Jumna Canal, Eastern
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Jumna Canal, Eastern
An important irrigation work in the Upper Doab of the United Provinces, taking off from the left or east- ern bank of the Jumna. The canal is drawn from a branch of the river which divides soon after piercing the Siwaliks. The bed at this point has a rapid slope over boulders and shingle, and the supply is easily maintained by spurs. For some miles the canal itself flows over a similar bed. The main channel is 129 miles long, and there are 729 miles of distributaries and 447 of drains. Immediately after the British occupation of the Doab, recurring famines pointed to the urgent necessity for irrigation, and surveys commenced in 1809, but work was not begun till 1823. Funds were limited, and the canal was first opened in January, 1830. Sir Proby Cautley's experience on this canal was of great assistance in carrying out the magnificent works of the more important Upper Ganges Canal. The line followed kept closely to that of an old canal of the seventeenth century. It has been much improved since it was opened, by providing falls (which also supply power for flour-mills) to lessen the slope, and by straightening the channel.
The capital cost at the end of 1 830-1 amounted to little more than 4 lakhs, which had increased to 46 lakhs by the end of 1903-4. The canal serves a rich tract in the Districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and Meerut, lying between the Hindan and Jumna, and falls into the latter river a little below Delhi. It commands an area of 906,000 acres, and in 1903-4 irrigated 305,000 acres. The gross revenue has exceeded working expenses in every year except during the Mutiny ; and the net profits are usually high, amounting to 9-9 lakhs or 22 per cent, on the capital outlay in 1903-4, while the gross profits were 14.5 lakhs. Since 1837-8 the canal has not been used for navigation.
