Report on the public health administration of the Punjab.

  • Punjab (India). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1922]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health administration of the Punjab. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The following brief summary of the chief meteorological features of the Punjab during the year 1922 was supplied by the Director-General of Observatories. Chief meteoroid gical fe atures. Rainfall was in moderate to large defect throughout the Punjab in the first five months of the year ; the deficieney was over 50 per cent, except in January in the east and north Punjab and in May in the south-west Punjab ; March was the driest month, less than ten per cent, of the normal being received over the whole province. Western disturbances passing across the extreme north drew the monsoon temporarily into the Punjab early in June and again on the 22nd, 27th and 28th. Widespread rain fell on these occasions, and the total rainfall of June was above normal by 23 per cent, in the east and north Punjab and 76 per cent, in the south-west Punjab. In the first half of July the monsoon was very weak, but improved in the second half ; the total fall of the month was nearly normal in the east and north Punjab, but in defect by 39 per cent, in the south-west. A welt marked break prevailed over the greater part of the Punjab plains between the 6th and 18th August, and the rainfall of that month -was generally in moderate defect. In September the monsoon was unusually active and more than twice the normal fall was received in both the south-west and the east and north Punjab. October was rainless in the east and north Punjab, but under the influence of early winter disturbances the south-west Punjab had 0'3 in place of a normal of 0*1'7. November was dry throughout the province ; in December on the other hand there was abundant rain over the whole province, the excess being 150 per cent, in the east and north Punjab and 67 per cent, in the south-west. Skies were less clouded than usual in February, March, July, August and November ; in June and September on the other hand cloud proportion was in excess. Humidity was in excess in January, June, September, October and December, but in defect from March to May. Maximum temperature was below normal in January, June, September, October and December, but above normal in February and March. Minimum temperature did not differ appreciably from the normal except in February and December when it was in slight excess. 2. The return supplied by the Director of Land Records, Punjab, D. . . , . show's that the average retail price of wheat during the year 1922 was b§ seers per rupee at, Ambala, 6f at Lahore, 6^ at Rawalpindi and 6J at Multan, The average rates of barley w~ere 10seers at Ambala, 9^ at Lahore 10| at Rawalpindi and 10^ at Multan ; that of jowar 8^, 7i~6, 8^- and 9^, respectively. As regards bajra the average rates varied from 6| to seers at the principal markets of Ambala, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan; that cf maize from 6f to 8f and of gram 7fw to 8X^ seers per rupee. Owing to timely rainfall, good crops and low demand, the prices were lower in 1922 than in the preceding year. 3. No data are available in the office of the Director of Land Records „ .. . for determining, the wages of labour during Wa8“ °tlbo',r- the year 1922. The Third Regular Survey of wages of the Punjab will be made next year. Section F.—Vital Statistics PopnlatioB. 4. The birth and death rates shown in this report have been calculated on a population of 20,517,606 according to the census of March 1921 which represents the total population of the province prepared according to the method described in the last report.