Water
1.1 Introduction To River System
- Tributary: A small river that joins the big river
- All the rivers in Pakistan (the ones on the Indus plain i.e. Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej) join River Indus, so they ae River Indus’s tributaries
- Distributary
- From the word “distribute”
- A small river that distributes from the main/ big river
- As river Indus breaks in different rivers in the lower Indus plain, near to the coast
Difference Between Indus River System (Eastern) and Rivers of Baluchistan (Western)
- Indus River System
- Travel long distances
- Fast slope so fast speed
- Carry more volume of water and alluvium
- Flow throughout the year
- More important for the agriculture, industry and hydro-electric power production of Pakistan
- Rivers of Balochistan
- Less slope so slow flow
- Travel short distances
- Less water and alluvium
- Face inland drainage
- Seasonal flow depending upon rainfall
- Less important for the agriculture, industry and HEP of Pakistan
1.2 Problems of Water Resources
- Waterlogging
- When underground water table rises up to plant roots level and sometimes it appears on the surface
- Causes
- Due to the use of unlined canals water is absorbed by the land and water table starts rising
- Floods
- Salinity
- The amount of salt in the soil
- Causes
- Waterlogging
- When water is evaporated from the water logged, the soil previously dissolved in the water remains on the surface.
- Use of underground / tube well salty water for irrigation
- Waterlogging
- Results of these problems
- The crop production becomes less and the land becomes unfit for cultivation, reducing the agricultural output
- Lesser industry and less raw material
- Trade reduces
- Imports increased to meet local demand for food.
- The crop production becomes less and the land becomes unfit for cultivation, reducing the agricultural output
- How to reduce the issues of waterlogging and salinity
- Lining the canals
- It means making “pakki” canals with cement etc
- Growing Eucalyptus trees that absorb more water
- Waterlogging reduces as water table falls
- Install more tubewells
- NOT FOR IRRIGATION
- Instead, to take out water to reduce water table
- The surface water is drained to some canals or rivers
- Limestone and gypsum can be spread onto the soil
- It absorbs the extra salt from the soil
- The salt can be flushed from the soil
- Salty water can be used by mixing with freshwater where any other option is not available
- The fresh water is the canal water
- It can reduce the salinity level of saline water
- Lining the canals
1.3 Indus Water Treaty
- The treaty was signed between India and Pakistan over the issue of canal water dispute in September 1960
- According to this treaty the water of the Western rivers i.e. Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, was given to Pakistan, while the Eastern Rivers, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi were given to India
- The World Bank made this signing possible, and also arranged funds for many required constructions
- Causes
- River sources were in India
- Most Headworks were also in India
- India had intention to capture the water
- Results
- It was a peaceful treat, threat of war was finished
- Tarbela and Mangla dams were built
- Five barrages were built
- Link canals were built to provide water to those rivers which were in Indian control
- A canal that links two rivers
- Reconditioning was done of the present canals
- 17 major canals and 300 minor canals were built
1.4 Major Dams in Pakistan
- Tarbela Dam at River Indus
- Mangla Dam at River Jhelum
- Warsak Dam at River Kabul
1.5 The Traditional Methods of Irrigation
- Shaduf
- In the Shaduf system, water is drawn from a well, river or canal by a bucket which is attached to a pole on one side, and weight on the other side. The Shaduf has been used for centuries. A small area can be irrigated by this method. The shaduf system is rarely used today
- Charsa
- In charsa method, animal power is used to pull water from the well. The charsa system is not used by many farmers now
- Persian wheel
- It is a system of continuous supply of water and irrigates a comparatively larger area. A persian wheel of more or less traditional design, powered by a blind fold bullock. It turns a horizontal wooden wheel geared to a vertical wheel at the distant end of the shaft. This carries the vertical metal wheel in the left foreground, to which is attached a chain of earthenware pots. The pots raise water from the well and spill their contents into the channel that leads to the fields
- Karez
- Horizontal, underground canal
- It is cut from the side of the hill into the hill
- Allows bringing water from the underground to the surface
- A group of people dig it
- Water is shared
- Vertical shafts are dug to allowed the clearing and repairment of the canal
- Also helps to remove any blockage
- Old system
- Practices in Balochistan
- The reason is that water in open rivers gets absorbed or evaporated
- Water is scarce
- Underground canals in Karez minimise the loss of water through evaporation
- Inundated Canal
- A long canal from the large river is called inundated canal
- These canals do not have any storage area
- Instead, they only receive water when the river is high
- Usually in floods
- Diversion channel
- Narrow version of inundated canals
- Mainly in highland areas
- Northern mountains
- Take water away from river in narrow channels
- To valley sides
- Small terraced fields are located there
- TERRACED FARMING CONCEPT FROM NATURAL TOPOGRAPHY
- Tank irrigation
- Mud banks
- Tanks
- Constructed on side of river
- Small stream helps to create a small reservoir of water
- In rainy season, and flood, the water is stored in this small reservoir.
