The Punjab plain comprises mainly the province of Punjab. It is the
gift of River Indus and its five eastern tributaries- Jhelum, Chenab,
Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. The plain spreads from the south of Potohar
plateau up to Mithankot, where Sulaiman Range approaches river
Indus. The Punjab plain is almost a featureless plain with a gentle
slope southward averaging one foot to the mile. The only break in
the alluvial monotony is the little group of broken hills(100
ft-1,600ft.) near Sangla and Irana on either side of the Chenab. The
entire plain is extensively irrigated by a network of canals. This
system has been greatly expanded and improved in recent years by the
construction of link-canals, dams and barrages as a result of the
Indus Water Treaty with India, which awarded the three western
rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) to pakistan, and the three eastern
rivers (Ravi,Sutlej and Beas) to India. Tarbela Dam on river Indus
and Mangla Dam on River Jhelum, which have water storage capacities
of 11.1 million acre ft. and 5.55 million acre ft. respectively,
need a special mention. Irrigation water is supplemented by summer
and winter
rains(15-20 inches) so
that a variety of crops is raised, the major onces being wheat,
rice, cotton and sugarcane. The region has earned the name of
granary of Pakistan. However, the blessings of canal irrigation have
not been without a curse, which render about 100,000 acres of land
unproductive every year through waterlogging and salinity. The
menace has been greatly controlled through salinity control and
reclamation projects. Agricultural development boosted urbanization
and industrialization so that the region has emerged as the most
important economically developed area of Pakistan, containing over
56 per cent of the population and most of the commercial and
industrial centres of the country, such as Lahore (2,922,000),
Faisalabad (1,092.000). Multan (730,000), Gujranwala (596,000),
Sialkot (297,000) and Gujrat (154,000).
The south eastern section of the region known as cholistan is
under-developed. This tract is parched and thirsty. The summer
temperature average 51.7 oC and the area remains under the grip of
extremely hot winds. The surface of this desert consists of a
succession of sand dunes rising in places to a height of 500 ft.
with vegetation peculiar to sandy tracts. There is no soil down to
the lowest depth except sand; bitter water is, however, sometimes
found at depth of about 80-100 ft.
The Potohar Upland
commonly called the Potohar Plateau, lies to the south of northern
mountains and is flanked in the west by River Indus and in the east
by River Jhelum. This 1,000-2,000 ft.(305-610 m) upland is a typical
arid landscape with denuded and broken terrain characterised by
undulations and irregularities. These are a few outlying spurs of
Salt Range in the south, and those of Khair Murad and Kala Chitta
Range in the north. Two seasonal streams-Rivers Haro and River Soan-flow
from east to the west and after crossing the region in the north and
in the middle respectively, fall in the Indus. River Kanshi
traverses the eastern part of the plateau from north to south and
drains into River Jhelum. These rivers and other hill torrents have
cut deep valleys and are of little use for irrigation. Agriculture
is thus almost entirely dependent on rainfall of 15-20 inches and on
the small dams built in the catchment areas of the streams.
Fields of wheat, barley, jowar, bajra and pulses are found in valley
bottoms and on the terraced slopes along river banks. A new economic
factor has been introduced by the establishment of a few factories
in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and a large industrial area in the
Taxila-Wah-Hassanabdal triangle,where a large cement factory was
already in existence. The region is particulary known for its
oilfields in Khaur-Dhulian neighbourhood, the ancient civilization
sites in Soan valley, the ruins and the Buddhist University at
Taxila and the new capital, Islamabad, which stands north of the old
city of Rawalpindi(806,000) at the southern slops of Murree hills,
the popular Holiday resort of the country. Salt Range The ramparts
of the Salt Range stretching from east to west in the south separate
potohar upland from the Punjab plain. The average height of the Salt
Range is about 700 metres, but near Sakesar in Sargodha district, it
rises to 1,500 metres, making summer pleasant. The southern face is
remarkably steep, dissected and intensely arid. But, the northern
slope is gentle and has sparse vegetation of oleanders and wild
olives. The top of the range is a narrow belt of isolated plateaus
and basins, where, sparse stunted trees and fields of wheat and
maize are found. However, the real importance of the salt mines lies
in the large deposits of pure salt at Khewra and Kalabagh and the
large seams of coal at Dandot and Makerwal. Punjab Plain
