CHAPTER 1

NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY OF

PAKISTAN

INCLUDING DRAINAGE

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES ARABIAN SEA

OTHER COUNTRIES

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 CITIES OF PAKISTAN

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 LANDFORMS AND DESERTS

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 RIVERS OF PAKISTAN

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 DEFINITIONS

Alluvial material: material brought by river.

Alluvial terrace or bar: central high area of doab which has mature type of soil (fine loamy).

It is 10 to 15 meters high separated from old flood plain by a slope called scarp or bluff.

Alluvial fans: are found along foot of Kirthar Mountains in Sindh. During rainy season hill

torrents (sudden flow of water) bring lot of silt, sand, gravel and rock material. At foot hill

torrent slowdowns and deposit the material. Torrent split in many channels spread over 2

to 4 miles forms a sharp of Chinese fan called alluvial fans.

Alluvial cone: an alluvial fan with steep slope.

Basin: Natural or artificial depression in land like wash basin.

Braided channel: a steam with a wide, shallow channel split in two or more channels due to

hurdle in the path. Split channels merge (join) again.

Boulder: any large, detached, generally rounded mass of rock. Catchment area:

the total area drained by a river and its tributaries.

Doab: The land between two adjacent rivers is known as doab or interfluves.

Drainage: The natural runoff (flow) of water from an area by streams and rivers.

Delta: is the mouth of the river. River is divided into number of distributaries (channels)

before joining sea called delta.

Glacier: A large mass of snow over huge area formed by consolidation of snow falling.

Gradient: slope.
OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN
Gully: a narrow channel set up in earth by the action of water. Gorge: a rocky

walled, steep (sharp) sided deep narrow river valley.

Hamun: Shallow salt lake with inland drainage found in Balochistan Plateau.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

Levees: are naturally built river bank by slow deposition of silt along sides. Meander:

curves in the natural course (path) of a river known as meander. Mangrove swamp:

trees grown in tidal mud in delta.

Oxbow lake: The small horse shoe shaped lake which is formed by the separation

of a meander form its main stream is known as oxbow lake.

Plateau: is large stretch of highland which is practically at the same height above sea

level. It descends on all sides to lower land.

Pass: a route over or through mountain.

Ravine: a small, narrow valley with steep sides, larger than a gulley. Rugged:

uneven, rough and irregular surface.

Relief: is the degree of unevenness or land form. River bed:

the channel in which river flow.

River basin: all area drained by river.

Runoff: all the water flowing from drained area. Flow of water. Silt: fine

particles larger than clay.

Shale: a fine grained sediment rock formed largely by hardening of clay. Swamp: wet and

spongy land saturated with water.

Terrain: an area of land in respect of its physical characteristics or conditions. Tributary: a

stream or river flowing into large river.

Tidal flat: an area of sand or mud uncovered at low tide. Undulating: wavy

form of land.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 NORTHERN MOUNTAINS

 The Northern Mountains are divided into three main mountain ranges; the

Karakoram, Himalayas and the Hindu Kush.

 The Karakoram runs from South East to North-West. They have an average height of

6000m.

 The Himalayas run from South-East to North-West and have an average height of

4000m.

 The Hindu Kush runs from North East to South West with an average height of 5000

Karakoram Range

 The Karakoram Range runs from 400 km from Hunza to Shyok River.

 The Karakoram Range is 200 km wide.

 The range runs in east-west direction.

 The average height of Karakoram Range is 6000 metres.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN
 K-2 (8610metres) is the highest peak of Karakoram Range.

 The range has deep, narrow valleys are sharp peaks covered with snow and glaciers.

 Siachen and Biafo are the main glaciers.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

Himalayas Range

 Himalayas are in the south of Karakoram Range.

 They run East to West.

 The Himalayas is divided in Pakistan in three sub parallel ranges the great or high

Himalayas, the lesser Himalayas and the sub-Himalayas.

The Great Himalayas

 The great Himalayas: also known as central Himalayas mostly lie in Kashmir.

 The average height of Himalayas is 6000 meters.

 Highest peak is Nanga Parbat (8126meters).

 Rupal is longest river.

 Satpara is largest lake of region.

 The river Indus River has set up a number of gorges (narrow valley) in its path.

 The peaks of central Himalayas are snow capped and steep-sided with large glaciers.

