GARSTIN

UNITED KINGDOM (see also List of Individuals)

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29.1.1849/IN - 8.1.1925 London/UK

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William Edmund Garstin was born in India. He was educated at King's College, London, after which he entered the Public Works Department of India in 1872. However, he is remembered for the works done in Egypt and not in India.

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In 1883 Sir Colin Scott-Moncrieff (1836-1916) had been appointed inspector general of irrigation in Egypt; with him was William Willcocks (1852-1932). The irrigation of Egypt was reorganized and Garstin was called from India to take charge of the irrigation of the eastern Nile Delta. In 1892, Garstin took over as the inspector general the Irrigation Service. The finances of Egypt had become more flourishing than previously because the worst faults of the old irrigation system had been remedied, and the time for new projects was ripe. The need for an insured water supply in the early summer months for the better cultivation of cotton had led to the critical examination of several schemes. The most favorable site for a dam on the Nile had been found in Aswan, the next step was the remodeling of the canals and drains of Middle Egypt. With the completion of these works Egypt was safeguard against the occurrence of the famines which had in former times followed low floods. In 1905 the construction of the Esna dam was commenced to assist flood irrigation. Successful as the Aswan Reservoir had proved, its capacity fell short because its height had not been carried in the original project. Garstin made a complete survey of all possible dam sites between Aswan and Khartoum to answer the question of additional storage. It was demonstrated that the Aswan site was much more favorable than any other site on the Nile and it was decided that the Aswan Dam should be made 7 m higher, thereby accounting for the submergence of archeological sites. Garstin retired from the Egyptian Service after 23 years. He was from then instrumental in the erection of the Archaeological Museum in Cairo. On leaving Egypt he was appointed British Government director of the Suez Canal Company. He was created a KCMG in 1897; he received the Grand Cordon Medjidie and the Grand Cordon Osmanie from Egypt while he was made a CBE in 1918.

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_{Anonymous (1925). Sir William Garstin. The Engineer 139: 82-83. P}

_{Anonymous (1925). The late Sir William Edmund Garstin. Engineering 119: 82. Anonymous (1947). Garstin, Sir William E. Who was who 1916-1928: 394. Black: London.}

_{Baker, B. (1906). Aswan Dam: Report to Sir Garstin on the raising of the Aswan Dam. London. Brown, R.H., Garstin, W. (1896). History of the barrage at the head of the Delta of Egypt. Cairo.}

_{Garstin, W., Brown, R.H. (1902). Delta Barrage of Lower Egypt. Cairo.}