63
" There were only two facts that stand prominently forward other things
being equal,—first, a town enjoyed immunity in proportion to its cleanliness ;
secondly, the disease was always worst in towns and villages where there was a
river having stagnant or nearly stationary water running through or close by it."
"The first of these points needs no comment, but I will instance some of the
larger towns in illustration of the second. Cholera was worst in the following
towns,—and 1 will give them in the order of comparative severity with which
they were attacked:—Mowar, Saonair, Dhapawarra, Nurkhair, Sawargaon, Boree,
Ashtee, and Bailah, all of which are either intersected or bordered by streams
containing stagnant water during the dry season. It would seem to follow
from this, that towns near which large tanks exist, especially tanks with no ma-
sonry bunds, should have been severely attacked, but such, with the sole exception
of Oomrair, was found not to be the case,—Parseonee, Bhewapore, Koohee, Bazar-
gaon, and Khorai, have all considerable tanks, and comparatively there was but
little cholera. Ramtek also is flanked on three sides by tanks, and there were
only a few cases."
221. The total number of deaths from cholera reported by the Police in
the district of Nagpore in 1865 amounted to 3,022 ; but Mr. Low was of opinion
that the returns were far below the truth. After this severe epidemic, measures
were taken to improve the surface drainage, the conservancy, and general clean-
liness of the district towns, and apparently great good has resulted from the
efforts then made and since repeated to stimulate the people to greater careful-
ness in conservancy matters. In 1868 the number of deaths reported amounted
to 520 only, and this year to 570. Many of the towns mentioned by Mr. Low as
having suffered severely in 1860 have been visited both this year and last, but,
excepting at Oomrair, the mortality has been slight in all.
222. The Nagpore district is for the most part an undulating plain country,
diversified by low hills and intersected by numerous streams. The geological
formation of the greater portion is trap ; to the east and north-east, however, the
formation is metamoiphic ; it may be said that of three-fifth of the district to the
west the formation is trap, while the remaining two-fifths to the east are meta-
morphic, while sandstone is found in several localities of limited area.
In the trap formation the water-supply is derived largely from surface wells,
or from streams having the characteristics which have been described above as
generally belonging to streams in the trap formation. The towns mentioned by
Mr. Low as having suffered severely from cholera in 1865 are all in this forma-
tion. In the metamorphic formation, on the other hand, there are tanks of vari-
ous size in close proximity to a great number of towns and villages. Water,
however, lies at a moderate depth below the surface of the ground, and the peo-
ple draw their water chiefly from wells. At Ramtek, for instance, there are
numerous tanks which are largely used for irrigation ; but there are also nume-
rous wells in the town, to which the people resort for drinking water.
223. The city of Nagpore is very irregular in form ; it is built on the bank
of the Nag river; and the whole area is much intersected by ravines, which form
not only its main drainage channels, but also the chief means of communication
between its different sections. The geological formation is gneiss, for the most
part in a state of disintegration, and extremely porous. The water-supply of the
city is derived chiefly from wells, but partly from the large Jooma tank, whichlies to
the south-west of the city and above the level of the greater part of its area. The
palace and some of the houses of the upper classes in the neighbourhood are supplied
by water brought from the Ambajerry lake, about four miles distant. To the north
of the city are several large pools (formed chiefly in excavating material for
building), which collect the surface drainage of a large portion of the city area.