Lesser Himalayas

 The lesser Himalayas: are located south of the great Himalayas.

 Lesser of lower Himalayas are of medium height 1800 to 4500 meters.

 Lesser Himalayas are of special interest to tourist; Hill stations like Murree, Ghora Gali,

Nathia Gali are located in lesser Himalayas.

 No glacier is found in this region.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

Sub-Himalayas

 The sub-Himalayas or Siwaliks are the southernmost mountain of Himalayas located

near Attock.

 They are low in altitude 600 metres to 1200 metres.

 They are located near Attock.

Hindu Kush

 The Hindu Kush range lies on north and north-west border of Pakistan.

 This range runs in north-south direction.

 Average altitude (height) of the Hindu kush range is 5000 metres.

 Trich Mir (7690m) is highest peak of range.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

  High, steep (sharp), sided valleys with narrow floor are one of feature of Hindu kush

range.

 Important passes of the range are Shandur pass connects which Gilgit and Chitral.

 Lawari pass connects chitral to swat and Peshawar Valley.

 Shangla pass connects Swat valley to upper Indus pass.

 The Hindu Kush range is bare (empty) of vegetation.

 Some forest lie in Swat, Chitral and Dir valleys are located in the range.

Life of People and Economy

 Northern Mountains have steep slopes, high peaks; deep gorges, rugged (rough)

landscape, several steams and glaciers restrict (limits) human movement.

 Little land is available.

 Small scale agriculture is done on terraced (stepped) field.

 In summer livestock and tourism are source of income.

 Some hydro-electric projects are set up on rivers.

 Indoor activities like carpet making and embroidery (needlework) are carry out in

winter because land is covered with snow.

Drainage Pattern

 River Indus and its tributaries is main feature of drainage pattern.

 River Indus starts from Mansrowar Lake in Karakoram.

 Indus River passes through Hindukush joined by river Kabul and Swat.

 After passing from dissected gorges enter in plain areas at Kalabagh.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

  Tributaries (branches) of Indus such as Jhelum, Chenab, Sutlej and Beas starts from

Himalayas passes through Kashmir and enter plain areas and join Indus at Mithankot.

Gilgit Agency Area

 Gilgit agency covers extreme northern part of Pakistan.

 It is a mountainous region covered by Karakoram Range.

 River Indus flows through it.

 In the south of river Indus located Himalayas range with average altitude (height) of

6000 metres.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 High land comprises (made) of steep (sharp) sided parallel ranges, sharp sided

ridges, peaks covered with snow, huge glaciers are located in Karakoram and

Himalayas.

 River Gilgit and river Hunza flows from north and join Indus.

 Area is marked with cold winter and snow falls.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 WESTERN MOUNTAINS

 This region consists of the mountain ranges, namely; the Waziristan hills, the Safed Koh

range, the Sulaiman range and the Kirthar range

Waziristan Hills

 Waziristan hills are located between rivers khurran and Gomal along Afghan border are

highly mineralized.

 Hills have no vegetation.

 Hills rise up to 3513 metres.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

  Bannu town is located in these hills.

Safed Koh

 Safed koh range is located in the south of river Kabul in east-west direction.

 It has height up to of 4712 metres.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

  Sikeram is the highest peak.

 It has snow capped lime stone ridges (peaks).

 It form barrier on Pak-Afghan border.

Sulaiman Range

 Sulaiman range: is located towards west of river Indus.

 Range is 400 km long and 20 to 25km wide.

 Highest peak is Takht-i-Sulaiman (3383metres).

 Lime stone and sand stone are the main minerals of area.

 Range separate Indus plain from Balochistan plateau.

Kirthar Range

 Kirthar range is located in the west of river Indus in Sindh and Balochistan plateau.

 Range rises up to 2174 meters and is bare of vegetation.

 Hub and Lyari are main rivers of Kirthar range.

Life of People and Economy

 Rugged (rocky) landscape is a hurdle in development of infrastructure and transport

net work.

 Canal system cannot be set up due to mountainous landscape (land).

 Range is bare (empty) of vegetation can only support nomadic way of

livestock.

 Mineral deposits are unexplored (unfound) due to poor road network.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

  Only valleys like Peshawar, Kohat and Bannu are very much populated.

