2 



6. The Sind coast-line has an extent oE some 130 miles from the boundary 

 with Kutch on the east to that of Baluchistan on the west. Except for the 

 extreme western extremity where a low range of sun-scorched barren hills 

 descends to the coast to end in the bluff headland of Ras Muari commonly 

 known as Cape Monze, the coast line is low and unmarked by any conspicuous 

 landmarks eastward of Gizri creek immediately to the east of Karachi City. 

 Prom the latter point to Kori creek, the boundary with the native state of 

 Kutch, the coastal lands of Sind are of purely deltaic origin, low alluvial flats 

 intersected by a maze of waterways connected now or in times past with the 

 delivery of the Indus waters to the sea. A narrow belt of low sand hills 

 generally borders the seaward margin ; behind this the land stretches inland 

 for many miles in a long vista of muddy swamps, mostly submerged at high 

 water of spring tides. Formerly large areas were covered with mangrove scrub, 

 but to-day the firewood cutter has practically cleared the land even of this 

 scanty vegetation to the distress of camel breeders who formerly were able to 

 graze great herds of camels in this mangrove jungle. Occasionally some 

 tamarisk bushes are seen and on the flats adjoining the Indus main channels 

 the Kediwari, the Baghiar and occasionally the Hajamro extensive paddy 

 cultivation is carried on after the floods subside. 



7. The Indus, the creator of all this land, divides into two principal arms 

 about 50 miles from the sea. These discharge during the flood season by a 

 variable number of mouths, spread over a sea-face of nearly 100 miles ; as the 

 inundation subsides, the majority of the mouths cease to pass fresh water, the 

 discharge becoming limited usually to two, the Kediwari and the Baghiar. 

 August is the month of maximum flow. The local rainfall, a very scanty and 

 fluctuating one, averages about 7 inches ; the bulk of this falls in July. This 

 rainfall turns the river beds opening into the Hab estuary, the Karachi backwater, 

 and Gizri creek, into raging torrents for a few hours, but its influence on the 

 Indus discharge is trivial compared with the enormous floods, continuous 

 throughout the summer, caused by the melting of the snows and glaciers on 

 the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas. 



8. The Creek mouths between Karachi and the seaward opening of the 

 Kediwari, at present the principal channel for the discharge of the Indus, are 

 as follows in order from north-west to south-east, namely : 



Gizri, Piti, Khudi, Khai, Pitiani, Dubba, Sisa, and Hajamro. 



Beyond the Kediwari mouth the creeks are less well known and as I was 

 informed that no oyster beds of any value are found there, I did not visit this 

 district. It may be mentioned, however, that the Baghiar is the chief discharge 

 mouth eastward of the Kediwari and that the easternmost creeks, the Sir and the 

 Kori, are now cut off from direct communication with the Indus by means of 

 bunds. The Kori creek forms the boundary between Sind and Kutch. 



9. Gizri mouth, six miles south-east of Manora Point, leads into Gizri and 

 Kurauji creeks ; the former penetrates northwards half-way to Karachi, the 

 latter leads inland and gives off on the south the tributary creek called Kadero 

 through which access is gained to southward creeks and through them by circuitous 

 channels to the Indus. The northern bank of the Kuranji is formed by a line 

 of low bluffs, the escarpment of the low plateau of sandy limestone stretching 

 east and north of Kardchi. Rugged precipitous nullahs or dry waterways cut 

 through this line of oliff at frequent intervals, giving a distinct suggestion of 

 canon country to the plateau when viewed from one of the higher hillocks. As 

 the creeks do not extend northwards across this plateau, we may infer that 

 this escarpment set a northern bound to the Indus floods, so that we may consider 

 the Kuranji as marking the most northern of the old time channels leading 

 from the Indus to the sea. The southern bank of the Kuranji is low-lying and 

 swampy, often inundated at high water of great spring tides ; mangroves and 

 other swamp bushes are fairly plentiful over these flats. 



10. Piti mouth leads northwards into the J'hiri creek, eastwards into the 

 Piti creek. On the banks of both these creeks are said to be the ruins of strongly 

 built forts reminiscent of days when these creeks functioned as main outlets of the 

 Indus, prior to deflection of the main arms to the more eastward course they 

 have at the present day. 



