"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٤‎٦‎٠] (٥٤٢/٤٧١)

460 APPENDIX C
The reasons for this inferiority of the Euphrates are:—
(i) There is more dispersion of water in branch channels and
marshes on the lower Euphrates than on the lower Tigris.
(ii) The New Hindiyeh Barrage affects navigation down
stream of it, and it and the Hilla Regulator can be used to interfere
very seriously with navigation. Details are given below.
It may be noticed here that the old Hindiyeh Barrage near the
head of the Hindiyeh Branch effectively blocks navigation, while the
locks on the New Barrage and the Hilla Regulator are not wide
enough for the larger classes of river-steamer.
(d) The remarks on the damming of the Tigris on pp. 447-448 are,
in general, applicable to the Euphrates. But the following differences
may be noticed :—
(i) The Hindiyeh Barrage is a ready-made dam which can at any
time be used for the diversion of water from the Euphrates up
stream of it.
(ii) The damming of the Hilla Branch would be easy at any
season, as the water could always be shut off during the construction
of the dam by the closing of the Hilla Regulator.
(e) The ground-levels along the Euphrates fall from 40 to 19
metres above sea-level between Fellujeh and Diwaniyeh, while those
on the Tigris fall from 34 to 17 metres between Baghdad and Kut.
Between Diwaniyeh and Nasirlyeh the levels fall from 19 to about
3 metres at Nasirlyeh, and they range from about 3 to 2 metres
between Nasiriyeh and the Shatt el- c Arab : whereas between Kut and
Ezra's Tomb the Tigris levels range from 17 to 4 metres. An enormous
amount of water leaves the right bank of the Tigris between Kut
and Ezra's Tomb, and much of it finds its way into the Euphrates
between Nasirlyeh and the Shatt el- e Arab. This inflow from the
Tigris is one of the principal causes which have produced the great
expanse of marsh and open water between Nasirlyeh and Gurmat c Ali.
C onditions feom H it to the H indiyeh B akrage
The river enters its delta at Hit, and thenceforward flows over
a bed almost wholly of alluvium, though at first there are a few
outcrops of rock in it. The width of the stream varies from 500 to
150 yds. The current at Hit is about 5 m.p.h. in high flood, and
about 1/| m.p.h.^ in low water. This stretch of the Euphrates is
navigable for river-steamers throughout the year, though until
steamer-traffic had helped to clear the channel, navigation on some
parts of it might be difficult in the low season.
The Country on the Right Bank, —From Hit to the neighbourhood