Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 10 (2nd edition).pdf/439



0RISSA. 427 a wild region of sparsely populated TRIBUTARY HILL STATES, which intervenes between the alluvial delta and the Central Indian platcau. The Orissa delta is formed from the deposits of three great riversthe MAHINADI on the south, the BRAHMANI in the centre, and the BAITARANI on the north. The first two of these take their rise deep in Central India; the third has a shorter course, and obtains its waters from the hill country of Morbhanj and Keunjhar, two of the Tributary States. The three rivers gradually converge towards the coast, and dash down their aceumulated waters, within 30 miles of each other, upon the Orissal delta. During summer, their upper channels in the interior table-land dwindle to insignificant streams, dotted here and there by stagnant almond-shaped pools. Including two other minor streams, the Sálandi and Subarnarekhá, they represent the accumulated drainage of 63,350 square niles, which, during the height of the hot weather, only amounts to a discharge of 1690 cubic feet per second. The average cold-weather diseharge is, however, 5360 cubie feet per second; but during the rains the rivers rise, as shown in the following table, till they bring down an aggregate of 2,760,000 eubie feet per second in time of flood : THE ORISSA RIVERS. NAMES OF RIVERS. Catchment Basi i, in Square Miles. Maximum Discharge in time of Flood. Cubic Feet per second Av-rage Cold-leather Discharge Cubic Feet per Second Mininum Discharge in May. Cubic Feet per Second Mahanadi, 45,000 1,800,000 3,000 750 Brahmani, 9,000 400,oco 1,000 Bailarani,. . 3,100 200,000 soo Sálandi,. . - 250 60,coo 260 Subarnareklá,. 6,000 300,000 600 Total, 63,350 2,760,000 5,360 1,690 This enormous mass of water falls suddenly upon a narrow level strip of country. The river beds are altogether inadequate to carry off the flood. Thus, while the Mahanadi alone pours down 1,800,000 cubic feet per second in the height of the rains, the whole of its distributaries in the Orissa delta can only discharge 897,449 cubic feet per second. It follows, therefore, that only one half of the waters thus brought down find an outlet through the deltaie distributaries to the sea. The other half bursts over the banks, and sweeps across the country.