The herald., 1893-10-22
EAST INDIAN ENGINEERING.
A Condensed Volume on Scien-
tific Irrigation.
Some Valuable Suggestions Made at
the Recent Congress.
Tho Great Delta System OF India Out
lined by Engineer Anderson-Its
salutary Effects and
Possibilities.


international irrigation congress- which
was held in this city last week, is the
one By Mr.. G. Anderson, a noted en-
gineer who was present at the congress.
Mr.. Anderson was formerly district
engineer OF Malabar, Madras, India.
and is member of the Institution OF
Civil Engineers, f. l. l., of London.
The subject is Irrigation in India. 1t
is treated in very graphic and COM
prehensive style, and will open the eyes
of Southern California irrigators as to
the extent OF irrigating systems in that
far-off land.
A more interesting and instructive
article on this most pertinent subject
has not emanated from the many irriga-
tion and scientific engineers who hon.
cred the recent congress with their
presence.
The HERALD makes substantial syn
opsis OF Mr.. Anderson's valuable paper,
in which. among other things, he Gays;
During my experience of nearly 20
years IN that country, have given a
great deal of my time and much special
attention to the hydraulics of great
rivers and also mountain torrents. For
years was specially engaged in investi-
eating river flood discharges, and also
the capacities OF catchment basins for
tanks or storage reservoirs, and also pro-
tecting and draining rivers and noun
tain torrents. In Malabar had pecu-
liar opportunities for getting a large
number of rainfall returns. Lying scat
tered throughout the many valleys and
mountain sides OF the more isolated
portions OF the western Ghauts in Mala-
bar, Cochin and Travancore, are many
tea and coffee estates, the residing pro-
priators and managers of which are
careful recorders of the rainfall.
In 1875 the monsoons or periodical
rains, which generally set in on the
west coast about the 10Th of May. and
on the east coast about the 18th OF
October, entirely failed, and for nearly
one year and in some localities nearly
year and third there were no rains to
speak Of. There was of course complete
failure OF all crops except in tho great
deltaic irrigation regions. What the
condition of the country at this time
might have been without the help of
these great irrigation schemes, which
have been carried out by the govern
ment during the last 40 years, it is terri
bic to contemplate.
In the early part OF the present GEN.
tury the Anicots or weirs which supply
the great Haveri and other deltas with
water were begun by the British govern
ment. In many cases these works were
but the continuing, improving and com.
pleting OF many important though crude
works designed and partially carried out
by the native rulers.
cannot give the figures for the cost
of the works in the Madras presidency
alone. but, it may interest you to know
that the total expenditure alone in irri-
cation schemes for the whole OF India
amounted about one year ego to $780,
100000. These works have been carried
out by the government on money Dor.
rowed in the English markets. Statis-
tics for year or two ago show that
about $4,000, 900 acres were irrigated by
canals and about 10000, 900 acres more
irrigated by means OF storage tanks or
reservoirs and wells.
The Indian ryot or agriculturist is
very much what his great. great grand
fathers were before him in the matter of
applying the water to the land, and can
teach you Americans nothing about the
economic use of that precious commod-
ity. He wants all the water he is en-
titled to, come times takes great deal
more when he gets the chance, and his
rice crop will generally stand all the
moisture he likes to lavish upon it and
never go. back on him. Our Ayrian
friend tries to take life easy and rice ir.
rigating by means of cEecks. and food
ing is one of the occupations that fills
his bill in that matter, when there is q
gravity supply of water. To get even
with and thwart him In some places the
Indian engineers lay the canalB at such
a level as compels him to lift the water
by means cf the picottah "a bucket
swung from a long pivoted or balanced
beam carried between two wooden up
right or very often tree with pair Of
strong branches forking outward at
a suitable elevation is selected some
where along the side of the canal and
our irrigating friend goes doggedly on
with his daily grind of lifting the water
from two to three and even five feet
from the canal on to his land. Under
such circumstances, working there
under tropical sun reaching 155 de.
grees, believe me he caves every inch OF
water he can, In some cases where the
lift is low the picottah beam is operated
by one or two men working the un.
loaded end like great pump handle,
and in other cases where the lit is
great, perhaps Is or 20 feet, it ia worked
by three or four men, ladder or steps
being fixed to the unloaded end of the
beam, and all the time humming
chant about Providence blessing his.
efforts and also to take care of his
mother-in-law.
The only system, broadly speaking,
of irrigation known and practiced In
India is by forming small checks and
flooding the land, and there are
three means of providing water for
India's thirsty coral strand, namely,
canals gravity or ,other), storage tanks
or reservoirs and wells.
OF the canals, the great, Deltaic sys-
TENS of the Kaveri in the south, Penair
in the middle and Godavari and Kistna
in the northern portions of the Coro-
mandel coast are the most important.
There will also soon be added another
gigantic system, the Periar, which is 20
supply the Madula district from the
Periar river in the Travancore native
state and lying on the west side OF this
main divide of the country at an eleva-
tion of about $500 feet above the sea
level.
These works are all under government
control.
To give an idea OF the extent of some
of the systems. the Koveri and the
Godovari deltas are cited. The Koveri
at it's headworks is about 400 feet wide,
with a.depth of water at high flood of IL
feet, running over the crest OF the weir.