'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎13r] (30/470)

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Canals hau been undertaken by the Political Department at a cost of Rs, 3,378/-.
The mam work of the Irrigation Department has been the construction of a new
w i ±0r ^ • ^ ia ^ s Canal in the Jabal Hamrin, in place of the old head at ‘Awaijah,
which was in great danger of being completely destroyed by the Diyalah. The
new works will be completed early in January and it is expected that the annual
shortage of water, which has ruined the Khalis area in regard to summer crops of
the Khalis District, will be obviated.
The bed of the Khalis afc its head is above the level of water in the Diyalah
at low water, and to raise the bed it has been customary to dam the Diyalah each
June. This ensured a supply of water for a time, but the first flood washed awav
the dam, and, on the subsidence of the Diyalah, the supplv ceased.
The new head will ensure a continuous supply not only to the Khalis, but also
to the Mansuriyah, whose existing head is being turned into a head for the Khalis,
and also for the Shirwin, which was rapidly sharing the same fate as the Khalis
in having its head washed away.
The lands called ‘Asimi, watered by feeder canals west of the Khalis, have in
a great measure ceased to be cultivated. It should soon be able to bring them
back under cultivation.
The ‘Awaijah Dam was built—for, it is hoped, the last time—in June, and it
leaked badly in August. There was a great scarcity of water in June and again
in^ August, owing to the leaking of the dam. The scarcity was seriously felt in the
Waziriyah, Mushiriyah and ‘Uthmaniyah Canals.
In September the Irrigation Department made an attempt to clear out the
Tahwilah Canal between Hudaid and Hashimiyah, but had to abandon it owing
to shortage of labour. It is hoped to get the work done in February of 1919.
The total area under crops during the year, taking the fiddan as 15 acres, was :—
Winter Crops —
Left bank - - - _ _ 54,967 acres
Right bank - . - . . 36,555 „
Summer Crops —
Left bank - - - _ . 18,000 acres
Right bank - - - - -
In addition, about 10,000 acres of garden lands on left bank and 7,000 acres
of garden land on the right bank, obtained their water from the canals.
4. Agriculture.—T he shitwi harvest of wheat and barley, although much
better than 1917, was disappointing in its yield. This was probably due to insufficient
sowing. The Agricultural Development Scheme advanced considerable amounts
of seed, but the great scarcity existing at the beginning of the year lead to a
considerable proportion of this, as well as the seed usually reserved by them for
seed, being consumed by the cultivators as food for themselves and their animals.
Moreover, the seed brought from India was late in arriving, and the wheat
especially was of very inferior quality. The area under cultivation was also
adversely affected by the demands for labour and by the throwing out of cultiva
tion of large productive areas near Daltawah, Ba‘qubah, Dali ‘Abbas and Sarajik,
owing to Military defensive works and camps.
The division is, on the whole, a barley area, wheat being imported from Kirkuk
and other districts to the north. The tail of the Khurasan is, however, reported to
be a good wheat area, but, unfortunately, it was not possible to test it owing to
lack of water—in part due to the railway authorities having provided an inadequate
syphon for the Khurasan Canal to flow through between Ba‘qubah and Buhriz.
The summer crops, especially rice and maize, were very poor. The early crop
of maize and dukhn was eaten by locusts, and the later crop suffered from an
insufficiency of water. The rice crop was bad, the rice being crowded out by a
millet called dinan. Captain Webster, the agricultural officer, has discussed the
causes and remedies for this in his note. I agree with him that a long time must
elapse, and the education of the fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. be improved, before he can be persuaded to
budge from his old methods.
The small amount of cotton sown did well. The area was necessarily restricted,
owing to the demand for corn.
A few areas were reserved as grass farms, but the grass was not of good quality.
This may have been due in part to the cutting being delayed till the grass had
flowered.
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