360 INDUS
Ghazi Khan in the Punjab with the Sind-Sagar Doab on its eastern
bank, and only a narrow strip of British territory between it and the
hill tribes of the Sulaiman ranges on the west. Just above Mithankot,
in the south of Dera Ghazi Khan District, it receives the accumulated
waters of the Punjab. Between the Indus and the Jumna flow the five
great streams from which the Punjab (Panj-ab, literally `The five waters')
takes its name. These are the JHELUM, the CHENt1B, the Rnvt, the
BEAs, and the SUTLEJ. After various junctions these unite to form
the PANJNAD river, literally `The five streams,' which marks for a short
space the boundary between British territory and the Bahawalpur State,
and unites with the Indus near Mithankot, about 490 miles from the
sea. In the cold season the breadth of the Indus above the confluence
is about Goo yards, its velocity 5 miles an hour, its ,depth from 12 to
15 feet, and its estimated discharge 10,000 to 25,000 cubic feet per
second. During flood-times the breadth sometimes increases to
5 miles, and the discharge to 1,ooo,ooo cubic feet per second. The
dimensions of the Panjnad above the point of junction are somewhat
less than those of the Indus during the cold season, but during the
monsoon floods they are almost as large. The whole course of
the Indus through the Punjab is broken by islands and sandbanks;
but beautiful scenery is afforded along its banks, which abound with
the date, acacia, pomegranate, and other trees.
Mithankot has an elevation of only 258 feet above the level of the
sea. From Mithankot the Indus forms the boundary between the
Punjab and the Bahawalpur State, until, near Kashmor, it enters Sind
in 28° 26' N. and 6g° 47' E. From Bukkur (in Sind) to the sea the
river is known familiarly among the people of the province as the
Darya (`the river'). Pliny writes of Indus incolis Sindus ap~ellahls.
It first touches Sind in the Upper Sind Frontier District, separating it
from the Bahawalpur State and Sukkur District. Formerly in years
of high inundation its floods reached Jacobabad, finding their way
thence into the Manchhar Lake. To prevent this, the Kashmor
embankment, which is the largest in Sind, was erected. Leaving
Kashmor the river crosses Sukkur, divides Larkana and Karachi from
the Khairpur State and Hyderabad District, finally emptying itself by
many mouths into the Arabian Sea near Karachi after a south-western
course of 450 miles through Sind. It ranges in width from 480 to
i,6oo yards, the average during the low season being 680 yards.
During the floods it is in places more than a mile wide. Its depth
varies from 4 to 24 feet. The water, derived from the snows of the
Himalayas, is of a dirty brown colour, and slightly charged with saline
ingredients, carbonate of soda, and nitrate of potash. Its velocity in
the fresbes averages 8 miles per hour ; at ordinary times, 4 miles.
The discharge per second varies between a minimum of Ig,ooo and
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