The Journey of Water
The Rain Cycle
The different regions in Pakistan receive rainfall through three main mechanisms: monsoon
rainfall in the summer, the winter disturbance winds in the winter, and local precipitation
buildup over the year.

Monsoon Rainfall: Monsoon winds bearing rainclouds reach Pakistan from the
east/northeast, dumping enormous amounts of rain on Pakistan's north and
northeast. The monsoon season in Pakistan begins in July and lasts until September.
The northeast monsoon wind system blows for half of the year, and the the the
southwest monsoon wind system blows for the other half. Monsoons bring with
them rain and thunderstorms. The South Asian Monsoons are one of the most
essential, not only for the countries that get there but also for the global climate.
Due to its agricultural, social, economic, and environmental implications, the
monsoon season is one of the most significant and anticipated seasons in Pakistan
and its neighboring nations. Pakistan relies on the monsoon to recharge its
groundwater levels (since water scarcity is a big issue in the country) and replenishes
its rivers and dams both of which are necessary for agriculture and the production of
hydroelectric power. According to a new monsoon rainfall distribution research by
the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), climate change has resulted in a
100-kilometer spatial shift westward in Pakistan's general monsoon pattern over the
last three decades. Rainfall distribution patterns are shifting both spatially and
seasonally. The summer monsoon has moved to the end of the season, and the
winter rains have moved onto late February and early March. According to PMD's
Monsoon Outlook 2017, normal rainfall is expected in July, while less than average
rainfall is expected in August and September this year.

The Western Depressions: mostly occur during the winter months and cause light to
moderate showers in southern parts of the country while moderate to heavy
showers with heavy snowfall in the northern parts of the country. These westerly
waves are robbed of most of the moisture by the time they reach Pakistan. A
western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean
region that brings sudden winter rain to the northern parts of the Indian
subcontinent, which extends as east as up to northern parts of Bangladesh,
Southeastern Nepal. It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the
westerlies. The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean
Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Extratropical storms are a global
phenomenon with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere, unlike their
tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the lower atmosphere. In the
case of the Indian subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when the storm
system encounters the Himalayas. Western disturbances are more frequent and
stronger in the winter season.

Local Precipitation Buildup: this is not a result of any specific wind system but may
occur due to localized buildup of precipitation in the air, which is then at times
released through rainfall. This type of rainfall is sporadic, infrequent, and hard to
predict.
The River System
The river system of Pakistan originates from the snow-covered Himalayan and the
Karakoram range. The system comprises mainly five rivers that pass mostly through the
Punjab province; therefore, the name 'Punjab' — 'panj' meaning five and 'aab' meaning
water. The five rivers of Pakistan are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Indus.
River Jhelum is nearly 774 kilometers long and is the tributary of River Chenab. Jhelum
originates from the south-eastern part of Kashmir valley and flows through Srinagar before
entering Pakistan. Along its journey, it is joined by the largest tributary of the Neelam River
near Muzaffarabad. River Jhelum also has many dams and barrages constructed on it, with
one of the dams being Mangla which is the world's largest earth-fill dam and was
constructed in 1967. It has a storage capacity of nearly 5.9 million acre-feet. Rasul Barrage is
also built on the Jhelum River, as well as Trimmu Barrage. Sutlej flows through the historic
crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya
Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman
Range in Pakistan. Some 550 kilometers long, Sutlej is also called the Red River. The Chandra
and Bhaga rivers in the upper Himalayas join to form the Chenab River. Chenab flows
through Jammu and Kashmir. It is then joined by the Jhelum River at Trimmu, a flood control
mechanism near Jhang, and on moving further, it merges with the Sutlej near Uch Sharif in
Pakistan. Chenab River is nearly 960 kilometers long. River Ravi, like many other rivers of the
region, originates in the Himalayas. After it flows through the southwest region of Indian
Punjab, it moves along the Indo-Pak border and enters Pakistan and merges with Chenab.
