20 



the Forest Department has been asked to take water by the Canal Department 

 and the local Forest Officer has refused to accept it on the grounds that the 

 beldars were employed on other works than irrigation. As the plantation now 

 gets so iruic i less water than formerly and the water supply is likely to get worse 

 rather than to improve, all works must give way to irrigation until the whole 

 area has been "watered twice, which since the total area within compartment 

 boundaries amounts to 9,191 acres means until at least 18,382 acres has been 

 watered. An area of this size has only twice been exceeded, viz., in 1896-97 and 

 1899-1900 and it is unlikely to be approached again. 



Mr. D'Arcy in paragraph 25 gives an abstract of the correspondence be- 

 tween the Canal and Forest Departments which ended in a contract being drawn 

 up for a period of 10 years from 1st April 1884. This contract worked well up 

 to 31st March 1894 when it was proposed by the Forest Department to renew it 

 on the same terms for a further period of 10 years. The Canal Department 

 pointed out that as the areas irrigated during the past two years (1892-93 and 

 1893-94, the years immediately following the remodelling of the irrigation 

 works) had been so much larger than the average of the previous 8 years, the 

 fixed sum of Rs. 13,800 paid annually by the Forest Department for water 

 should be increased. A sum of Rs. 2-4-0 per acre per annum was asked for or 

 Rs. 18,000 in all, assuming the area irrigated to be 8,000 acres, which was 

 approximately the average of the "first waterings " during the past decade. 

 Under this arrangement any second or third waterings were not to be charged 

 for. The Forest Department pointed out that during 1892-93 and 1893-94 an 

 exceptionally large area had been irrigated because of unusually heavy rains in 

 consequence of which water was not required in large quantity by agriculturists 

 and was given to the plantation rather than let it escape back into the river. 

 The figures of watering during April, May and June in those years showed no 

 great difference from the average. It was feared that owing to the great in- 

 crease in the demands of cultivators for water, in a dry year the plantation might 

 not get sufficient water during April, May and June. (Mr. Elliot, Conservator 

 of Forests, remarked " unless water is given at this time (April-June) the plan- 

 tation suffers irretrievably and no amount of irrigation at other times will repair 

 the damage done.") The Forest Department agreed to the enhanced rate, but 

 asked in return that sufficient water to irrigate 8,687 acres once thoroughly 

 during the dry months of April, May and June be guaranteed by the Canal 

 Department. This raised an old question on which the two departments had 

 always differed, namely, the amount of water really necessary to irrigate a forest 

 plantation. The Superintending Engineer, Bari Doab Canal, from figures show- 

 ing the total quantity of water supplied and the area irrigated for the 8 years 

 1886-87 to 1893-94, found that on the average 3 06 feet of water were required 

 all over the area irrigated between 1st April and 30th June. He remarked 

 "there is no reason why the Forest Department like all other users of canal 

 water should not be urged to practice economical distribution, " and to induce 

 them to do so undertook to guarantee only a depth of 2'5 feet. The agreement 

 now in force was accordingly drawn up guaranteeing as a minimum the supply 

 of 946 X 10 6 cubic feet of water between 1st April and 30th June annually (i.e., 

 sufficient to flood 8,687 acres to a depth of 2'5 feet). 



From the point of view of the Forest Department the present agree- 

 ment drawn up originally for the period 1st April 1894 to olst March 1904, 

 and subsequently extended to 31st March 1914 and again to 31st March 1924, 

 has been satisfactory. 



50. The area permitted to be irrigated under the agreement is the 



whole Changa Manga Reserve and not merely 



ExtenBion of the area irrigated. ,-, o />oir i_ i J J.T. a K t 4- 



the 8.687 acres for which a depth of 2'5 feet is 



guaranteed. Additions and extensions have brought the irrigated area up to 

 9,191 acres, but owing to increased demand for water by agriculturists the 

 Canal Department has declined to increase the minimum supply guaranteed. 

 Twenty years ago considerably more than the minimum supply contracted for 

 was given by the Canal Department, but of recent years surplus water has de- 

 creased owing to extension of cultivation and the minimum supply has been 

 more and more nearly worked down to. In the 12 months, April to March 



