138 OLDHAM : SANDHILLS OF CLIFTON NEAR KARACHI. 



exactly estimated owing to the absence of recent surveys and the 

 approximate nature of the older ones, but it is not far from 7,000,000 

 square feet, and this has without doubt formed the gathering 

 ground, from which the material composing the sandhills has been 

 derived. 



Though this advance of the shore line is directly clue to the 

 closing of the Chinna creek, it must be clearly understood that there 

 has been no interference with the natural course of events, beyond 

 accelerating it. The constant easterly drift of sand along the coast 

 would ultimately have closed the Chinna creek, and once this was 

 closed the foreshore would have advanced in the same manner as it 

 has done and will continue doing until it bends round in a regular 

 and easy curve from the lee of Manora Point to the headland east of 

 Clifton. 



Besides the effect of closing the Chinna creek, the improvement 

 of the harbour may have contributed to the growth of the sandhills 

 in another way, and it is very generally believed in Karachi that their 

 growth is largely, if not entirely, due to the practice of dropping the 

 material dredged from the harbour in the neighbourhood of the oyster 

 rocks, off Clifton. As will be shown, I do not think this factor one of 

 great, if any, importance, but in view of the opinion being largely held, 

 it is desirable to enquire how far the material of the sandhills may 

 have been derived from the dredgings of the harbour. 



For purposes of survey the Karachi Harbour is divided into seven 

 sections as follows: — (1) Entrance ; (2) Lower Harbour, sections 18 to 

 11 ; (3) Lower Harbour, sections 11 to 4, Eastern division; (4) Lower 

 Harbour, sections 11 to 4, Western division ; (5) Keamari anchorage ; 

 (6) New Channel, west of the Napier mole; (7) New Channel, east of 

 the Napier mole. Of these the first five have been regularly sur- 

 veyed each year since 1875, and the other two occasionally, and from 

 these surveys are calculated the amount of natural scour aud silt in 

 each section and the results published, along with a return of the 

 amount of dredging done, in the annual reports of the Port Trust. 

 Summarising these returns I find that for the 25 years from 1875 to 

 ( 6 ) 



