'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎43r] (90/470)

the administration of this tax did not begin till June. Next year Rs. 1,20,000/-
is anticipated from this source.
Fish Tax .—This is farmed and produced Rs. 14,086/-.
Other Miscellaneous Taxes .—These are the taxes on wood, reeds, mats, tobacco
licences, brick kilns, tombak, fruit trees, stamps, &c. The revenue from these
sources was approximately Rs. 40,000/-.
(e) Customs. —Nil.
(f) Compensation .—Compensation amounting to approximately a lakh One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of
rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. has been paid in the Division. Of this Rs. 98,924/-, of which all but
Rs. 1,325/- has been paid, was sanctioned owing to damage in Najaf caused b;y
necessary demolitions, carried out under orders of the Military authorities. There
are a certain amount of petitions still remaining, which will be dealt with as soon
as possible, and which may result in a small amount of additional compensation
3. Irrigation. —The Irrigation Division of Shamiyah does not entirely
correspond with the Political Division, being somewhat smaller.
It extends from Kid in the North and includes the two branches known as
the Shamiyah Channel on the East and the Mishkhab Channel on the West.
These two join about 40 miles South, but their junction is effected by the
Shamiyah Channel breaking up into five or six streams, which flow into the Mishkhab
Channel. There is therefore an island about 40 miles long, and varying from
7 to 1 mile wide.
The island is intersected by canals from both branches of the river, the centre
of the island in the South forming a natural drainage line from North to South.
Canals have been freely cut from the right bank of* the Mishkhab and the left
bank of the Shamiyah by the inhabitants for purposes of cultivation, regardless
of water. The canals from the left bank of the Shamiyah in the North drain into
the succession of hors known as the Hor ibn Najm, the drainage line of which
runs North and South, and which flow out into the river again below Umm al
Ba‘rur. The canals from the right bank of the Mishkhab drain into the Hor Sulaib
and other hors, which escape again into the river by Turumah.
The irrigation district therefore consists of about 800 square miles of intensely
irrigated land; this latter characteristic is one that is frequently forgotten, and is
of supreme importance.
Secondly, the district is very thickly populated with a settled population;
thirdly, it is exceedingly fruitful, a veritable garden of ‘Iraq, and, fourthly, arising
out of the above, it boasts several large municipalities, which are increasiog in size
and importance in proportion as the safety of travelling ensures increase of trade.
These four points must not be lost sight of, as it is precisely these which
distinguish Shamiyah from any other Division in ‘Iraq.
The purpose of irrigation being to ensure the maximum amount of cultivation
with the greatest economy of water, the position must be shortly reviewed in three
stages : before the war, during the war but previous to control, and under control.
The staple product of Shamiyah is essentially rice, though now the cultivation
of wheat and barley is increasing rapidly.
It was the invariable custom in pre-war times to allow all the water from the
Euphrates down the Kill branch by closing the barrage against the Hillah branch,
except for such spare water as there might be for a period of six months. This
ensured a regular rice crop, which in a good year amounted to 90,000-100,000 tons.
At the commencement of this system the Shamiyah branch was much smaller
than the Mishkhab.
Previous to the erection of the barrage the whole of the Euphrates poured
down the Hindiyah branch summer and winter, and it was to restore the prosperity
of the Hillah branch, at the same time securing the cultivation on the Hindiyah,
that the barrage was erected.
Some 40 years ago the main channel of the Hindiyah branch, which was the
whole of the Euphrates, was, below Kid, the present Kufah or Mishkhab channel.
This, instead of taking the sharp bend to the Eastward at Turumah which it now does,
continued in a course considerably to the westward, which is now shown in the
maps as the Khasif spill channel. The bed of this Khasif channel is firm and not
easily scourable.
At Kifi, ‘and at some place below Turumah, were two canals, taking off the
main river, the first the present Shamiyah channel, the second which flows past