Jhansi, Aug. 14 -- A 140-year-old irrigation structure in Jhansi has secured a place on the global heritage map after the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) selected the historic Parichha Weir as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure (WHIS). The heritage recognition will be formally presented in France in October during the 26th ICID International Congress and 77th International Executive Council meeting. Three other irrigation structures from India have also been chosen for the prestigious honour. The WHIS programme recognises irrigation structures that are more than 100 years old and continue to serve their original purpose. The recognition also underscores the engineering legacy of traditional water-management systems. In 2022, the Sukwa-Dukwan Weir in Jhansi was included in the ICID heritage list. Constructed across the Betwa, the Parichha Weir stretches 1,174 metres and stands 16.8 metres above the riverbed. Its 318 steel falling shutters helped raise the reservoir's storage capacity from 1,700 million cubic feet to 2,400 million cubic feet. Built with rubble-stone masonry, the weir consists of two main sections separated by an island. It forms the headworks of the Betwa Canal System, an extensive irrigation network developed to bring water to the drought-prone areas of Bundelkhand. The roots of the project go back to 1855, when Captain Strachey proposed a canal system for Bundelkhand after conducting a detailed survey. The plan was delayed following the 1857 uprising, before construction of the weir finally began in 1881 at a cost of around Rs 40 lakh. The canal system was commissioned in 1886. HTC...