"كتيّب بلاد الرافدين. المجلد II. ١٩١٧" [‎٤‎٧‎٠] (٥٤٢/٤٨١)

470 APPENDIX C
(i) To construct a canal parallel with the Haqiqeh Channel, which
would feed the distributaries which the Haqiqeh now cannot
adequately supply. This would affect the land on one bank only
of the Haqiqeh, for a length, it is believed, of not more than
4 miles. On the other hand, the cost would be considerable, as the
new canal would cross five large distributary cuts, at each of which
masonry regulators would be needed. This scheme has therefore
been dropped.
(ii) To reconstruct the Haqiqeh Dam and open out the Mezlaq
Channel for navigation. This plan seems to have been adopted, as
the Haqiqeh Channel is reported closed (Jan. 1917).
(iii) To reconstruct the Haqiqeh Dam and build a navigation lock
in it. This was thought to be of doubtful expediency, as it would
certainly impede navigation, and the channel would tend to silt up
above the dam. It is not included in a list of river-works begun,
or about to be begun, in October 1916.
It may be observed with regard to irrigation that in a country
which, like Mesopotamia, is to depend on a irrigation scheme,
it is unwise to begin with a purely operation, based on the
survey of a particular district. Such an operation may adversely
affect conditions elsewhere, and may interfere with, or be rendered
useless by, the general scheme subsequently adopted.
(c) The Hammar Lake. —Some 10 miles (in a direct line) ENE. of
Suq esh-Shuyukh is the Hammar Lake, extending about 12 miles from
W. to E., and about 4-5 miles between the rows of island-villages in
date groves on its N. and S. sides. Beyond these island-villages is
marsh-land (open water and reed beds) to N., and the great Ichor of
the 'New Channel' of the Euphrates to S. The depths of the
Hammar Lake have been affected by the building of the New
Hindiyeh Barrage. At present its depths vary from about 7 ft. in
high water to 1 ft. 6 in. at lowest water (see Table below, p. 472).
It is proposed to dredge the lake (see below, under
The Hammar Lake is fed partly by the Euphrates water, which
enters it by various channels on the W., partly from the Shatt el-
Hai, by the Nahr Beidhaand Nahr Hamzeh, on the NW., and partly
from the Tigris to NE. So much water enters it on its N. side that
the general direction of its current is from N. to S.
(d) From the Hammar Lake toKurna Gurmat 'Ali. —The
Hammar discharges its water partly eastwards, but mainly south-
eastwards and southwards. While some of the water follows the
' Old Channel' past Chubeish and Medineh to Kurna, by far the
greater part flows through channels between the islands on the S.
side of the lake into the great open of the ' New Channel' that