Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c11.68

c11.68

Megasthenes has a further statement regarding "Officers who superintend the rivers, measure the land, and inspect the sluices from which water is let out to its branches from the main canal, so that every one may have an equal supply of it." The Superintendent of rivers is called by Kauṭilya by the appropriate name of *Nadīpāla*, as we have seen. The *Sītādhyaksha* is also described, as we have seen, as "letting in water from river (*Nadī*), lake (*Saraḥ*), reservoir (*Taṭāka*) and wells (*Kūpa*) by regulation by sluice gates" (*Udghāṭam udghāṭyate nissāryate jalaṁ aneneti udghāṭo araghaṭṭakādi-yantram*) [II. 24]. There is also a regulation that "letting out water and receiving it out of turn (*avāre*) or obstructing its flow into a field which should get it by its turn (*vāre*) is a punishable offence" [III. 9]. This shows that (a) distribution of water from a canal was made by turns among its consumers, the cultivators, and (b) the distribution was effected by the operation of a sluice-gate. Cultivated fields irrigated by canals are described as *Kulyā-vāpa* [II. 24]. There is also a reference to a process of irrigation called *Sroto-yantra-prāvartimam* which means the arrangement or appliance by which the irrigation officer distributes the water among the fields by bringing it from flowing streams (*sāraṇīpāyitajalanishpannaṁ udakabhāgam*) [*Ib.*]. As regards the statement of Megasthenes that the distribution of water should be such that “every one may have an equal supply of it”, it may be noted that the equality of the supply of water for irrigation is ensured by Kauṭilya. All are taxed equally and pay equally for the water they choose to make use of for their respective irrigation needs. The irrigation office had also to settle disputes as to distribution of water among different fields (*kedāra*) situated at different levels. A reservoir constructed later at a lower level (*paśchānnivishṭa-madharataṭākam*) must not be allowed to flood a field irrigated by a pre-existing tank at a higher level (*udakena aplāvayet*). Nor should the flow of water from a new and higher to an older and lower tank be stopped, except where it is not required for cultivation [III. 9].