Climate

Highland Climate Zone:

• It includes Western, North-Western and Northern highland.
Temperature:
• In the Northern Mountains, the summers are mild and short while in the
Western Mountains, it is warm and dry.
• In highland, the winters are cold, snowy and long.
Rainfall:
• The rainfall is associated with altitude in mountains.
• The Northern Mountains (2000 m – 8000 m) experience heavy rainfalls while
there is less rainfall in the Western Mountains (1000 m – 4000m).
Lowland Climate Zone:
• It includes Upper and Lower Indus Plain.
Temperature:
• It has hot summers with high temperatures.
• The winters are cold there.
Rainfall:
• In the lowland, thunderstorms are very common.
• It experiences the monsoon rainfall.
• From north to south the amount of rainfall differs.
• In comparison to the Indus Plain, the foothills of the Northern Mountains and
Potwar plateau are wet.
Coastline Climate Zone:
• It includes Karachi, Makran and Indus Delta’s southern coastal strip.
Temperature:
• The sea breezes keep the temperature-controlled and low in these areas.
• Humidity is very high (above 50%).
• The average temperature in coastline areas is 32⁰C.
Rainfall:
• Rainfall is low.
• The Makran Coast experiences rain in winter whereas Karachi and Rann of
Kutch experience it during monsoon.
Arid Climate Zone:
• It includes South-Eastern deserts and South-Western Balochistan.
Temperature:
• These areas experience extremely hot temperatures with dry weather.
• The dust storms are frequent there.
• There are dusty winds from the mid of May to mid of September.
Rainfall:
• There is low rain in winter in south-western Balochistan.
• The south-eastern desert experiences less rain in summer.
Factors Affecting Pakistan’s Climate:
• Southern Pakistan is closer to the equator i.e. why the temperature there is
higher as compared to Northern Pakistan. This effect is known as the latitude
effect.
• The areas near the coastal areas have maritime influence that moderates the
temperature. This effect is called the continental effect.
• With an average increase of 1000 meters in altitude, the temperature
experiences a drop of 6.5⁰C. That is why the air is denser at sea level and less
dense at areas with high altitudes.
• The cloud cover effect is an interesting factor that affects temperature. During
day time if the sky is covered in the cloud it will make the temperature drop by
reflecting the solar radiation in outer space but in night time it will make the night
hot by not letting the heat left to the outer space.
• The latitudinal position of the earth to the sun (angle of the sun) also affects
temperature. The northern hemisphere during summer is tilted towards the sun
and absorbs more heat.
Sources of Rainfall in Pakistan:
• Following are the sources of rainfall in Pakistan:
Monsoon Winds:
• Northern areas and the Indus Plain experience the Monsoon Rains brought by
monsoon winds.
• The monsoon winds start to blow in June and bring with them heavy rainfall in
July and August to Punjab.
• The monsoon rains are experienced in Pakistan when high summer temperature
heats the tropical continents and a zone with low pressure is formed.
The Western Depressions:
• The Mediterranean Sea is responsible for creating western depressions that
bring rainfalls during the winter season to western areas of Pakistan.
• These rains are experienced in Quetta from December to March.
• These rains originate from the Mediterranean Sea.
Convectional Currents:• In May and June, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern
Punjab receive rainfall because of conventional currents.
• Since there is a temperature inversion layer in southern Pakistan during
summer, therefore, it does not receive the conventional rains.
• These rains are experiences in the north-western and northern areas in
Summers from April to the start of June.
• These rains are a result of high temperatures in summers.
Relief Rainfalls:
• The Western and Northern Mountains receive the Relief Rainfalls because of
high altitude.
• Kabul and Murree experience rainfall in every season.
Tropical Cyclones:
• The coastal areas occasionally experience destructive and heavy rains that are
brought by the tropical cyclones from the Arabian Sea.
Pressure and Winds:
Summer:
• In the summer, the temperature is high in central Pakistan.
• Since the high temperature has low density, it rises and creates a low-pressure
zone.
• In the sea area, the temperature is relatively low in summers as heat discharges
at a slow pace.
• In sea areas, the pressure is high during summer.
• The monsoon winds travel from sea to land as a result heavy rainfall is
experienced in the lower and upper Indus Plain.
Winter:
• In winter, a high-pressure area is created as the pressure increases gradually on
the land of north-west Pakistan.
• Monsoon starts to retreat in fall and land winds start blowing that is dry and
light.
• These winds are known as north-east monsoon or winter monsoon.
• These winds are responsible for heavy rainfall in the lower and upper Indus
Plain.
Climate and Its Effects on Economy and Life of People:
Highland Zone:
• The temperature falls below the freezing point in the northern areas.
• The trees' growth is slow, grass in snow and there are frozen rivers.
• Framing is not an option in highland during the winter season.
• People who live there raise money by making pottery, embroidery, carpets, etc.
• The population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is meager because of barren hills.
• They also practice transhumance i.e. the transfer of livestock from lowlands to
highland during winter to summer respectively.
• Most of the tribes there are nomadic.
• Peshawar is the greenest area with high irrigated fields, orchards, and
woodlands.
