rkumar
July 2nd, 2009, 10:47 PM
Most of us living in the villages irrigated by eastern Jumna canal have many childhood memories of swimming in Rajwahas and in this great canal. Here is the history and few details of this canal;
History: Eastern Jumna Canal (Shamli Canal) was originally constructed by Ali Mardan Khan under the Emperor Shah Jahan and was abandoned in 1628 shortly after its construction because of excessive slope of its bed and difficulty of maintaining its passage through mountain torrents near its source. It was again partially restored in 1764 by a chief called Zabitha khan but again fell into disuse. The canal was reopened under the British government in 1830. This was probably the first work undertaken by the British government in this part of country. The work on the canal was started in 1823. The original defect of excessive slope again became apparant and to remedy this a series of masonry over falls were constructed. A portion of the canal was again remodeled in 1854. A new cut of more than five miles in length was excavated and adjustment of the bed slope was finally completed.
Technical Details: The head of the canal is about three miles below that of the western Jumna canal system on the opposite side of the river. First the first part of its course it occupies the bed of “Budhi Jumna” for about 5 miles to Nayasahar where a masonry dam of 30 sluices was constructed. It then enterers a difficult terrain and crosses four mountain torrents within a distance of 10 miles. Two of these Nowgong and Muskarra are wide and rapid and have masonry dams to regulated the flow. On gaining the high ground between jumna and hindon the canal runs parallel to Jumna. For a length of about 40 miles the canal is carried on embankment from 6-12 feet about groung level.
Total length of canal is 130 miles with additional 640 miles of distributing channels, watering a tract of about 120 miles long and 15 mile wide. Portionals of the canal were used for navigation also. There were some water mills also on the canal to grind corn and whaet.
This canal was one of the best paying canals in India. Encouraged by its success, British constructed the Ganga canalin 1854 and was one of the largest ever irrigation canal built anywhere in the world.
Present Status: Old glory of the canal is nowhere to be seen now. This canal is part of the history of this region and needs to be protected at any price. Canal can become part of rural tourism if marketed properly.
RK^2
History: Eastern Jumna Canal (Shamli Canal) was originally constructed by Ali Mardan Khan under the Emperor Shah Jahan and was abandoned in 1628 shortly after its construction because of excessive slope of its bed and difficulty of maintaining its passage through mountain torrents near its source. It was again partially restored in 1764 by a chief called Zabitha khan but again fell into disuse. The canal was reopened under the British government in 1830. This was probably the first work undertaken by the British government in this part of country. The work on the canal was started in 1823. The original defect of excessive slope again became apparant and to remedy this a series of masonry over falls were constructed. A portion of the canal was again remodeled in 1854. A new cut of more than five miles in length was excavated and adjustment of the bed slope was finally completed.
Technical Details: The head of the canal is about three miles below that of the western Jumna canal system on the opposite side of the river. First the first part of its course it occupies the bed of “Budhi Jumna” for about 5 miles to Nayasahar where a masonry dam of 30 sluices was constructed. It then enterers a difficult terrain and crosses four mountain torrents within a distance of 10 miles. Two of these Nowgong and Muskarra are wide and rapid and have masonry dams to regulated the flow. On gaining the high ground between jumna and hindon the canal runs parallel to Jumna. For a length of about 40 miles the canal is carried on embankment from 6-12 feet about groung level.
Total length of canal is 130 miles with additional 640 miles of distributing channels, watering a tract of about 120 miles long and 15 mile wide. Portionals of the canal were used for navigation also. There were some water mills also on the canal to grind corn and whaet.
This canal was one of the best paying canals in India. Encouraged by its success, British constructed the Ganga canalin 1854 and was one of the largest ever irrigation canal built anywhere in the world.
Present Status: Old glory of the canal is nowhere to be seen now. This canal is part of the history of this region and needs to be protected at any price. Canal can become part of rural tourism if marketed properly.
RK^2