Page:A Manual of the Nellore District in the Presidency of Madras.pdf/24

NELLORE MANUAL. 3 of this district. Sea fish also come up the river in flood, and are caught in the deep pools as the waters subside. For nine months annually the bed is in’ most places nearly dry, but during the north-east monsoon prevailing at the close of the year, in a few days it becomes filled from bank to bank, and at the town of Nellore the volume of water is 500 yards wide and 30 feet deep.

The Suvarnamukhi river rises in the Chittoor Hills and, flowing east- ward, holds a course nearly parallel to the Pennair, but veering more to the north-east, and after a course of about 15 miles through the dis- trict, it falls into the Bay of Bengal, 34 miles south of the Pennair. The bed of the river is completely dry for the greater part of the year, but during the rainy season it has a large volume of water. Owing, how- ever, to its rapid fall this river is seldom in flood for more than a few days at atime. It crosses the northern trunk road two miles from Naidupett. It has several supplying-channels which replenish the tanks, of which 2 great number exist in the level part of this district,

The Gundlakamma river rises in Kurnool, its source being the Cambam tank, which is fed by numerous streams from the Nalla~ mallay Hills.

The other rivers rise in the Eastern Ghauts and are little more than mountain torrents. Their beds lie so low beneath the adjoining lands. that their water is seldom available for irrigation purposes. Wells are sunk in the beds of the streams and the water is raised by bullock pecottas at a great expenditure of time and labor.

The East Coast Canal is being extended as far as Kristnapatam, and affords water communication with Madras. The canal is carried along the western border of the island of Sriharikota for a distance of 20 miles, when it debouches into the Pulicat lake. There are several inlets from the sea at different points along the coast, and the waters augmented during the north- east monsoon by the western drainage spread over the adjoining low-lying lands and for six months of the year a series of salt swamps are to be found along different parts of the coast from Kristnapatam northwards, The inlets to the sea being numerous, no engineering: difficulties prevent these inlets being easily connected, and were this done there would be uninterrupted water communication through the district. Indeed the canal might be easily carried on to form a junc- tion with the one from Rajahmundry to Bezwara.

The district of Nellore has nine Government and four Zemindari Taluqs shown below, with the stations of public functionaries, police stations, salt stations, ports, post offices, and travellers’ bungalows in each. �