- Mud banks
1.6 Importance of the Indus River System
- Provides water for irrigation and agriculture
- Even in those areas where rainfall is extremely low i.e. South Eastern Sindh
- Ads to the scenic beauty of the area
- Offers a good picnic spot
- Results in tourism
- Earnings
- Hydro-electric power generation
- In mountainous areas
- Will study in detail in the chapter about power sources
- Increases land and soil fertility
- Brings alluvium and organic matter
- Will study in detail in agriculture chapter
- In land fishing is done
- River and lakes
- Earnings
- Food demand is met
- Employment is provided
- Provides clean water
- Drinking
- Domestic use
- Industrial use
- Irrigation water
- From canals that emerge from barrages and dams
What is the difference between inundated canals and perennial canals
- Inundated canals are NOT attached with any dam or reservoir, instead they are attached directly to the river
- They get water in flood or rainy season
- Perennial canals
- These are attached to dam or reservoir
- They can supply water throughout the year
- They can supply water outside the rainy season or flood as well
- From water in the reservoirs and dams
- They can supply water outside the rainy season or flood as well
1.7 Rivers of Balochistan
- Quetta has central importance in Balochistan’s drainage pattern
- Zhob, Khandr and Kalachi drain into River Indus
- They have eastward flow
- Loralai, Chakar, Bolan and Mula
- Absorbed in Kachhi Sibi Plain
- Hab, Porali,Hingol and Mashkel
- Drain into Arabian Sea
- Small rivers
- Flow westward
- Drain into Hamuz
- Shallow depressions
- Explained in Natural Topography chapter
1.8 What are the main uses of water
- Industrial Uses
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Injections
- Syrups
- V. Infusions
- Tanning Industry
- Will read about tanning process in industry chapter
- Washing and Dyeing
- Food Processing Industry
- Juices
- Beverages
- Syrups
- Squashes
- Chemical Industry
- Liquid Blenc
- Solutions
- Acids
- Textile Industry
- Washing
- Bleaching
- Blueing
- Dyeing
- Printing
- Mineral Water Industry
- Water is the only component
- Processed, purified and cleaned for drinking
- Iron and Steel Industry
- The cool down the furnace for making steel
- Thermal Power Stations
- To produce steam that make the turbines move
- Hydro-electric Power Stations
- Enough volume of water is the main requirement for HEP generation
- Pressure of water from a steep slope makes the hydro-turbines move
- Water is the only component
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Agricultural uses of water
- Irrigation
- Artificial supply of water for agriculture
- Especially when rainfall is not available
- Indus River irrigation system
- One of the best in the world
- Livestock
- Drinking of livestock
- Washing of animals
- Irrigation
- Domestic Uses of Water
- Drinking
- Cooking
- Washing
- Sanitation
1.9 Why Canal Irrigation Is Practised In Indus River System
- The strengths in favor of Canal Irrigation
- Soft soil and level land
- Indus Plain
- Digging of canals is easy
- Difficult in Balochistan
- Rugged landscape
- Southward slope of rivers
- Natural flow is such that making canals becomes easier
- Water quantity is huge
- From monsoon rains and melting of snow/ glaciers
- Reservoir storage possible in summer to use in other seasons
- Water supply is irregular
- Due to uneven rainfall patterns
- Canals and reservoirs can ensure regulated supply
- Can help to avoid floods by storing more water and using later
- Canal system helps irrigate vast areas
- Main example is the areas in deserts
- Many deserts are also producing crops now using canal irrigation
- Cheap labour
- Cement availability
- Thus, making canals is easier and cost effective
- Millions of gallons of water can be used better
- It would have instead flown into the Arabian Sea
- Soft soil and level land
- The ineffectiveness of rainfall in Indus Plain
- Rainfall distribution is quite variable
- Very little in south side compared to north
- Dry spells are long
- Chances of drought and famine
- Rainfall (especially monsoon and convectional current)
- Has heavy showers
- Bochaar wali barish
- It increases erosion of sol and surface run-off
- Rainfall timings are highly variable
- So agriculture cannot completely depend on it
- Rainy days are less in number throughout the year
- Hot weather plus unlined canals and river beds (river bottom part where it touches the ground)
- More evapo-transpiration
- Rainfall amount is low in certain areas
- Like deserts
- Rainfall distribution is quite variable
2.0 Effectiveness of Traditional Irrigation Methods
- Limited irrigation
- Less area irrigated
- Small quantities of water obtained
- Manual Labor is required
- Animals are required
- Time consumption is ahig
- It is difficult to build
- For example Karez
- Seasonal
- Asin the case of inundated canals
2.1 Modern Methods of Irrigation
- Perennial Canals
- Mentioned Above
- Sprinkler or Spray Irrigation
- These are sprinklers
- Attached with supply pipes
- Used mostly for gardening
- Water used more effectively
- Expensive