Drainage Pattern

 The Safed Koh range is drained by River Kabul, which runs in an West to East

direction and eventually joins River Indus

 The Waziristan hills are drained by small seasonal rivers like Kurram, Tochi and Gomal.

 These rivers run from West to East, and all are the Western tributaries of the River

Indus

 The Sulaiman range is drained by small hill torrents and small seasonal rivers such as the

Bolan and Mula. These rivers usually lead to small inland lakes, where the water collects

and then dries up (for example the lake Damas)

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 The rain falling on Eastern slopes of Sulaiman range runs down the slopes and falls into

piedmont plains leading to the formation of alluvial fans

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

BALUCHISTAN PLATEAU

Topography

 Balochistan Plateau has a height varying from around 600m to around 3000m

 It has deep narrow valleys like Quetta

 They have bare rocks due to lack of rainfall

 The mountains have steep slopes and none are snow capped.

 There are parallel ranges running in an East to West direction for example the Chagai

Hills, Raskoh Range, and Makran Coastal Range are all parallel ranges

 Parallel ranges running North-South direction are Central Brahui and the Hala range

Drainage

 In the Southern part of the Balochistan Plateau, the River Dasht and River Porali flow

from north to South, thus eventually draining into the Arabian Sea. Both are seasonal

rivers; they flow only during the rainy season.

 In Central Balochistan, water either drains into inland lakes known as Hamuns or is

absorbed into the ground, if not, it evaporates. Dry lakes known as Hamun exist (like

Hamun-i-Mashkel). They are formed when seasonal rivers flow into them during the

rainy season. A Hamun is a sort of depression on

the Earth’s surface.

 In Northern Balochistan, River Zhob flows from southwest towards northeast. It

eventually meets the River Gomal, which is a western tributary of the River Indus.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

POTWAR PLATEAU

Topography

 Height ranges from 305 to 610m and represents a region of badland

topography.

 The hills have steep slopes and are badly dissected, faulted and folded.

 Many residual hills are present, a feature left by the last Ice Age due to retreating

glaciers.

 Ravines (shallow, steep sided narrow valleys) are present between ridges (elevated

pieces of land that run for some distance). Ravines are formed due to the erosion of soft

rock by flowing water over a long period of time

 Furrows (shallow long running ditches) are formed by the flow of rainwater. Overtime

the land becomes deeply dissected as the substantial flow rainwater (during heavy

downpour) enlarges the furrows into gullies (deep long running ditches)

Drainage

 River Soan drains much of Potwar Plateau.

 It runs from North-East to South-West and eventually drains into the River Indus.

 Other small rivers are also present but all are active in the rainy season.

 These rivers have meanders (curves in the path of a river) because they have to

flow around small hills

 Alluvial plains have also formed along the rivers due to seasonal flooding and the

consequent deposition of silt by the river

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

Salt Range

 Average height of salt range is 750 meters to 900 meters.

 The Skesar peak is 1527 meters high.

 Range runs in east-west direction.

 Range covers most of Jhelum, Chakwal, Kalabagh and Mianwali districts.

 South slope of range is steep and other is gentle.

 Salt range is collection of several parallel ranges which are folded and faulted.

 Sand stone and shale rocks are commonly found.

 Salt range is also rich in rock salt, gypsum and lime stone.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

INDUS PLAIN

Doab

 The land between two rivers.

Active Flood Plain

 It is a flat plain on both sides of a river, which suffers annual floods during the rainy

season.

 It is around 2-3m above the level of a river.

 It is around 10-20km long. The river always changes its position, thus meanders

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 have come into existence.

 Abandoned (dry) and braided channels are also visible in the dry season.

 Meanders, oxbow lakes and embankments of a river can be seen as well.

 Soils of loam and silt (Alluvial Soils), which are good for farming, are present in both the

UIP and LIP.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 Old Flood Plain

 It is higher than active flood plain around 5m higher than river level.

 It is around 10-20m long.

 It is made up of old alluvium.

 Evidence of meanders and of levees is present in these plains.

 Oxbow lake depressions can also be seen.

 The old flood plains are present in both UIP and LIP.

Bars (alluvial Terraces)

 These are flat areas which are only found in the Upper Indus plain.

 They are 7—12m high and last for 25-35km.

 They are made up of areas of silt and clay.

 In Pakistan all the bars have a south west direction.

