History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.144

v2.c44.144

Puri, the third district of the Mughalbandi, is also liable to river-floods and tidal waves. In the Puri district the rivers run dry in the summer and then salt water from the sea flows into the dry channels and when the rivers are not embanked the salt water overflows, or if the tide is high the water escapes from the top of the embankment and destroys the crops in the fields. The years 1872, 1892 and 1896 were remarkable for floods. The most serious inundation was that of 1866 when 275 square miles were submerged from five to forty-five days. The water was not less than three feet deep at any place and in certain villages it was 10 feet in depth.²