Wicket gate

A wicket gate is like a door that helps control the flow of water in a big container or canal. You know how your mommy sometimes opens and closes the door to your room or the front door of your house? Well, a wicket gate works like that, but instead of stopping people from coming in or out, it stops water from flowing too fast or too much.

Imagine you have a big bucket of water with a hole in the bottom. If you don't want all the water to come rushing out at once, you could put a wicket gate over the hole. When you open the gate, the water can come out slowly and smoothly, just like when your mommy turns on the faucet in the sink. But when you close the gate, the water can only trickle out, like when you pour water from a cup.

Wicket gates are really important in big canals and reservoirs because they help the people in charge of the water to make sure that there is just the right amount of water going through the canal or into the reservoir. Too much water can be dangerous and cause flooding, but too little water can also be a problem because it can make it hard for people to get the water they need for their homes or their crops. So, wicket gates help keep everything in balance, just like how you balance blocks when you play with them.