The Guddu Barrage

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Difference between a dam and a barrage

Both are constructed across the river . A barrage has gates having their bottom level touching the river bed level through which water is allowed to pass in a limited quantity. A barrage thoroughly depends on river water for irrigation.

A dam is bigger than a barrage . It has spillway gates ( a passage for surplus water from a dam ) . It stores surplus flood water and distributes it through irrigation tunnels in the dam or through canals from its reservoirs. A dam can generate electricity as well.

However, both barrage and dam are used to store water during the floods and limit the danger of loss and can can irrigate the fields.

See link that how a dam works:

https://youtu.be/PvJHjnELVSM

Synopsis:

Note: Some additional information has also been given that’s not in the text book.

Guddu Barrage is built on the River Indus near Kashmore in the Sind province of Pakistan. Its foundation was laid on 2 February, 1957 and it completed in 1962 at a cost of 47.8 million rupees. Its construction was very time consuming though more than 5000 engineers, technicians and labourers worked day and night to complete it . It was inaugurated by Field Marshall Aruba Khan in 1962.

A barrage is a kind of wall which blocks the flow of water through its gates from which water is allowed to pass in a limited quantity. Its main cause is to control the flow of water during the floods and to control the expected damage of the floods as well as to irrigate the fields through canal system.

It has the capacity to discharge 1.2 million cubic feet water per second. It has 64 bays (broad inlets of the sea where the land curves inwards ) and each 60 feet wide. It controls irrigation supplies up to 2 .9 million acres of agricultural land. The area that lies is of mainly Sukkur and Jacobabad and the rest is of Kalat and Baluchistan province.It is built where the river is 14 km wide. It is 1355 metres in length. Another benefit of the barrage is that it has a 7 metres wide road bridge over the barrage that has reduced the distance between Lahore and Quetta.

Guddu barrage has a system of three main canals two on the right and one on the left . The Begari Sind Feeder and the Desert Pat Feeder on the right and the Ghotki Feeder on the left – they are one of the biggest Feeder canals of the world. Barrages and dams are very important reservoirs of water. Pakistan needs many such barrages as well as dams.

Q/A

Note: Questions aren’t given in the text book – see the important questions here:

Q1. Describe the importance of the rivers?

Ans. Rivers have always been very important as they are the source of water, irrigation, trade, sea food and tourism.

Q2. How is water supplied to the fields from rivers?

And. Water is supplied to the fields from rivers through canal system.

Q3. Why the canal system failed?

And. The canal system failed because on account of the shortage of water during the winter season, the canals would run dry and the fields would remain without sufficient supply of water.

Q4. What were the two problems posed by the rivers?

Ans. The two problems posed by the rivers are how to get water from the rivers throughout the year and how to escape the fury of floods.

Q5. See the first paragraph of the synopsis.

Q6. What is the aim and objective of a barrage?

Ans. A barrage can control the flow of water during the floods. It irrigates the fields through canal system. It halves the distance between two cities.

Q7.Describe Guddu Barrage.

Ans. see synopsis

Q8. Where is it built on the river?

Ans. It is built at a place on the river where the river is 14 km in width.

Q9.How is the barrage designed?

Ans.It is designed to force the water – spread over 14 km to pass through a narrow barrage of about a kilometre.

Q10.What is its length and how is it made?

Ans. Its length is 1355 and it is made in such a way that a flood of about 1.2 million cusecs can pass through it.

Q11.How km long is the river bridge road and what cities distance does it reduce?

Ans. The road bridge over the barrage is 7 metres in width and has reduced the road distance between Lahore and Quetta. The distance between Rahimyar Khan and Kashmore has almost been halved.

Q12. What is the system of the 3 main canals?

Ans. see the last para of the synopsis.

Q13.What area does the barrage irrigate?

Ans. The barrage irrigates the area of 2.7 million acres.

Q14.which area does the barrage irrigate?

Ans. The area that the barrage irrigates is of Sukkur and Jacobabad districts of Sind and the rest is in the Kalat division of Baluchistan province.

Q15.What is the expected rise in the output of this area?

Ans. The expected rise in the output of this area is half a million tons.

End of the chapter