'Mesopotamian Transport Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by the Government of India with the Approval of the Right Hon'ble The Secretary of State for India, to Enquire into Questions Connected with the Organisation and Administration of the Railway and River Transport in Mesopotamia' [‎7v] (14/114)

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.V
The Maliommerah Bar below the junction of the Karun at Mahommerah
extends for over half a mile and is a series of sandy lumps in the middle of the
river ; a good broad channel lies towards the right bank of the river, and this Bar
cannot be considered as presenting any serious obstruction, being easily removed
by dredging to a navigable depth of 20 feet.
The Gurmat Ali Bar, situated some 12 miles North of Basra, opposite the
Northern Euphrates Island, is about 600 feet in length and 100 feet wide; the depth
is changeable, but it may be assumed that not less than 12 feet would be found at
L. W. S.
From Basra to Qurna.(46 miles) the Shatt-el-Arab has a varying width from
750 to 1,800 feet with a general depth of 3 to 6 fathoms, excepting on a low tide
when the Qurna Bar may constitute a temporary obstruction.
'he Tigris. Throughout the whole of its course above Qurna, the Tigris has only two
tributaries between Samarra and Qurna, the Adhem and Dyala, a few miles above
and below Baghdad respectively.
At the time of Colonel Chesney's Survey in 1837-38 the Euphrates and Tigris
had direct communication through the Saklawiah Canal, which left the Euphrates
above Felujah and joined the Tigris 5 miles below Baghdad via Lake Akar Kuf.
The Saklawiah was closed some 46 years ago as. a preventive measure against
floods, but the dam was destroyed by the Turks during the military operations in
1917, shortly after our occupation of Baghdad. Protection measures have, how
ever, recently been taken, and the Canal is again closed.
20. The Tigris is normally at its lowest during September-October and begins
to rise with the winter rains in December, but it is subject to sudden and consider
able falls between then and March. The Flood Season proper sets in about the
middle of March with the melting of snow in the hills.
During flood vast quantities of water spread over the surrounding country from
Baghdad downward, and during the ]ow water season a considerable volume o|
water escapes from or is drawn oft the river through the hunderds of irrigation canals
and ditches on either bank, particularly in the lower reaches. The consequence of
this draining off of v/ater by large canals, like the Michriyeh and Cahyala and minor
irrigation canals, combined with the absence of any tributary streams below the
Dyala, is that the cross sectional area of the Tigris below Amara is considerably
less than at Kut or even at Baghdad.
The normal velocity of the river has been estimated at about 2 miles per hour.
21. The following note from Colonel Chesney's report (1837-38) is of interest
as indicating the very extraordinary deterioration which has taken place during the
past eighty years both on the river and in the surrounding country.
Writing of what is now known as " The Narrows " he states :—
" The river flows between high and well wooded banks winding very much,
and varying in breadth from 600 to 1,200 feet, with an average
depth in low water season of 12 to 30 feet. "
Compared with this, at the present time the banks are desert or marsh, the river
is only about 200 feet in places and the average mean depth varies from 4| to 7 feet.
Tigris Navigation. 22. The distance from Baghdad to Basra is approximately 498 miles by water
and 346 by land route, an indication of the tortuous nature of the navigable channel.
Tne principal difficulties of navigation, ap^rt from draft restrictions, which vary
from 3 to 6 feet, are due either to shifting banks—particularly apt to occur on the
third section of the river Kut-Baghdad and to narrow and short reaches having
sharp bends especially on the first section between Qurna-Amara generally known
as the " Narrows. "
The strength of the current varies according to the season and locality. The
strength during the low water season varies from 1J to 3 knots, and during floods
and freshets from 2| to 4 knots, increasing to 5 knots in sharp bends and narrow
channels. Above Sinijaj, 90 miles above Baghdad, a current up to 6 knots has been