• In the north, outdoor economic activities are hard to carry out.
• In the south, the temperature starts to increase in winter and summer.
• The western highland includes the Balochistan’s mountains that have harsh and
dry weather.
• There is water scarcity which led to less population and crop cultivation.
• Grapes, mangoes, apricots, and apples grow there.
Arid Zone:
• It occurs in Kharan Desert and the southeastern deserts.
• There is low rainfall, very high temperatures in summers and mild winters.
• These areas are not suitable for human settlement and cultivation.
• Most people who live there, practice nomadism.
• Karez is practiced there which is a unique irrigation system that allows
groundwater to be tapped by a tunnel.
• The highland areas of Balochistan grow fruits like melons, peaches, apples, and
grapes.
• Barley, millet, and wheat also grow in these areas.
• Sindh and Punjab's southern part encounter very low rainfall resulting in high
temperatures and less crop cultivation.
• Nevertheless, farming has been reclaimed in some areas of southern and
eastern Punjab by constructing perennial canals.
• These areas now grow oilseeds, cotton, rice, and wheat.
• Thar desert is still barren, water is scarce, and people travel one place to
another in search of water.
• The people of Thar also wear turbans and thick clothes to protect themselves
from the scorching heat.
Lowland Zone (Semi-Arid to Arid):
• The plain of Punjab is very fertile.
• The summers are very hot, and winters are mild.
• It is the most productive agricultural plain in Pakistan.
• Rain is irregular but an effective canal system is in place to offer proper
irrigation.
• Sugarcane, wheat, millet, and cotton grow there.
• Punjab also has the most population of Pakistan because the weather there is
tolerable.
River Floods:
• The rivers attract human settlement as it is a necessity.
• But sometimes access water in rivers causes floods.
• The banks of Indus and its tributaries overflow almost every year,
• In every 6 to 7 years, severe floods are experienced.
• 1955, 1973, 1978, the 80s and 90s have experienced serious floods that resulted
in devastation.
Reasons of the Flood:
• Many natural and human reasons result in floods.
• The human reasons include cutting of trees, failure to heighten embankments
alongside rivers, and dam’s less capacity to store water.
• Natural reasons include heavy monsoon rains and snow melting in summer.
Precautions to Reduce Flood Risks:
• Floods can be prevented by the following:
• Planting more trees on foothills.
• Expanding the river channels.
• Constructing embankments on channels on both sides.
• Constructing water reservoirs.
• Preventing human settlement near areas where flood is likely.
• Constant updates and announcements of flood warning over television, radio,
and newspaper.
• Evacuation of these areas with rehabilitation facilities.
Benefits of Floods:
• Floods bring with them nutrients that contribute to the expansion of wetlands.
• They increase land fertility by spreading a layer of alluvium.
• They also recharge the groundwater supply.
• The Arabian Sea has high nutrients because of the high production of fish and
these benefits are also attributed to the Indus river system.
Storms:
Thunderstorms:
• The thunderstorms are experienced mostly in the north-western and northern
areas.
• From April to June (summer) and September to October (after monsoon) strong
winds start to blow that is 60 km/hr to 80 hm/hr.
• As a result of these winds, hail and stormy rains start that destroy the crops.
Dust Storms:
• Dust storms are experienced due to low pressure in summer in Balochistan’s
north-western and southern plains.
• The upper Indus plain also encounters these storms occasionally.
• These storms also destroy crops.
• Communication and electricity are disturbed during these storms.
• These storms are less frequent than floods.
Tropical Cyclones:
• These cyclones come from the Arabian Sea.
• They affect the coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh.
• These storms cause mass level destruction.
• The destruction caused by these storms is also increasing when relief teams are
delayed.
• To counter these damages, flood monitoring systems, warning systems, and
trained relief teams must be formed.
Drought:
• Drought is a big threat to the people who live on land.
• Water scarcity is experienced due to less rainfall.
• This also destroys crops.
• The poor countries experience mass death, illness, and famine because of it.
Types of Drought:
• Permanent Drought is when cultivation becomes impossible without irrigation.
E.g. west Balochistan’s Chagai, Thal and Cholistan.
• Seasonal Drought is when there are well-defined dry and rainy seasons. E.g.
southern Punjab, and Potwar Plateau.
• Invisible Drought is when there is water scarcity that can reduce crop
production, but it is not severe enough to destroy these crops.
• Unpredictable Drought is when there is very low rainfall. It is experienced in
humid climate areas only.
Effects of Drought on Environment & Human Life:
• It can turn the land into a desert i.e. desertification.
• It can lead to dust storms, soil erosion, desert areas expansion, high
temperature, extinction of species and loss of crops.
• It can dry up rivers, streams, and lakes.
• It can harm fisheries, increases the growth of algae and can make drinking water
unsafe.
• It can cause water scarcity.
• It can cause a famine that can lead to starvation.
• It can make people migrate from drought-affected areas.
• It can cause malnutrition and health problems.
• It can make livestock die that can also result in a shortage of raw materials, loss
of export/import and whole economy devastation.