THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



145 



IRRIGATION IN BRITISH INDIA. 



Remarkable Development in the Region of Hyderabad, Deccan, 

 Described by a Native Engineer. 



BY H. DINSHAW. 



NALGUNDA, NAKRAKAL, DECCAN, INDIA, Decem- 

 ber 15, 1903. Amongst the several existing native 

 states in British India the country of II. H. the Nizam 

 of Hyderabad, is the largest in extent and population. 

 Situated on the plateau of the "Deccan," it is divided 

 into two main divisions, locally known as the Marath- 

 awari and the Telingana. The division is ethnological 

 as well as physical. The Marathawari division, accord- 

 ing to the census of 1901, has an area of 43,216 square 

 miles, with a population of 6,386,895, and is inhabited 

 by the Maratha speaking races, while the Telingana 

 has an area of 39,482 square miles with a population 

 of 4,788,002, inhabited by the Telegu and Kanarees 

 speaking races. The continued area of the two divi- 

 sions is equal to about that of North and South Caro- 





H. DINSHAW, C. E. 



In charge of irrigation work in the Nalgunda 

 District of Telingana, India. 



lina taken together, while the total population is about 

 730,000 more than that of the South Atlantic States 

 of the Union. 



The historical importance of Hyderabad dates 

 from 1713 A. D., though the city was founded as far 

 back as 1 589 ; but up to the time Sir Salar Jung, the 

 greatest of India's native statesmen (1853-1883) as- 

 sumed office of the prime minister the condition of the 

 Nizam's state was a very deplorable one. Immediately 

 Sir Salar Jung secured himself in office he commenced 

 a series of reforms, taking for his models those al- 

 ready introduced by the British Government through- 

 out India. The state may since be considered to have 

 been on the way of steady progress, and now it stands 

 as one of the most enlightened among the other native 

 states. It was Sir Salar who opened out the country 

 and joined it with the most civilized centers of the 

 British India by railroads. At the present day we 

 have 715 miles of opened line and a good length un- 

 der construction and surveys. The history of the 



progress of irrigation also dates from Sir Salar. In 

 the present article the writer attempts to trace the 

 progress of irrigation from its earliest time to the pres- 

 ent day, and view the prospects of its future develop- 

 ment within this state. 



The bulk of the population of the Hyderabad 

 state is purely agricultural. Out of the yearly revenue 

 of 40,000,000 rupees [3y 8 rupees equal one dollar] half 

 is collected from the land assessment only. Individ- 

 ually the ryot is poor and illiterate and has small hold- 

 ings, especially in the Telingana division. 



Before proceeding any further it will be well to 

 examine the physical differences which distinguish the 

 two divisions. The Marathwara, mostly a plain table- 

 land of rich black soil formed by the decomposition of 

 the trappean rock, needs no artificial aid of irrigation 

 to mature a healthy crop. The annual rainfall, which 

 in these parts averages 37.63 inches, is quite sufficient 

 for the purpose. In the Telingana division the soil 

 being of red, gritty mold, is partly impervious to 

 water, and so readily gives up its moisture that the 

 cultivation depending upon the yearly rainfall is pro- 

 ductive of a small and poor crop. In many parts, how- 

 ever, the soil when left uncultivated is soon covered up 

 with a low shrub jungle which in time turns into a 

 forest. The rivers in Marathwara are more or less 

 perennial and even in the hottest weather a decent flow 

 is continued. 'Such is not the case in the Telingana 

 division, unless the river passing through it has its 

 origin in the Marathwara country. This state of things 

 in the" Telingana division demands the storing up of 

 water running through the drainage of the country for 

 the purpose of cultivation, and the efforts of the rulers 

 of Telingana have from time immemorial consisted in 

 the great development of the resources of irrigation. 



Fortunately in Telingana these resources are 

 many. The streams running into the valley of great 

 rivers, the rivers themselves and the natural configura- 

 tion of the country all afford easy means of storing 

 water and conveying it through channels to lands for 

 cultivation. The majority of tanks and irrigation sys- 

 tems of these dominions is of Hindu origin. They were 

 undoubtedly constructed by the rajahs of Warrangal, 

 the capital of the Telingana division founded by the 

 Narapati Andhras prior to the year 1294 A. D. With- 

 out the aid either of the level or the compass they ex- 

 cavated miles of channels to supplement the waters of 

 the large reservoirs they had already constructed. The 

 principal features of their tanks were to form one by 

 damming up a narrow valley with a huge earthen bank 

 strongly protected against the wave action on the water 

 side with a thick layer of revetment, in some cases 

 exceeding a yard in thickness. Little or no consider- 

 ation was given to the surplus discharge from the 

 tank's catchment area, being got rid of without over- 

 topping the bank. The idea throughout seems to have 

 been to store every drop of water received from it. 

 The banks were for the latter reason made very high, 

 in some cases over eighty feet, with flat slopes having 

 a top width varying from six to fifteen feet. A rude 

 contrivance to draw water for cultivation was invari- 

 ably made by a small masonry tunnel underneath and 

 across the bank. 



The principal causes of the failure of these works 

 are the inadequate surplus arrangements, the burst- 

 ing of the sluice tunnel by an excessive velocity caused 

 by the issuing volume of water with a large head ; the 

 inferior earth used in the formation of the bank; th? 



