Nugŭk irrigation system

Running across almost the entirity of Ilqeria, the Nugŭk irrigation system comprises a network of canals, floodbanks and dikes that drain the land, collect and dispose of the large quantities of rainwater the region receives, and prevents storm-surges from flooding the low-lying country.

Initial development

The canal network begins almost on the northern border, at the point that the Nugŭk river rushes down from the hills and emerges onto the Chyŭk plains, where it slows dramatically, flooding the plain and laying down silt which clogs the watercourse. The water is divided into banked canals where the strategic placement of boulders and reeds controls the speed and direction of the water, and prevents sedimentation. Additional watercourses capture and direct overflow during periods of heavy rain.
This work began in 4.1156, and took eight years to complete. In the decade afterwards, with the flooding controlled, a steady supply of water, and rich silt from the Helian highlands, the nothern provinces of Ilqeria became the most productive agricultural region in the peninsula, fuelling the growth of Kuusuk, which sits at the point of the division.

Later additions

Navigation canals

Further south, the irrigation channels divide into a network of banked, navigable canals which function as transport network and flood defence. The building of the canals began in 5.771, to allow farmers to transport crops to the harbours on the coast. Funded by the Merchants' Guild of Kuusuk, the work took 20 years to build, overrunning by 3 years, due to opposition by the Theolisian marshfolk.

Coastal defences

At the coast, large floodbanks protect the villages from the frequent storms. It was these floodbanks which failed during the Pŭlle flood of 5.921.