The project consists of a dam across the Gódávari at Dowlaishweram (where the river is nearly four miles wide) and a net work of canals covering almost every part of the delta.1[1] Some of these canals are navigable, and the traffic along them is referred to in Chapter VII. The conception of the scheme was due to the genius of Sir Arthur Cotton. The idea of an anicut across the river originated2[2] as far back as 1789 with Mr. Topping, an astronomer in the service of the Madras Government who was appointed to survey the coast of the district in that year. It was revived in 1844 by Sir Henry Montgomery,3[3] who had been appointed (see p. 167) Special Commissioner to report on the best means of improving the then unhappy condition of the district. As a result of his recommendations. Sir Arthur (then Captain) Cotton of the Madras Engineers was ordered in 1845 to report professionally on the possibility of building an anicut on the river. He pronounced in favour of the idea; his representations were earnestly backed by the then Governor of Madras, the Marquis of Tweeddale; and the Court of Directors, in a despatch dated December 23rd, 1846, sanctioned the project.
Sir Arthur Cotton's first idea had been to build a dam above Rajahmundry similar to the two anicuts on the Coleroon which had been recently constructed under his supervision. But he eventually recommended that the work should be constructed just below Dowlaishweram, at the head of the delta. The breadth of the river was much greater there than above Rajahmundry, but a great portion of the width was occupied by islands, and the site had the great advantage of being close to a hill of coarse, strong sandstone 'of a degree of hardness exactly suited to the case; neither too hard to be expensive in working nor yet soft enough to be unfit for the purpose.' Round this hill, also, lay several hundred thousand tons of broken stone, the accumulations of years of native quarryings, which would be of great value for rubble work. The cost of constructing the anicut itself Sir Arthur estimated at only 4¾ lakhs, and that of the subsidiary works as 7¼ lakhs, or only twelve lakhs in all. At the same time he indulged in the most sanguine hopes of increased irrigation and revenue, and of a rich return upon this 'absurdly small' sum. It will be seen immediately that he very greatly under-estimated the cost of both dam and project.
- ↑ 1 The following brief sketch has been for the most part abstracted from the graphic account, in The Engineering works of the Gódávari delta, by Mr. G. T. Walch, late Chief Engineer for Irrigation, Madras, published by the Government Press in 1896.
- ↑ 2 First report of the Public Works Commission at Madras, 1852, p. 100.
- ↑ 3 His report dated 18th March 1844, para. 40.
