shaikh Ḥamad that the British Government recognised the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's exclusive right to negotiate concessions for the exploratory drilling of oil in Bahrain (folio 39). The Resident replied to the High Commissioner in Baghdad that Holmes was interested only in sinking wells for water (folio 42). A later disagreement in 1927 arose between Holmes and the Bahrain merchant Khalil Kanoo, over the sinking of water wells in Bahrain. Holmes, who had by this point signed a concession to drill for oil in the state, objected to Kanoo's proposals to sink his own water wells in Manama (folios 108-14).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (118 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the volume have been arranged in an approximate chronological order, running from the earliest items at the front of the volume to the latest at the rear.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil notes in the top-right corner (but in some cases the top-centre) of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1F, 81A, 81B, 84A, 84B, 111A, 111B.
The following folios are fold-outs: folios 2, 4, 5, 14, 15, 23, 28-30, 32-34, 36, 37, 49-54, 70, 76, 90, 94, 104, 116.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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'File 9/9 Bahrain Reforms. Bahrain Water Supply' [61r] (139/261), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/136, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023034593.0x000089> [accessed 5 January 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/136
- Title
- 'File 9/9 Bahrain Reforms. Bahrain Water Supply'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1br:1fv, 2v:7v, 10v, 13r:14v, 15v:16v, 17v:20v, 24v:44v, 47r:48v, 49v:50v, 51v:53v, 54v:62v, 69v:80v, 81ar:81bv, 82r:83v, 84ar:84bv, 85r:87v, 88v:91v, 93v:94r, 95r:99v, 101v:103v, 104v:105v, 106v:108v, 110r:110v, 111ar:111bv, 113r:121v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence