Irrigation Department

History

aakllakThe history of the irrigation system in the area comprising the Rahim Yar Khan district can be traced from riverain cultivation to Jhalars wells, dhands, canals and ultimately to the modern weir system. The old rulers and their followers used to settle mostly on the higher ridges in flood areas and in order to irrigate higher areas, they made bunds at different places on creeks, depressions and dhands. These bunds were raised by the zamindars collectively or individually and all expenses regarding managing and desilting etc. were borne by them. The cultivation was mainly done with sailaba, jhalars and wells, but the irrigation by dhands and creeks passed through evolutionary stages much more rapidly and eventually it almost weeded out the use of jhalars and wells. Initially, the primitive canal irrigation in the form of creeks and dhands was quite problematic. As this system expended potential problems like silt clearance arose. During state rule, the kardars began extending help for clearance of such dhands by dividing work among the local zamindars. This increased the regular irrigation mainly in area adjoining such creeks. Some active local zamindars, with help of the local kardars, excavated channels (wahs) for taking water from these creeks to some distance. The method of excavating these channels was just an ordinary way of finding means of taking water from the higher level to the lower level and maintaining it. These channels had sinuous alignments and no levels, due to which these silted heavily. 
The third quarter of the nineteenth century marks the regularization of the cruds system of irrigation and silt clearance in this area. Surveying, leveling and proposing bed widths, slopes and alignments of canals was introduced and regulators and overhead works were constructed. A department for canals was organized under a superintendent of canals. Subordinate engineering services of sub-overseers were established and a sub overseer was appointed in each nizamat (district). The department made efforts in the direction of conducting hydraulic surveys, preparation of L-section of most of channels and constructing head regulators over such channels, A ‘Manual of Canals’ was published in English for guidance of civil officers. The idea of constructing regular canals was struck as a result of the decision to colonize Cholistan in the late 19th century. The terms and conditions under the Colonization Scheme were very appealing but the hard conditions of the area having scanty rainfall, attracted very few. To respond to the settler’s demand and to make colonization effective, Sadiqia Shariqia and Sadiqia Ghariba canals were excavated in 1887-89, which through very tiny by any standard paved the way for the excavation of regular canals. Later on, these tiny canals excavated earlier were widened and extended. The area brought under the canals by their extension was colonized. The ownership, which was previously granted on nominal amount, was partly withdrawn in lieu of the increased benefit accorded in the form of irrigation system.The important feature of the 1920s was the progress of the construction of the Sutlej Valley perennial and non-perennial canals and the construction of weirs on the rivers, one being Punjnad. The Sutlej Valley project and the construction of the Punjnad weir and its canal system gave a new impetus to the development of the area and its colonization.

 Administration 

The public works and canal department were established in year 1867 by Major Minchin who was succeeded by Messrs Heenan and Barns. In 1879, it was taken over by the native officers of the former Bahawalpur state. The head of the combined department was first called the Mushir-e-Tamirat-e-Anhar. Later on, the canal department was placed in the charge of an officer called the Mushir-e-Anhar. In the former Bahawalpur state, the present Bahawalpur Civil Division Irrigation Department was headed by a Chief Engineer who was also a Secretary to the Bahawalpur Government. The irrigation system in district Rahim Yar Khan was controlled by three executive engineers and the headquarters of the Superintending Engineer were located at Bahawalpur. The new circle for Punjnad canal system, with its headquarter at Rahim Yar Khan, was opened during the year 1950. It is headed by the Superintending Engineer. The administrative set-up of the irrigation department for district Rahim Yar Khan remained unchanged till the year 1981 when a new Tubewell Division was added to this circle. 

Modes Of Irrigation

Wells

jakoaPrior to the construction of the Punjnad weir in 1932, the agriculture depended entirely on irrigation from wells, inundation canals, river floods and jhalars ministered nearby the banks of canals and rivers. Rainfall was scanty and hardly of any help and irrigation through wells was futile unless supplemented by canals or river floods. It was precarious means of cultivation except in a rare season of good rainfall the only for of well in use in this area was the Persian wheel the ordinary well was either strengthened wit baked bricks known as ‘Pakkakhuh’, or with logs in the event of which it was known as ‘Kacha’. Without bricks or logs, a kacha well would give in, except in the nearby Cholistan where shallow wells, usually 2 to 3 feet in circumference, were sunk for obtaining drinking water only. The cost of the well ranged from Rs. 35 - 45 PKR but often, the owners of the well utilized their own wood / trees and were required to pay for the labour only. Wells were built large enough to allow two Persian wheels to operate at the same time. These double-wheeled wells were known as ‘Wan’ or ‘Dohatta’. Wans were operated when the water supply in the wells was sufficient to allow it, when it ran short then the operation was left to one wheel only. Incentives were extended to the zamindars for sinking wells, in the form of taccavi grants, the payment of which was to be made in instalment over a period of ten years. Moreover, the wells so constructed were exempted from water rate for 12 years or so and wood for the well gear and apparatus was provided at half the usual price. The number of well in 1878-79, when the British agency was withdrawn, stood at 5,421 wells in the State.

Canals

Another source of irrigation was the inundation canal. Small cuts in the river were called ‘canals’ and these were utilized for irrigation. In addition to that, dams were also constructed on depressions / creeks and water supply regulated for the irrigation of area in the riverain zone. For the district officers, the knowledge of local topography was a helpful guide for performance of their routine operations. In all these cuts (canals), it was an established criterion that only the land at the tail end of a few miles or so would be irrigated by natural flow and that for the first two thirds or so of the total length of the canals, cultivation would be more or less depended on lift irrigation. The first step taken towards improving irrigation under British Agency was the revision of gradients and organization. Thereafter, the British officers tackled their newly chalked out programme as result of which important canals were excavated and were named after various British and native officers of the Agency period. During the reign of the late Nawab Sir Sadiq Mohammad Khan IV, the Sadiqia Gerbiyah canal was excavated in 1887-89 for supplying a feeder for the inundation canals of Pirwah, Kuddenwah, Kabirwah, Greywah, Bahadurwah, Mohammadwah and Khanwah. The other two canals, Minchinwah and Greywah, were also excavated simultaneously. 
The distribution of water was conducted after the warabandi system and a large establishment had been organized to carry it out. The total number of canals, irrigating the area of the present district Rahim Yar Khan and drawn from river Chenab and Indus were fourteen. These were cleared by the irrigation department under the cher (self-help) system.

Weir Control System

The construction of the Punjnad Weir, which is situated below the confluence of the Sutlej and Chenab rivers, started during the year 1925 and was completed in the year 1932 during the reign of the late Sir Sadiq Mohammad Khan IV. Mr. James L. Roy and Mr. R.S Duncan were the executive engineer and the Sub-divisional Officer on this project.

The estimated cost of the weir was Rs. 1,92,90,000/- and its 3,400 ft. lengthy comprised 33 bays of 60 ft. spans for the main weir and 14 days of 60 ft. spans for the annex. The two off-taking canals were the Punjnad and the Abbasia canal. The Punjnad Canal with the exception of a small portion and the Abbasia Canal from RD: 104,000 to 234,650 (tail) were meant for irrigating district Rahim Yar Khan. These two canals were opened on April 01, 1932.

Due to the irrigation network, provided by Punjnad Canal system, the desert areas of district Rahim Yar Khan, where sand dunes and thorny bushes grew before the construction, one now finds nicely laid green fields, which produced as good crops as any other fertile belt in the country in terms of wheat, cotton and sugarcane. This also brought in the agro Industry and now about forty ginning factories and two sugar mills are functioning in this district. The towns of Liaquatpur, Khanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad developed rapidly as a result of prosperity brought about by the irrigation system. Extension in the existing irrigation system was made in early 1950 under the supervision of the legendary Syed N. A. Z. Hussaini, the erstwhile Superintending Engineer, and Rahim Yar Khan.

Year Main Canals, Branches and Feeder Distance with minors Total Mileage  
1947-48 245 1,256 1,503  
1950-51 251 1,424 1,670  
1955-56 251 1,471 1,722  
1960-61 251 1,473 1,724  
1970-71 251 1,473 1731.7  
1979-80 251 1,586 1,844.7  

Abbasia Canal

The Abbasia Canal System was almost complete in 1932 with its distributing channels, masonry works and rest house. After its commissioning, difficulties were faced in the colonization in addition to acute shortage of water in river Sutlej. The great depression adversely, affected the market value of the land and its produce. The crown waste land of district Rahim Yar Khan was also found to be relatively inferior in quality to those in the old Punjab Colonies. Accordingly, a committee headed by Darlay, Chief Engineer, was set up to examine all such issues. The Darlay Committee of 1932 decided to abandon the area of District Rahim Yar Khan from the Abbasia Canal system. In consequence of this, the Abbasia Canal was curtailed from RD: 234650 to RD: 93000 with the maximum discharge at head of 226 Cs for non-perennial areas only, which pertain to district Bahawalpur. The Abbasia project was recast during 1946-47 by Sheikh Ahmad Hassan, the erstwhile Superintending Engineer, Bahawalpur and it was proposed to reconstruct the Abbasia Canal and link it with the heads of perennial distributaries of Punjnad Canal and divert the entire route of 94 miles from Punjnad near Rahim Yar Khan, using Punjnad Canal purely as non-perennial channel to check water logging. The adjoining area of 274.000 acres of crown waste land were proposed to be commanded from the said proposal, which allowing a moderate rate of Rs. 250 per acre would yield Rs. 68.50.000 towards its sale and also help in setting the surplus agricultural population of the country, including the refugees. The cost of construction of 94 miles of lined canal from Punjnad head works to within 3 miles of Rahim Yar Khan was over 3.00 crores of rupees and likely to take a number of years to complete. The project faced difficulties in obtaining materials, such as cement and coal for burning bricks. Besides that such a big capital outlay was also beyond the means of the Bahawalpur state government. To overcome these difficulties and to get quick results the project was divided into two phases.

Phase I

This comprised remodeling the Abbasia Canal as an earthen channel. To begin with, for about half of the discharge, required for full development of phase II, it was connected to the head of perennial distributaries of Punjnad Canal by means of two feeders. The Abbasia Feeder from Abbasia Canal was linked to the tail of Minchin Branch and Sadiq Feeder from the Minchin Branch to the tail of Rahim Yar Khan Branch and then further to RD: 138 Sadiq Branch. This has partly helped in the reclamation of land which had been affected by water logging in these areas.

Phase II

This comprised of lining of the Abbasia Canal, the Abbasia Feeder and the Sadiq Feeder to save absorption losses and thereby provide water for full development of district Rahim Yar Khan. The project was taken in hand during the year 1944-47 and its first phase was completed in 1949-50. The second phase was taken up in year 1972-73 and completed in the year 1980-81 except extension of 1L Abehayat and Kandera System. The G.C.A/CCA covered by this project stood at 164,080 / 117,748 acres with the discharge capacity of 589 Cs. The lining however could not be completed and this is now being considered for completion under Scarp VI.

Jhalars

A jhalar, once very common, in this area was actually a well operated on the bank of a river, lake (dhand) or a canal. The expenditure was mainly required on wood-work only. These were constructed in large number and abandoned without much heart-burning. In the case of jhalars erected on canals, only kharif cultivation was possible, however, the jhalars produced splendid Rabi crops on the banks of rivers and generally covered double the area irrigated by wells. The area irrigated by jhalars from the river water of sailaba in a creek was called “abi”. Water rate for the area irrigated by jhalar was charged at half of the rate of supply. This system is no longer in vogue except in a few areas and here too, pumps are fixed in drains for lifting the water. There is no sanctioned jhalar in this district.

Sailaba

Lands flooded by the over-flow of the river are called sailaba or riverain lands. Generally, floods from the rivers are very fertilizing as the water brings with it much needed fine silt called ‘bhall’ it deposited on the land. The effect of a plentifull deposit is said to last for four years and for this period.

