Water, Power, and Politics: Irrigation Development in the Awadh Region under British Rule
Keywords:
Colonial Irrigation, Awadh, British India, Sarda Canal, Political Economy, Talukdari System, Agrarian Change, Environmental History.Abstract
This study covers hydraulic engineering, colonial politics and economics, and social development in northern India's Awadh region from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. This idea holds that the Sarda Canal System and other British irrigation projects in Awadh accomplished more than modernize farming. They shaped the region's politics and culture beyond technical answers. The investigation included historical, economic, and colonial administrative documents. The data show that the colonial authority built irrigation systems to produce money and feed people. These programs often worsened social disparities. Rich landowners benefited from the programs. But poor farmers and pastoralists were evicted or shunned. This article demonstrates canal construction was popular. Settlement patterns caused flooding and saltwater overflow. The colonial administration and rich aristocrats strengthened their political alliance. The analysis showed Awadh's irrigation system mirrored imperial power. How empires control people and resources affects water management.
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