'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎43v] (91/470)

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►Shinafiyah the present bed of the river. These canals were comparatively small—
it is a known fact that a bridge of four boats spanned the canal at Shinafiyah.
Unfortunately both these canals were aligned through bad ground, while the
original bed of the river, certainly in the Khasif, and it seems probable in the
Mishkhab, is firm ground.
The inevitable happened—a larger flood than usual, a rapid scour and the river
ook the easier course down the two canals. Which occurred first it is not necessary
to go into. Suffice it to say that the Shamiyah canal very rapidly became the
mam bed of the river, and the scour of the river bed shortly caused rapids, once
elow Shinafiyah and yearly working up-stream. This naturally accelerated the
scour in the Shamiyah channel, which slowly changed into the main bed instead
of the Mishkhab. Thus the scouring of the Shamiyah channel and the soft bed
soil of the river below Turumah have completely altered former conditions. The
OW ? o 10 khamiyah increases annually, the rapids work up annually between
,000 and ^,000 feet. The result is evident: an increase in slope such that the
wa er m the two channels is now drawn off at such a rate that cultivation is becoming
of increasing difficulty.
It was no doubt reasons due to these causes and also to the lack of instruction
m modern methods of cultivation, that induced the Arab to produce rice in the
way that he now does This must be briefly described, as it produces another factor
winch has to be considered by any irrigation scheme.
From the river bed canals are made (distributaries) with small feeders running
over the fields. The land is divided up into squares of about 250 square yards”
each one enclosed by a bund. At the time of flood, the water from the feeder is
let on to each individual square, where it rests until such time as the silt has settled.
When this process is completed the water, minus the silt, is run off into large drainage
canals known as bazals which, finding their own level, make for the natural
l3° in TL / he ° utpouri * lg of innumerable bazals into a restricted area has
resulted m the formation of large lakes knows as “ hors.” Many of these bazals
are as large as the mam distributaries, which will give some idea of the immense
of m water 18 pUt ° n to the rice fields ’ and also incidentally of the wastage
whioUto S r s eX^oLme e s ?!i Sting ^ “ the ligation Department had on
(1) A fruitful and thickly populated district.
(2) A dense and settled population of cultivators.
(5) A settled though wasteful method of irrigation.
(4) A plentiful supply of water.
threitL^totrlangT SCOnring ^ and
imperil aU^uftivttTonhn^elS idS S ° * 0 alter leVels aS to
r i^ er bed below Turumah, now but a dry watercourse
except in flood time, but still in existence. 1 watercourse,
. though largely a political matter, but one of great importance
a d^fe " " Part ° f g ° Vernment ’ a distriet turbulent and Iruty to
elear diffi0UltieS ^ ^ ilTigation P ro i ect would h ave to contend with are therefore
A settled population of cultivators at once makes the labour supply problematic^
and the introduction of new methods of irrigation exceedingly difficidt At the
same time the turbulence of the District would naturally necessitate are^ tac?
in proposing methods of cultivation different from what had been formerk practised
able to slrb^k^u^kT himself flk^t^n,on.""HU W the Arab been
to^charge of irrigation conUrn^rlifTa
his deity, for it represent!hi^ellthfon wUckbUtofiulUk^to™’^!,!U iS
felSr^^^
Our first year of management produced 600 tons gross! akd our secfnd ISoOtons!