- These are sprinklers
- Tankers
- Water tankers that we see
- Example Karachi
2.2 Major Barrages
- Chashma Barrage
- Rasul Barrage
- Marala Barrage
- Qadirabad Barrage
2.3 Link Canals
- Marala-Ravi
- Bombanwala-Ravi-Badian-Dipalpur
- Rasul-Qadirabad
- Qadirabad-Balloki
- Balloki-Sulaimanki 1
- Balloki-Sulaimanki 2
- Chashma-Jhelum
- Trimmu-Sidhnai
- Taunsa-Panjnad
- Sidhnai-Mailsi-Bahawal
2.4 Large and Small Dams
Similarities between small and large dams
- Store water for irrigation
- Supply water for industrial and domestic use
Difference Between Large and Small Dams
- Small dams irrigate local area while large dams irrigate a wide area
- Small dams supply little or no HEP, while lage dams are major suppliers
- Small dams’ silting problem is easier to solve
- Large dams difficult and costly
- The initial investment for small dams is low, while its high for large dams
- Small dams suit more to the Pakistani economy
- Maintenance cost of small dams is low
- Large dams is high
- Construction takes time and has quick results for small dams
- Construction is time taking and results are far-fetched
- Small dams cannot help much in flood control because less capacity
- They get overflooded
- Large dams do not have this problem, they are more important
- Small dams require evacuation and displacement of few people
- Large dams require many people to be evacuated
- Construction of Mangla Project
- 40,000 people evacuated
- Small dams have less impact in rivers, watersheds and aquatic systems
- Large scale projects change the entire ecosystem of the area
- It can lead to irreversible changes and loss of ecosystems and species
- Construction of Mangla Project
- Large dams require many people to be evacuated
- They get overflooded
2.5 The siltation problem
- Silt
- It is the eroded material from the mountains carried by the river
- Causes
- Silt is abundant in the Hamalayan, Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges
- Deforestation in this region results in more runoff and erosion
- Deforestation occurs due to the use of wood in fuel and timber industry
- Rivers have narrow and deep valleys (we studied in natural topography)
- The eroded material ends up in plains and ends up in dam reservoirs
- Effects
- It blocks canals
- The dam foundation is weakened
- Irrigating canals choke
- The reservoir capacity reduces and water flow is less
- Hydroelectric production reduces as well
- Less water for irrigation
- Floodwater flow is blocked
- Damage dam walls and base
- Controls
- Afforestation campaigns on large scale in Himalayas
- Cemented embankment of canals
- Cleaning of silt becomes easy
- Silt traps installed before water flows in dam
- Negative thing is that it would result in less alluvium reaching agricultural fields
- Water flow regulated
- During flood, more water is allowed to escape
- Lower level at reservoir
- So that more silt is taken away and not ends in dams
- In times of low flow
- Free flow in canals allowed
- So that less water stays in reservoir
- Silt has lss change to get deposited
- Increase dam height to increase dam capacity.
- During flood, more water is allowed to escape
2.6 Effects of climate change on Pakistani economy
- Water shortage will affect everything adversely
- Food production reduce
- Imports increase to meet food demand
- Agricultural raw material production reduces
- Agro-based industries (industries dependent on agriculture) will suffer as less raw material
- Cotton and sugar industries
- Fisheries will die out
- Fishing industry dies
- Floods in low lying coastal areas as sea level rise
- Many people die
- Millions lost
- Drought in arid and semi arid areas
- Deaths
- Migration on large scale
- Malnutrition
- Health issues
- Internal and external migration increase as rural poverty increases
- Agro-based industries (industries dependent on agriculture) will suffer as less raw material
- Food production reduce
2.7 Adapting to climate change
- Water conservation
- Both domestically and in industry
- Far share of water resources amongst provinces
- Plant conservation
- Saving mangroves
- To protect coastal communities
- Will study in forests chapter
- Cottage craft and small scale industries
- Dependence on agriculture reduce
- Need for irrigation water reduce
- Less migration from the rula communities
- Drought resistant plant species
- Genetically engineered
- Can grow even in less water and less rainfall
- Can also grow in salty water
- Increasing water sources
- Desalinating sea water
- Shift from agrarian (agriculture-dependent) economy
- Tertiary sector major potential in Pakistan
- Will read in industry chapter
- A rigorous and strictly implemented environment protection plan
- Tertiary sector major potential in Pakistan
- Genetically engineered
- Dependence on agriculture reduce
- Saving mangroves
Lesson Tags
Water Resources | Drought | Floods | Sea Water | Detailed Notes For Preparation & Revision | O Level Pakistan Studies 2059/02 and IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448/02 | The Environment of Pakistan
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