River Ravi is nearly 720 kilometers long. It's also called 'The river of Lahore' since the city of
Lahore is located on Ravi's eastern bank. The Indus River is the longest river in Pakistan,
originating from the Himalayan region. It is also the world's 21st largest river in terms of
annual water flow. With a total length of 3,180 kilometers, it is also Pakistan's lifeline. Indus
River originates from the Tibetan plateau near Lake Mansarovar in China. It then runs
through Jammu and Kashmir, enters the Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly Northern Areas of
Pakistan) region and flows through the entire length of the country and merges with the
Arabian Sea. The Indus River fulfills the water requirements of Pakistan and is the main
support for agriculture. The main tributaries of Indus are the Astor River, Balram River, Gilgit
River, Kabul River, Tanubal River and the Zanskar River.
The Indus Irrigation System
Irrigation from Indus waters has provided the basis for successful agriculture since time
immemorial. Modern irrigation engineering work commenced about 1850, and, during the
period of British administration, large canal systems were constructed. In many cases, old
canals and inundation channels in the Sindh and Punjab regions were revived and
modernized. Thus, the greatest system of canal irrigation in the world was created. At the
partition of British India in 1947, the international boundary between India and what was
then West Pakistan cut the irrigation system of the Bari Doab and the Sutlej Valley Project—
originally designed as one scheme—into two parts. The headwork fell to India while the
canals ran through Pakistan. That led to a disruption in the water supply in some parts of
Pakistan. The dispute that thus arose and continued for some years was resolved through
the mediation of the World Bank by a treaty between Pakistan and India (1960) known as
the Indus Waters Treaty. According to that agreement, the flow of the three western rivers
of the Indus basin—the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab (except for a small quantity used in
Jammu and Kashmir union territory)—is assigned to Pakistan, whereas the flow of the three
eastern rivers—the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—is reserved exclusively for India. The Indus
Waters Treaty also made provision for the construction of two major dams in Pakistan. The
Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River near the town of Jhelum is one of the largest rolled earthfill dams in the world. It has a crest length of about 10,300 feet (3,140 meters) and a
maximum height of more than 480 feet (146 meters)—a figure that includes the results of a
project completed in 2009 that raised the height of the dam by 30 feet (9 meters). Mangla
Reservoir, created by the dam, is 40 miles (64 km) long and has a surface area of 100 square
miles (260 square km). The project generates some 1,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity. In
addition, the reservoir has been developed as a fishing center and a tourist attraction as
well as a health resort.
The second gigantic project is the Tarbela Dam on the Indus, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of
Rawalpindi. The dam, of the earth- and rock-filled type, is 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) long and
470 feet (143 meters) high, and its reservoir is 50 miles (80 km) long. The dam's generating
capacity is some three times that of the Mangla Dam, and its total potential is considerably
greater.
A third major structure, completed in 2004, is the Ghazi Brotha hydroelectric project,
located below Tarbela. The Indus is partially diverted there to a powerhouse that can
generate 1,450 megawatts.
On the Indus itself, there are several important headworks, or barrages, after the river
reaches the plain. In the mountainous region, the principal waterways west of the Indus are
the Swat Canals, which flow from the Swat River, a tributary of the Kābul River. Those canals
provide irrigation for the two chief crops of the area, sugarcane and wheat. The Warsak
multipurpose project on the Kābul River, about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Peshawar,
provides irrigation for food crops and fruit orchards in the Peshawar valley and is designed
to produce 240,000 kilowatts of electricity. In the plains region, the Kalabagh, or Jinnah,
Barrage controls the system of canals in the Thal Project, organized in 1949. The project,
which irrigates a former desert area, is aimed at expanding agriculture, developing rural
industry, and promoting the settlement of population in villages and towns. Further
downstream is the Chashma Barrage. Still farther, the Taunsa Barrage, designed for the
irrigation of land in the Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh districts, also produces about
100,000 kilowatts of electricity. Within the Sindh, there are three major barrages on the
Indus—Guddu, Sukkur, and Kotri, or Ghulam Muhammad. The Guddu Barrage is just inside
the Sindh border and is some 4,450 feet (1,356 meters) long; it irrigates cultivated land in
the region of Sukkur, Jacobabad, and parts of the Larkana and Kalat districts. The project has
greatly increased the cultivation of rice, but cotton also has become a major crop on the left
bank of the river and has replaced rice as a cash crop. The Sukkur Barrage was built in 1932
and is about 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The canals originating from it serve a cultivable area of
about 5 million acres (2 million hectares) of land, producing both food and cash crops. The
Kotri Barrage, also known as the Ghulam Muhammad Barrage, was opened in 1955. It is
near Hyderabad and is nearly 3,000 feet (900 meters) long. The right-bank canal provides
additional water to the city of Karachi. Sugarcane cultivation has been expanded, and yields
of rice and wheat have increased.