Sailabs (floods) are always beneficial except when this flood water is polluted with salts carried from shora / kallar afflicted belt which render good soils unfit for cultivation. Generally, however, it carries away the surface salt, sweetens wells and brings with it seeds of trees and valuable grasses. A favorable flood season is one in which the floods last from the middle of July to the middle of October. \it is usually regarded as fortunate. Practically, there is no kharf crop in the riverain areas. The general reverain cultivation begins in September when grams, peas, methra and masar are sown, to be followed in October and November by wheat, which is the main staple of the reverain area. River floods are utilized by the locals in one of the followings ways:

  • By striking against the apex of a sudden curvature of the stream where the bank is not too high
  • Installing nakas or artificial cuts leading into adjacent old depressions of the river; the water thus available is utilized by jhalars or dams are constructed to raise the water to the required level
  • By flowing down through creeks (bunds) over and along the shelving banks on which they spread and thus irrigating the adjoin lands
  • By entering a creek which runs out of the stream in a direction leading back towards the river source. This is considered best because the water enters the creek free of silt and does not block up its channel for many years.

Flood Embankment

Minchin Bund

It was considered essential to protect the canal irrigated area and population living along Indus from spill of the river. Major Minchin, the then Executive Engineer after whom it is named, planned and constructed this bund during the year 1875 at the cost of Rs. 32.000/-. This bund starts from RD: 52000 of Punjnad main line and runs almost parallel to Punjnad main line upto tail and Dallas Branch upto RD: 55000. The head reaches of this bund i.e. RD: 0-38000 fall in district Bahawalpur. This bund protects the irrigated area of Punjnad Canal system and safeguards 8 important distributaries having a total length of 67.8 miles and 58632 acres C.C.A from flood water and thus also ensures continuous canal supply during the Kharif season. |It also provides protection to 44 villages having a population of 60.000 inhabitants residing in this belt. After the 1973 flood, the bund was renovated with top width of 15.0’, free board 5.0’ and side slopes 3:1. The top width of the bund is being extended to 20’ with a free board of 6.0’ above the highest recorded flood level.  The details are as follows:

Kharif 1981

       
Name of crops Area irrigated (in acres) Percentage    
Cotton 6,34,920 63.3%    
Sugarcane 62,807 6.26%    
Rice 10,641 1.06%    
Jawar and Chari 19,123 1.9%    
Maize 10,701 1.07%    
Bajra 6,720 0.68%    
Others 2,57,806 25.73%    
Total 10,02,718 100%    

Rabi 1981-82

       
Wheat 5,68,339 72.46%    
Barley 2,484 0.32%    
Grams 5,382 0.68%    
Mixed gram 15,202 1.93%    
Oil Seeds 19,676 2.51%    
Others 1,73,264 22.1%    
Total 7,84,347 100    

Surface Drainage Disposal System and Evaporation Ponds

It is estimated that about 460 Km of open drains and two evaporation ponds would be required for the disposal of the saline effluent of the tube wells. A major part of the surface drainage system will out-fail into the evaporation ponds by gravity. One or two pumping stations would be required for certain portions of the drainage system in Unit V which cannot out-fall into the evaporation ponds by gravity. The evaporation ponds would occupy some 27,000 hectares. The open surface drains would, as far as possible, is in cut to limit the pollution of the neighboring lands. The surface drainage system would extend to the marginal zone along the boundary of Units I and IV for disposal of saline effluent from Units I and IV.

Canal Remodeling

To meet the irrigation requirements for the cropping intensity of 125 percent planned to be achieved in the project area, a new link canal is to be constructed and the capacity of existing canals serving the project area is to be enlarged. The estimated length of new feeder link canal and the canals needing remodeling is as under:

New feeders link canal

       
Type of Remodeling Activity Length      
Unlined 58 km      
Lined 107 km      

Remodeling main and branch

       
Canals 190 kms      

Remodeling Distributaries

       
Minors 1,871 km      
New outlets 1500      

Based on the outcome of a sample survey, the existing canal structures on the non-perennial canal system are able to pass the additional discharges with minor modifications. However, a number of new structures will have to be constructed on the new link.

Canal and Feeders

The consultants have proposed separation of the perennial and non-perennial commands by changing the distribution system, so that a new link canal would serve the entire perennial area now in the command of Punjnad canal.