 It is highest place on doab safe from floods.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN
Scarp

 Scarp is a slope which separates the old flood plain from the bar upland.

 It is around 20m long and 11m high above the river level.

 It is made when old alluvium on the bar upland is eroded, thus, leaving a slope which

connects both old flood plain and the bar upland

Upper Indus Plain

 In the upper Indus plain there are doabs (a doab is a land between two rivers) e.g. Bari

Doab. Bars (alluvial terraces) are also present, which are 7- 12m high e.g. the Nilli and

Ganji Bars.

 The rivers keep on changing their course slightly (meanders). There are levees

along the river bed, which help contain the river.

 Active flood plains are present alongside the river; these are low lying areas of flat land,

which are annually flooded in the rainy season. The active flood plain is made up of new

alluvium

 The old flood plains are also present. They are flat areas, which are higher than active

flood plains. They are made up of old alluvium, which had been deposited a decade ago.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 They’re flooded after a decade or so, when strong monsoon winds combine with the

heavy melting of snow and ice in the glaciers of the Northern Mountains.

 Piedmont plains are found at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Salt Range. They are

formed by the deposition of material by hill torrents, when they lose their speed. Kirak

Hills exist between the River Chenab and Jhelum

Lower Indus Plain

 The Lower Indus Plain principally differs from the Upper Indus Plain due to presence of

a tidal delta (the Indus Delta) and also because in the Lower Indus Plain only one river

that is, the river Indus, flows.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

 Indus delta exists in some of the southern parts of the Lower Indus Plain. A delta is a

low lying triangular area which has alluvial deposits. Here the river divides into

distributaries before entering a larger body of water (in this case the Arabian Sea). The

delta exists because of the deposition of material carried by the river. This happens

because when the river enters into the sea, it loses its speed and thus also loses its

ability to hold this material, which is therefore deposited at the mouth of the river.

 In the lower Indus Plain, we may find limestone ridges which are known as cuestas, a

few examples being; Rohri and Gango Takar Cusetas.

 Oxbow lakes are also present in the lower Indus plain. Active and Old Flood Plains are

also present, but a doab and alluvial terraces are absent. Meanders however are present

too.

 Piedmont Plains are present at the foothills of Kirthar and Sulaiman Mountain

ranges. Part of the Indus plain that extends into Balochistan is known as the Kachi

Sibi Plain.

 Both these plains have rolling sand dunes (Thal and Thar deserts), flat plain areas, have

some low lying hills, oxbow lakes and meanders etc.

 The main differences are the number of tributaries and distributaries (delta) in both

the plains, how much water each of the plain contributes to the Indus River system

(The Upper Indus Plain contributes more towards the volume of water in the form of

rain etc). The Upper Indus Plain is also a bit higher than the low lying Lower Indus Plain.

Considering the altitude of these two plains, we see that it decreases from North

towards the South generally.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

Drainage of Indus Plain

 The Lower Indus plain is drained by the River Indus mainly flowing in the North-South

direction. Meanders and oxbow lakes also exist. Piedmont plains exist in-between the

river Indus and Sulaiman and Kirthar Mountain ranges.

 In the Upper Indus plain, River Indus and its Eastern tributaries flow in North- South

direction. Tributaries are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej. Meanders and oxbow

lakes also exist.

OLEVEL PAK STUDIES I 2059/02 I TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKSIATN

DESERTS

 A desert is a place that receives very low amount of precipitation (less than 250mm).

 It is an area that can support almost no vegetation.

 Deserts can be cold as well as hot (have a high rate of evapotranspiration).

 Pakistan has 3 main deserts; the Thal, Tharparkar and the Kharan desert, all of which are

hot deserts

 Thal is found in Punjab between Jhelum and Indus Rivers.

 Tharparkar is divided into 3 parts; Cholistan is found in Southern Punjab, Nara in

Eastern Sindh and Thar in the South East of Sindh.

 Kharan is found in Western Balochistan.

Topography

 There are strips of soil found between sand dunes along with the sandy plains.

 Sand dunes shift grain by grain due to the pattern of the blowing wind.

 Sand dunes sometimes reach a height of 150m, and are both longitudinal and latitudinal

in direction.

 All of the sand dunes are crescent shaped.

 When the wind blows away the top cover of sand away, bare and weathered rocks are

exposed onto the surface