194 AVr YPTJAN &&RIJZVLTUEK 



aggregate gives reservoir capacity, and a steadier level is 

 more easily maintained. 



The difficulty of maintaining steady levels in the drains 

 led to the removal of the Aboukir pumps to Mex on the 

 border of Lake Mareotis. That lake is from 1*50 metres 

 in winter to 2'50 metres in summer below the level of 

 Aboukir lands, and drainage by gravitation is obtained by 

 means of three syphons under the Mahmoudieh canal. 

 Two of these syphons are malleable iron pipes -f- & inch 

 thick, with a diameter or of 5 feet. They rest on a 

 bed of concrete and are surrounded by a thin layer of 

 concrete on sides and top. The third syphon is a two- 

 arch one built of bricks in cement, each arch being slight.lv 

 more in. area than the 5-foot pipe. Even had the pumps 

 remained they would not have been sufficient for the 

 drainage of Aboukir and the adjoining lands 36,000 

 feddans. The average drainage for the year from cultiv- 

 ated land is usually accepted as eight to ten cubic metres 

 per feddan per day and provision for 10 metres = 860,000 

 cubic metres daily from Aboukir drainage area, would be 

 enough during the greater part of year. But the prepar- 

 ation of land for berseem requires heavy watering in 

 September :md October and ten cubic metres per feddan 

 per day is very largely exceeded. Rainfall is a very serious 

 consideration. The annual average is eight inches, vary- 

 ing from four to twelve inches, and the rain generally 

 comes in storms of three days' duration. In January 



1897, 2*6 inches fell in twenty-four hours, in December 



1898, 3*5 inches in one week, in December 1902, 3'04 

 inches in 5 days. Before the third brick syphon was 

 put in. the catchment area served bv the Ramleh svphon 



