The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-03-04
lNpIA,s GREAT rAMINE.
Millions starving Despite Twenty
Million Acres Irrigated Land.

MtIt1On Acres tTrtHnteu Lana.
India Is again confronted with the mis-
cry Of great famine and England, even
with a disastrous war la South Africa
upon her hands, will have TO stretch forth
strong arm to help the suffering mill
lions OF her Far Eastern peninsula. over
SO. 900, coo souls are now report ID to be
affected by the famine, and with the
famine area rapidly expanding. Lon
don dispatch states that the sum OF
ss,700.0GO Will be expended on relief
works and that already over 100000
persons are receiving relief. Water or
rather its lack is the cause of the az
Fiction. THIS year both the monsoons
and the winter rains failed aud lett the
canth rarched and dry for months.
YET the English by their public works
in India and their great irrigation pro. e:ts
have vastly added to tn; producing ca
pacity of the country and have greatly
smelic4ted the natural condition of tina
nat.ves. The products from irrigation for
last year. according to the Indi-n otf-
cal figures, amounted TO i50,0Oe0O0
rupees.
India includes within her borders the
highest mountains in the world and some
Of the mightiest rivers and greatest
e i
miles long, lying across the northern
border, shuts out the rest Of Asia.
Mount Everest, the highest peak In the
world, pierces The sky 290O2 feet above
the tides, while peaks over 10000 feet
elevation abound in all parts Of the range
There ars numerous well-worn trails lead
ing from India across the Himalayas
through Kashmeer and Nepal into Tibet
and China, and the passes on tLese are
from 10000 TO $4,000 feet high. In maxi
ing such a journey the traveller for several
days remains above 10000 feet altitude.
Only enc pass is as low as lG,4O0 fect.
The historic Ganges, the Indus and the
Brahmuputra are the three great rivers
of India. These with their affuents drain
an area Of nearly e0o,0 900 square miles.
Their waters are largely used for ir.iga-
ton. constituting in reality the liie-blood
of much OF the country. The flood dis
charges Of these great streams are elor-
nous. The Ganges alone, in food, may
discharge $50, 0uD cube ieet pr second.
midas rainfall, which IS accountable for
this immense volume OF water. comes eX-
clusiyely from evaporation from the In
dian ocean and the bays on either side OF
the peninsula. The distribution of this
rainfall is extremely varied, ranging from
a couple of inches a year. or in some sea-
ltouS plhttlcdliN HOAuluH, " uNSi Wv"
inches, which falls in n limited area in
Assam. At Chara Pungi Assam, the
maximum rainfall of the world Is reached
In an average annual precipitation of 1863
inches while at this place in 1861, thirty
inches fell in twenty-four hours and 305
inches fell during that year. These fig
ures can be appreciated when II is re-
membered that the annual rainfall in the
Atlantic States, on the American seahoard
is from thrtyiive TO forty~five inches and
that in the West, farming is conducted
without irrigation on as low an annual
rainfall as fifteen or eighteen inches.
The irrigation works of India are the
yastest In the world. watering over 20.
100000 acres of very fertile soil. The
government has entire control over all
sources of water supply and SO exercises
1t as to make it the greatest benefit &c
the community at large. Each provinces
has separate department known as the
irrigation branch. at the head of which Il
a chef engineer, while over all the CHI
engineers Is an inspector general of irri-
cation. The Indian government IL great.
ly in favor OF the extension of irrigation
works. 1t fosters the use of irrigation
waters by placing the water rates very
low or by even giving the water away IL
years of scarcity. The Indian irrigation
works have generally been OF the most
substantial and indestruetible character
Of solid masonry and great strength. In
some instances canals OF immense voluu,-
of water are carried clear over other riv-
ers