Head Balloki or Balloki Headworks is a barrage on the

Ravi River The Ravi River is a transboundary river in South Asia, flowing through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, and is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two oth ...

in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is 70 KM distant from

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. It was built around in 1915 under the

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

as part of the 'Triple Canals Project' to feed the Lower Bari Doab Canal. The canal turned in a profit of 24% within ten years (in 1928–29). The original

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

has now been rebuilt as a full barrage.

History

Ancient, Mughal and Sikh Eras

The region around Balloki was part of the Indus Valley Civilization, with archaeological sites nearby. Village Balloki was founded by the Sandhu Jutt tribe, who were loyalists of the Mughal Empire. The village became a key center for agriculture, trade, and commerce in the 16th-18th centuries. During the Sikh rule (18th-19th centuries), village Balloki remained an important agricultural hub and was known for its cotton and wheat production.

British Era

The British built canals and irrigation systems, boosting Balloki's agricultural significance in the 19th-20th centuries. The Triple Canals project in Punjab began in 1905, soon after the completion of the

Upper Bari Doab Canal Madhopur Headworks is a barrage on the Ravi River in Madhopur, just 14 km from Pathankot city in Pathankot district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the border with Jammu and Kashmir. The Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) off-taking f ...

(UBDC). It was the second irrigation project to be implemented in Punjab. It constructed three canals: * the

Upper Jhelum Canal The Upper Jhelum Canal is an Acequia, irrigation canal in Pakistan that provides water to 1.8 million acres of farmland. The Upper Jhelum Canal starts at the Jhelum River at Mangla Dam. It mainly runs through Mirpur district of Azad Kashmir and ...

(UJC) from

Mangla Mangla () is a town situated in District Mirpur within the region of Azad Kashmir. The village is located in the west of the foothills of Mangla's fort (which also derived its name from the same village). It is surrounded on three sides by the s ...

* the

Upper Chenab Canal Marala Headworks is a headworks situated on the Chenab River near the city of Sialkot in Sialkot district in Punjab, Pakistan. A weir was first built during 1906–1912 in the British India to feed the Upper Chenab Canal, as part of the 'Triple ...

(UCC) from Marala * the Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) from Balloki. The Upper Chenab and Lower Bari were linked at Balloki. The former brought water from the Chenab River to the Ravi River, and recharged it after depletion into the Upper Bari Canal. The Lower Bari Doab Canal then took the combined waters from the Ravi River and UCC down the Bari doab for irrigating lands. This marked the inception of the "link canal" concept, a notion aimed at transferring water from the western rivers to the eastern rivers of Punjab. It was this concept that eventually laid the groundwork for the

Indus Waters Treaty The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 196 ...

between contemporary India and Pakistan. The Balloki Barrage was constructed to the west of Balloki village, where the Upper Chenab river met the Ravi river. It was the largest barrage of its kind in India at that era. It had a 1,647-foot-long weir with thirty-five 12-metre-wide steel gates for regulating the water of Ravi. The Lower Bari Doab Canal branched off on the left of the barrage. This canal commenced water supply operations in 1912 and achieved full completion in 1917. It irrigated 877,000 acres of land in the Montgomery and

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

districts. The total cost of the LBDC project was Rs. 22 million. It became profitable within 10 years.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balloki, Head Kasur District Dams in Punjab, Pakistan Hydroelectric power stations in Pakistan Dams on the Ravi River

History

Ancient, Mughal and Sikh Eras

British Era

See also

References

Bibliography