Experience in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere has shown that canal irrigation unless
carefully controlled, can seriously damage cultivated land. The water in unlined canals seeps
through the soil and raises the water table, so the soil becomes waterlogged and useless for
cultivation. As irrigation by canals has expanded along the Indus and its tributaries, in some
areas, groundwater has risen above the surface to form shallow lakes. Elsewhere the water
has evaporated in the intense summer heat, leaving behind layers of salt that make crop
production impossible. Steps have been taken to provide adequate drainage systems to
avoid waterlogging and salt buildup.
Other Unique Water Bodies in Pakistan
Attabad Lake
ON JANUARY 4, 2010, A massive landslide thundered down the sides of the remote Hunza
Valley in the Gilgit Baltistan region of Northern Pakistan. The village of Attabad was buried,
killing 20 people and destroying 26 homes. The disaster, however, was far from over. The
landslide had dammed the Hunza River, and the rapidly rising waters of the newly formed
lake threatened villages both below and above the dam.
The waters behind the newly formed natural dam soon rose to a depth of more than 300
feet, creating a lake that eventually measured 13 miles in length. As the lake grew, it
displaced some 6,000 people from upstream villages and flooded a 12-mile stretch of the
Karakoram Highway, leaving the region stranded. In May 2010, local authorities excavated a
spillway to guide the flow over the dam. A month later, however, too much water was
flowing over the landslide. Below the dam, lower Shishkat was completely submerged, and
Gulmit was partly flooded.
By August 2010, the spillway was beginning to perform well. But by that time, as many as
25,000 individuals had been affected, either as a result of the initial landslide, flooding or
due to the destruction of the highway. The government provided aid to the victims, but
many remained in fear of further disaster. If the dam burst, 50,000 people living
downstream could be in peril, as well as a road that served as an important trade link with
China.
Thankfully, the dam held. And from the disaster came an unexpected attraction that would
eventually lead to a tourism boom in the area: Attabad Lake, a shimmering turquoise lake
that is now one of the main attractions in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.
Saif-ul-Malook
This magnificent lake's history is well-known and draws visitors from all around the world.
The story follows Saif-ul-Malook, a prince who falls in love with a fairytale princess named
Badi-ul-Jamal.
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, a Sufi saint and Punjabi Hindko poet, adapted the story into a
poem. Saif-ul-Malook was an Egyptian prince. When Saif saw the fairy's photo, he fell
instantly in love with her. He then left his house and embarked on a six-year search for her.
One day, a saint approached Saif in a Cairo street and presented him with a Sulemani cap,
informing him that it would transport him to his desired location. The saint told the prince
that he would locate the fairy in a lake but that he would have to pass several difficult
exams and pray to obtain her, as she was a fairy queen and he was human. The human sight
cannot see a demon or a fairy since they are "fire-borne." Saif arrived at the location and
immediately began a Chilla. He got exhausted and feeble after praying for 40 straight days
without food or rest. It was the fourteenth night of the month, and he reasoned that
perhaps tonight, he would see her. She was stunning, with long black hair and dazzling blue
eyes. She was simply magnificent. Saif learned from Badi-ul-Jamal that she had been
imprisoned in a castle in Koh Qaf for the previous ten years by a white giant. Saif convinced
her to run away with him after hearing her story. When the white giant learned of this, he
generated turbulence in this lake out of rage, resulting in a flood in Kaghan Valley. They (the
fairy and the prince) took refuge in a cemetery a few miles from Naran, but Saif and Badi-ul-
Jamal sought refuge in a cave near the lake due to the flood. According to legend, the Ansoo
Lake in Kaghan Valley, a few miles from Saif-ul-Malook, was created by the white giant's
tears after discovering the fairy had vanished. According to the famous story, the prince and
fairy queen continue to live in that cave and dance above the water's surface on the
fourteenth night of each lunar cycle.