African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 337: Chapter 17: ”Central Canal” Project

What Constantine said about putting the Debelle people to the east to dig the canal is not just talk. It is a massive project that has completed geological exploration and is ready to begin.

The East African government has named this project the ”Central Canal” project, primarily to connect the three main rivers within the Central Province and develop their shipping value.

These three main rivers, from north to south, are the Wami River, the Little Rhine River (Ruvu River), and the Rufiji River.

Among them, the Wami-Little Rhine River stretches from the semi-arid region of Dodoma to the inland swamps of the Morogoro area, extending to the coastal city before finally reaching the Bajamojo region, with a basin area of approximately 62,000 square kilometers. The basin area of the Wami River is about 43,000 square kilometers, and the basin area of the Little Rhine River is about 18,000 square kilometers. There are about 12 lakes larger than 0.1 square kilometers within the basin, and in a previous era, Tanzania’s famous Morogoro National Park and Sadaani National Park were also within this basin.

This basin was considered a relatively developed economic region in the previous era of Tanzania, with Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, and the capital Dodoma located within this basin.

Similarly, it is also the most developed region in East Africa, with First Town, Dar es Salaam, Bajamojo, three of the top ten cities in East Africa located here, as well as Dodoma, the capital of Highland Province, suggesting great future development potential.

The Rufiji River basin was Tanzania’s largest basin in a previous era, with an area of approximately 177,400 square kilometers, accounting for one-fifth of the total area of the country. Additionally, the Rufiji River is also the largest river within Tanzania. This basin provides about 25% of Tanzania’s renewable water resources. Furthermore, the altitude in this basin ranges from sea level at the Indian Ocean to about 3,000-meter highland areas in Mbeya, with climate transitioning from tropical humid in the east to temperate in the southern highlands.

The river sections to be developed by East Africa are primarily concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of these three rivers, the relatively flat areas, essentially the eastern coastal plain.

Upon completion, the project will cover an area of about 70,000 square kilometers across the three river basins, enabling people and goods transport through the canal, opening up Central Province’s transportation pathways.

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May 3rd, 1871.

Qivite Palace.

The chief designer of the canal project, Austrian hydraulic engineer Vasakov, presents the ”Central Canal” construction plan on the sandbox to Constantine and the East African officials.

Vaskov: ”Currently, our plan is to build a forty-seven-kilometer canal from the upper reaches of the Little Rhine River to connect with the middle reaches of the Rufiji River. Then, through Nazca Lake east of Mupanga, connect to the Rufiji River, allowing the Rufiji River water to flow naturally into the Little Rhine River following the terrain.”

Constantine: ”Mr. Vasakov, looking at the sandbox, there are two rivers upstream of Nazca Lake. Here, the terrain should slope from northwest to southeast, shouldn’t the Little Rhine River water flow into the Rufiji River?”

Vasakov gestures at the sandbox and says: ”Your Majesty, the area through which the Rufiji River flows is generally higher than the Little Rhine River. The terrain of the Little Rhine River basin is quite unique, with the northwest part being an extension of the East African highlands, and the southern part of the Rufiji River basin is also higher than the Little Rhine basin, so the Little Rhine River is generally a depression in East Africa.

Yet, as you said, the terrain upstream of Nazca Lake is obviously sloping from northwest to southeast. After all, it is common knowledge that water flows downhill, but east of Nazca Lake, this terrain reverses and meets the lower terrain of the Little Rhine basin. The area where Nazca Lake is located acts like a highland, becoming the watershed between the Little Rhine River and the Rufiji River.

So we just need to open a channel northeast of Nazca Lake, then dig a river channel to guide the water from this highland into the Little Rhine River plain, solving this issue.”

Everyone looks at the place Vasakov points to, which is shown in the sandbox as a flat area. But after Vasakov’s on-site inspection, he found that, although it is a plain, there is some terrain elevation variation.

Constantine: ”So this terrain does not hinder the canal digging?”

Vasakov: ”Exactly, the terrain elevation here is negligible compared to Austria. We just need to deepen the river channel from the southern Nazca Lake to the Little Rhine River plain by one or two meters to ensure the canal runs properly. The distance is about three kilometers, and it won’t lead to a significant increase in the engineering workload.”

Constantine: ”Then deepen it.”

Anyway, it was the natives who were digging the canal, and Constantine had no qualms about using them.

Vasakov continued: ”This is the southern line of the Central Canal project, primarily connecting the Rufiji River and the Little Rhine River. As for the northern line, connecting the Little Rhine River and the Wami River, there are two options, which need your decision, Your Majesty.”

Constantine: ”Tell me about it first.”

Vasakov: ”The first option is to construct a river channel along the coast at the lowest reaches of the two rivers. This will connect the Little Rhine River and Wami River, but it will parallel the maritime shipping routes, and the two will be too close (similar to the Grand Canal). The advantage is that the construction difficulty is low.”

Constantine: ”What about the second option?”

Vasakov: ”The second option is inland, digging a northwest-southeast canal near Morogoro, utilizing the terrain elevation to connect the Little Rhine River and Wami River. But this route requires construction along the plains east of the Uluguru Mountains, and its length is almost twice that of the first option, resulting in greater engineering volume and higher technical requirements.”

Constantine asked: ”Is it feasible technically then?”

To this, Vasakov answered confidently: ”Your Majesty, I have extensive experience in Austria. Certainly, you know Austria’s terrain is far more complex than the eastern coastal plains of East Africa, building a canal in this region is as unchallenging as building one in Hungary. But economically, I prefer the first option, as the eastern part is more developed, and the canal length is shorter, making construction costs lower.”

Constantine: ”This matter cannot be limited to the current situation. Although the eastern cities are relatively mature now, as East Africa develops, inland development will also be rapid. Regarding the two options, each has its pros and cons. Can we build two canals simultaneously?”

Vasakov: ”Technically feasible, but it would significantly elevate the construction costs, requiring much manpower replenishment.”

Translating Vaskov’s words meant preparing for a large number of people dying due to the doubling of the project.

”Ha ha ha!” Constantine sneered: ”Don’t worry about this. I have prepared a lot of manpower for the canal construction, but they need time to get here. We can first complete the canal section with the lowest difficulty and smallest engineering volume.”

Vasakov did not care about this point; East Africa certainly wasn’t lacking in slaves. He said: ”The lowest difficulty is the first option connecting Wami River with the Little Rhine River, and the smallest engineering volume is the canal connecting the Little Rhine River and Rufiji River. Considering comprehensively, the canal from Rufiji River to Little Rhine River best meets your requirements.”

Constantine: ”Then first construct the canal from Rufiji River to Little Rhine River, and afterward, consider the canal from Wami River to Little Rhine River once manpower arrives.”

The Central Canal project spans about one hundred eighty kilometers in total length, divided into three sections, comparable to the Suez Canal in length, connecting the Little Rhine River, Wami River, and Rufiji River.

Among them, the canal from the Wami River to the lower reach of the Little Rhine River is called Canal No. 1, the canal from the Wami River to the upper reach of the Little Rhine River is called Canal No. 2, and the canal from Nazca Lake in the middle reaches of Rufiji River to the upper reaches of the Little Rhine River is called Canal No. 3.

In these three sections, water flows from the later two canals into the Little Rhine River. Once completed, besides improving shipping conditions, it can also provide irrigation water for the regions along the way, further enhancing the developmental potential of the three river basins.