Story Of An Unsung Hero And The Anicut Project At Dehri-on-Sone
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| Anicut Dam situated in Dehri on Sone |
There was a time when the area was mostly Famine-prone, dry, and rugged due to its topography.
The district has always been very rich in farming due to the fertile land and as it is surrounded by hills, there have never been many problems to access water here.
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| Ruins of Old GT Road built between 1540-45 |
In Bihar, the Son river has always been the stronghold for many rulers in Ancient, medieval as well as modern India. therefore, one can still find many archaeological remains on both sides of the river.
Still, It was impossible to supply water to all the farms. The water of this river could reach only a few areas because there was no proper arrangement of a canal for water management. And on the other hand, due to the high water level of the river, the river was causing a lot of damage to the surrounding areas in the rainy season.
| In 1853, Coronel C. H. Dickens came up with an idea to make an Anicut at Dehri-On-Sone, to manage and control the river Sone. The Government of India (under the EIC) hired the East India Irrigation and Canal Company for the project. |
The project started in 1870 and was completed in 1874, with an amount of Rs 15 lakhs. By 1876-77, the Sone Canal System was complete with both the Western and Eastern Canal system.
It was 12,469 feet long, consisting of a mass of rubble stone laid to a uniform slope and stiffened by walls of masonry founded on shallow wells. The total length of the main canals was 209 miles of main canals, 149 branch canals, and 1,235 distributaries. At that time it was the largest irrigation endeavor in the country, some say it was one of the largest in the world
The canals brought huge benefits to agriculture and converted a large area of infertile land into a rich fertile area. After this people increased the cultivation of paddy and wheat, the main crop here.
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| Indrapuri Barrage |
Later Indrapuri Barrage was built 8 km above Anicut. Two link canals connected the new reservoir to the old irrigation system.
Due to the construction of the new barrage, people forgot both this anicut and its engineer C. H. Dickens. Because of our apathy, this place is turning into ruins.
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| Dhoop Ghadi built in 1871 |
Locals visit the place for morning and evening walks. One can still find many old structures from the British era. This place can be a good destination for spending the weekend. The view of the river Sone is so alluring from here.
References
1. Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteers of Sahabad.
3. Sir John Houlton, ‘Bihar, The Heart of India
3. FORGOTTEN PAST (A SITE DEDICATED TO HERITAGE AND CULTURE) by Prabuddha Biswas
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