Kistna Canals

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Kistna Canals, 1908

The canal system of the Kistna delta depends upon the masonry dam which has been thrown across the river at the head of the delta at Bezwada in Kistna District, Madras, where the stream flows through a gap 1,300 yards wide in a low range of hills. This point is about 45 miles from the sea in a direct line, and below it the river flows in a channel which is at a somewhat higher level than the surrounding country. The dam was begun in 1853, subsequent to that across the Godavari, and was finished in 1854. Its length from wing to wing is 3,714. feet, or between 5 and 6 furlongs, and it rises 20 feet above the bed of the river. It is built on masonry wells, is vertical on the down-stream side and slopes gradually upwards on the other. At the top it is 6 feet wide and has a coping of cut stone. Below it is an apron of rough stone 250 feet wide, part of which is held in place by a retaining wall built right across the stream. On either flank are scouring sluices to keep free from silt the heads of the canals which take off from the dam. The system includes ten principal canals, and they and their branches lead to every part of the delta, and connect on the north with the Godavari Canals and on the south with the Buckingham Canal. There are 372 miles of main canal, 307 of which are navigable, and 1,630 miles of smaller distributaries. In 1903-4 616,760 acres, or 964 square miles, of Government land (in addition to a large area in zamindaris, for which there are no accurate statistics) were irrigated by this system. The total capital cost amounted to 149 lakhs and the net revenue was 19 lakhs, representing an interest on the capital of nearly 13 per cent. Full particulars will be found in Mr. G. T. Walch's Engineeritig Works of the Kistna Delta (Madras, 1899).

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.