Historical Canals in Uttarakhand :

1. Rajpur Canal :

History : The earliest of all the Dun canals is the ancient Rajpur Canal, taking off from the Rispana river and bringing its water along the crest of the water parting as far as the town Dehra. Tradition refers to the construction of this Canal to Rani Karnavati and her consort, Ajbu Kaur, who administered from the ancient capital at Nawada, the Sub Himalayan territories of the rajas of Garhwal. Later, the work of maintaining and repairing this canal was entrusted to the Mahants of the Temple of Guru Ram Rai in Dehra. In 1817, Mahant Har Sevak claimed full proprietary rights over the canal, a claim which the Board of commissioners, accepting the old tradition, disallowed on the ground that the Rani had lived previous to the existence of Nanak Shah to whom the temple was originally dedicated. Captain Cautley submitted a project in Nov. 1840 to make the water course "pucca" and work was commenced in 1841 and completed in the rains of 1844, when water was first admitted into the canal. Originally, the Rajpur Canal was designed to convey drinking water to the town of Dehra & though later improvements so increased the supply that it was used for irrigating a few villages.

The Head Works : The Canal takes its supply from the Rispana, a river which like tons, has its source in the hill near Mussoorie. The head of Canal consists of sluice and hand operated wooden gates so that water level is raised & diverted into the canal, which off takes from left bank of the river. The head is about 500 m south of Rajpur Village and can be developed as a tourist spot.

2. Kalanga Canal :

History : There is very little on record relating to the first construction of this canal. In the notes written in 1845, Captain Cautley suggested that the head of the song river should be carefully examined with a view to taking out a Canal for the improvement of a portion of Eastern Dun. Captain Cautley stated that a cut had been made by Mr. Yansittart (at that time Superintendent of the Dun) from a point on the song eastward of the Kalanga ridge from which water was supplied to the village of Raipur, Mianwala, Harrawala etc. It was to take up the Irrigation performed by this channel, and to open up to cultivation a tract of country which was then chiefly sal forest, that the Kalanga Canal was Constructed. Work was commenced in 1855 and the Canal was opened in 1859-60.

The Head Works : As originally constructed the head of the canal was at a point on the song river near the village of Raipur, down stream of the Kalanga hills. The site chosen was not a good one, because by commencing so low down the canal lost command of a large tract of country. In 1861, a new head called Chanduwala head was constructed at a point on the song river, a short distance below the confluence of the Sahastradhara. In 1872-73, the water of Bandel river was diverted in the canal by constructing an open channel. In 1874-75, the water of Sahastradhara were tapped at a point about 3.0 km above their confluence with the song, carried down to the canal by means of a small earthen channel known as Sahastradhara feeder. The head at song river near Maldeota was shifted to considerably higher up in Tehri Territory and the new head was constructed in 1870.

Thus, presently kalanga Canal receives its water from three rivers Sahastradhara, Bandel and Song. The heads at Sahastradhara & Bandel rivers are temporary one where as head at Song river is in the form of weir.

3. Jakhan Canal :

History : In his " Notes on the Dehradun water courses (1845)". Captain Cautley stated that there appeared "to be a field for extending Irrigation in the North-East angle of the Eastern Dun by taking possession of the water which exists in the early part of the course of the Jakhan river". "It seems that a canal off taking from a spot a little above Bhogpur and distant from it 5 km, had once existed. Captain Cautley had no time to visit this portion of the district, but subsequently a project for a canal was prepared by Mr. R.E. Forest Superintendent of the Dun Canals, and works were constructed in 1855 to 1861. The canal was opened in the Kharif of 1863.

The Head Works : The canal takes off from the left bank of the Jakhan river. The site for the head works was fixed at a point about 5 km., above Bhogpur, high up in the river's course, so as to ensure a continuous supply of water. The water is turned into the canal by means of a temporary dam. During the rainy season the supply is also obtained by feeders from the Amgarh, Kua Khala, Mahadev Khala and Sansra Khala Torrents, from the first named of these a small supply is also obtained during the dry season.

4. Kata Pathar Canal :

History : During the cold weather of 1840-41, Captain Cautley prepared a project for irrigating the extreme western portion of the Dun by means of a canal fed from the river Yamuna. The construction of the work was warmly recommended by the Civil authorities as the only means of developing a thinly populated but rich tract of country in which there was then no water available, not only for irrigation, but even for drinking and domestic purposes, beyond that supplied by a single well in the village of Pirthipur, but the project met with some opposition from the Canal Department, on the grounds that the diversion of a volume of about 80 cusec from the river would cause a serious diminution in the supply available for the Eastern and Western Yamuna Canals. The project remained in abeyance for some 8 or 10 years, after which the construction of the work was taken up, and the canal was opened in May 1854.

The Head Works : Captain Cautley fixed the position of the head of the canal immediately below the village of Kata Pathar, which Captain Cautley described as the highest point to which the mountains would allow him to go. This decision was criticised. The head-works, it was said might have been carried still further up the gorge; the extra head so gained would have enabled the requ

5. Bijapur Canal :

History : The plans and estimates for the Bijapur Canal were prepared by Sir Cautley, but the works were constructed under the management of Captain Kirke at that time adjutant of the Sirmur Battalion. Water was admitted in the canal in January 1841.

The Head Works : The Bijapur canal receives its supply from the Tons, a mountain stream which serves as drainage of Karkuli valley. In fixing the immediate site for the head works, Captain Cautley took advantage of some huge masses of rock which had fallen in to the bed of the river close to the left bank immediately under the village Bijapur. Until 1858, the head was built entirely of loose boulders. The canal was constructed with new head works with scouring sluices, shrines and grills and thus it was possible to maintain a full and continuous supply of water during the rains, where as at the same time boulders and shingles were excluded.