Gazetteer Lahore 1893

· 1893 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Lahore District: ]

2CHAP, {.—THE DISTRICT. 7

3Elsewhere the Deg has always been spoken of as a natural

4river stream, but here its wonderfully zig-zag course through

5an exceedingly stiff clay soil gives a different impression ; the

6channel appears to have been dng out along a carefully selected

7line of country, its banks nearly invariably commanding the

8country beyond so as not to be subject to injury from outside

9surface drainage, while any water that tops the bank in times

10of heavy flood may extend some distance on either side of the

11stream ; the twists and curves in its course might well have

12been designed as a safe-guard against erosion by water action.

13The breadth of the channel hardly anywhere exceeds 30 yards

14aud is often less. ‘The stream only comes into flood when

15there is a heavy rainfall anywhere in the plains between

16Sharakpur and the hills. Then it fills up in a few hours and

17overflows its banks, carrying with it a small amount of valuable

18deposit more or less beneficial to land on which the floods are

19retained for any length of time. On the rain ceasing the

20water subsides at once, the main body of it passing off into the

21Ravi through the Gugera tahsil. Except during the rains no

22water comes down the Deg channel in this tahsil, but at the

23upper portion of its course down to the point where it takes a

24half turn to the west, there are natural springs in its bed which

25yield a little water throughout the year unless the season is

26very dry. Besides the main stream there are three other

27branches of the Deg of minor importance. The first is the

28“dry Deg” or “sinall Deg, ” as sometimes called, which leaves

29the present stream shortly before it enters this tahsil, and

30passing through the Sharakpur villages on the north rejoins

31the Deg when itis nearly half way through the tahsil; this

32only gets water in it when the main stream isin high flood.

33‘The second branch, the “ Chitrang,” which leaves the Deg a little

34below where the natural water springs cease ; this floods u

35almost at the same time as the main stream. The third branc

36is the “ Nagwah,” a connecting link between the Chitrang and

37the Deg.

38The inundations from all these water-courses, short and

39unreliable as they are, yet have an extremely beneficial effect

40onthe hard saline sol so common in the lowlands, indeed

41much of the land without this natural inundation would be

42absolutely unfertile. When the Deg is not in full flood the

43water con be raised for irrigation purposes by Persian wheels.

44Along the upper portion of the Deg’s course in this district,

45where there are perennial springs in the bed of the stream,

46these water-lifts can work all the year round ; lower down the

47stream dries up usually in October and the water-lifts are

48dismantled.

49No dams are allowed along the main Deg stream. On the

50dry Deg there are two masonry works constracted so as to

51divert water to certain villages which otherwise would get no

52inundation. Also the villages lying above the first masonry

53work are each allowed to erect one mud dam about four feet

54Chapter I, A.

55Descriptive.

56Area and descrip.

57tion. ,

58Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@gmail.com