Ganges Canal

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Ganges Canal and Ganges near Haridwar
Bridge over the Ganges Canal
Power plant in the Ganges Canal

The approximately 560 km long Ganges Canal is a hydraulic engineering project planned and carried out by the British in the middle of the 19th century in northern India . It is used to regulate water and irrigate large parts of the fertile Doab region between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers .

course

The Ganges Canal begins in Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand , flows first southwest towards Roorkee , later then south and southeast to Aligarh ; there it branches into two main lines to Etawah and Kanpur , where it flows into the Yamuna and the Ganges. With its secondary canals, it forms its own, barely manageable network of watercourses.

Building history

In the years 1837/8, as a result of floods and subsequent periods of drought, there was a great famine in the numerous villages of the Doab. In 1840 Proby Thomas Cautley , an English engineer of the British East India Company who had lived in India since 1819, presented his plans for the first time to build a canal for the northern area of ​​the Doab ( Upper Ganges Canal ). After many disputes had been resolved, work began on a canal made of bricks in April 1842 ; Bricks and lime mortar were made from iron in the corresponding construction phases with the help of ring ovens or portable kilns. During the construction, numerous brooks that swelled strongly in the monsoon season or sloping terrain had to be crossed with aqueduct bridges (the largest and longest is at Roorkee ); Ultimately, the costs for these ancillary structures made up around a quarter of the total construction cost. In 1854 the approximately 400 km long northern part of the canal was finally opened.

The two arms of the southern part ( Lower Ganges Canal ) and other side canals were connected in the 1880s; in the 20th century, smaller power plants were integrated to generate electricity. The total length of the main canal is now approx. 560 km, that of the side canals is another approx. 490 km. In total, around 3100 km² of fertile land in over 5000 villages can be irrigated.

Others

Great resistance to the construction of canals came from the Brahmins of the holy city of Haridwar , who vehemently opposed the canalization of the holy river Ganges. However, they could be convinced that the river would continue to flow freely; In addition, numerous stairs ( ghats ) for pilgrims were built on its banks . During the construction there were also strikes of the workers involved. The inauguration in 1854 finally took place with a celebration in honor of the Hindu god Ganesh , the god of good luck .

Web links

Commons : Ganges Canal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The figures given below differ significantly depending on the source.