The Indus Plains

• Throughout Most of Punjab and Central part of Sindh, The river Indus and its tributaries
drain the Indus Plain

✓ Upper Indus plain

→ Northern part

→ At Panjnad in the Upper Indus Plain

* five main tributaries of the Indus have all joined together

→ After Sutlej joins the Chenab (At Panjnad) the river itself is called Panjnad

→ River Panjnad flows for 72 Km before joining the Indus, near Mithankot in Sindh

✓ Lower Indus plain

→ Southern Part

→ General slop of the plain towards sea is gentle

* Average gradient of 1m to 5km

→ Below Mithankot in Sindh

* Indus flows as a gigantic river until it meets the Arabian sea

Natural Topographical Features of the Indus Plain

- The landforms of the Indus Plain have distinct features

Name Location and Physical features (Relief Soil Type Importance

characteristics and drainage)
1. Active • The narrow strip of • Land marked with dry • Fresh • Best for
flood land on both sides and braided channels alluvial agriculture
plain of the river rich in alluvium at the called
end of the rainy season "Khaddar" (fertile soil and
• Locally - Bet or water from
Khaddar land • Meanders flooding areas
helps in
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 • Meanders
• Ox bow lakes helps in
• Inundated • Levees irrigation of
(flooded) almost • Braided channels field)
annually

• Found along all

rivers except the
southern half of the
river Ravi (low
volume of water)

Old Location and Characteristic Physical features Soil Type Importance

flood (Relief and
plain drainage )
• Found b/w Active flood • Abandoned • Old alluvium • ideal for
plain and Alluvial terraces channels called agriculture
"Bhangar"
• Flooded only due to heavy • Meander scars (fertile soil
monsoon rainfall (water dried up) and natural
irrigation)
• Covered with old alluvial • Remains of ox bow
lakes (sometimes
• Mixture of meander flood containing water)
plain and cover flood plain

Alluvial Location and Characteristic Physicaal features Soil Type Importance

Terraces / (Relief and
bar areas drainage)
• Also called Scalloped • Flat surface • Old • Ideal for
interfluves alluvium agriculture with
• South-west slope the help of
• High areas between rivers + bars irrigation

• (area between two rivers is • Settlement

called a doab so the
alluvial terraces are • Warehouse
formed b/w doabs)
• Industries
• Formed by erosion of old

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 • Formed by erosion of old
alluvium • Infrastructure
development
• Formed in the Upper Indus
plains in: (safe from flood)
* Chaj doab
* Rechna doab
* Bari doab

• Important alluvial terraces:

* Sandal bar on Rechna
Doab,

* Ganji Bar and Nili bar

on Bari Doab

* Kirana bar on Chaj

Doab

• Part of the Bahawalpur

Plain (that has been
reclaimed through
irrigation) also falls within
the boundary of the Indus
plains
* its height is identical
with the bars and
doabs
* an alluvial terrace

Cross- Location and Physical features Soil Type Importance

Sectio Characteristic (Relief and drainage)
n Of a
Doab
• Doab: a land • Features formed • Combination of • Suitable for a
between two rivers on a doab when different soils number of human
at their confluence the rivers enter a (alluvial, sandy activities
mature valley due soil, etc
• High population to its main function e.g.
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 • High population to its main function ➢ e.g.
Density due to (erosion and
Topographical deposition: * Farming
Features
* Active flood * Construction of
• E.g. plain settlements

→ Active flood plain: * Old flood plain * building of rail

- flooded nearly every comprising of tracks and
year Meander flood roads
- ideal for crops that plain and Cover
require a lot of flood plain * other industrial
water (e.g. rice) and business
* Scarp - long activities.
→ Meander flood steep slop or
plains and Cover cliff at the edge • Topographical
flood plains: of a plateau or Features
ridge usually contribute to high
- good locations for formed by population density
arable farming erosion
(growing crops) in
fertile areas. * Alluvial terrace/
bar upland etc
- Poorer soil used for
human settlements • The flood plain in a
doab area also has
→ There is a Well- abandoned
developed link channels, oxbow
canal irrigation lakes, and other
system in doab features
areas
- Leading to
continuous supply
of water throughout
the year

→ Bar uplands safe

from flooding (as
they are higher).

Ideal locations for:

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 ➢ Ideal locations for:

1. Farming

2. human settlements

3. transport links

4. industrial estates

5. Storage of
agricultural raw
materials

6. markets

Piedmont Location and Physical features (Relief Soil Type Importance

Plains Characteristic and drainage
• Foothills of the: • Most dominant • Gravel • Agriculture
* Sulaiman range features
* Kirthar range Alluvial fans / cones • Sand

* Himalayan • Alluvial fans: • Alluvium

Mountains * These rivers have less
water flow
• Most of the
rivers/streams coming * Develop eastward
from the Sulaiman and from the Sulaiman and
Kirthar Ranges have low Kirthar Ranges.
water flows
- Formation
* only become active
during rainy reason, 1- As a river emerges
when they flow down from a mountain,
the mountains slopes gradient of a river bed
quickly. decreases suddenly

• As the rivers reach the 2- Heavy material is

foothills they become dropped first
slow, and split into
narrow channels that 3- When level is reached,
Geography Page 5
 narrow channels that 3- When level is reached,
fan out on to the slopes the currents slows
down and fine
• Material brought down alluvium is dropped
by water is dropped
within the narrow 4- In the center of the
channels cone, the river flows
slowly during slack
• Gravel, sand and periods and fine mud
alluvium deposited by will be dropped over
rivers form alluvial fans. the sand gravel,
building up alternating
• Extensive areas of layers
alluvial fans: Eastern
side of Sulaiman Range 5- Produces fine, well-
and Kirthar ranges drained soil which is
great for agriculture
• Smaller areas: Southern
side of the Siwaliks
between the rivers
Jhelum and Chenab and
Chenab and Ravi

• The Sulaiman Piedmont

plain is called Derajat

Tidal Location and Characteristic Physical features Soil Type Importance

Delta (Relief and drainage)
• Special Spot where the river • Tidal deltas are • Clay • Mangrove
and the ocean come together often flat or gently Plantation
sloping areas of • Mud
• Deltas are often triangular or land at the river's • Fishing
fan-shaped with the main mouth. • Silt
tributaries branching off the
main river like the ribs of a • They can be quite • Alluvium
extensive,
fan
spreading out into
the sea.
FORMATION
• These areas are
• When a river flows into the
Geography Page 6
 • These areas are
• When a river flows into the crisscrossed with
sea, it slows down and drops many channels and
its load of alluvium on the distributaries that
sea floor as it doesn't have carry water from the
the same force to carry it river into the sea.

• As the river reaches the sea it • Tidal deltas are

often divides into influenced by the
distributaries tides, with rising and
falling water levels.
• Deposition of alluvium on the
• The relief of a tidal
banks(edges) of the
delta can vary, but
distributaries makes levees it's generally not
higher than the surrounding very mountainous or
areas hilly.

• Sea water often fills the • The drainage of a

troughs between the tidal delta is typically
distributaries resulting in characterized by the
swamps network of channels
and streams that
INDUS DELTA flow into the sea as
the tide goes in and
out.
• situated to the south of
Thatta and to the east of
• The interaction
Karachi in Pakistan.
between the river's
freshwater and the
• It includes places like Thatta, seawater from the
Keti Bandar, Jati, Ladian, and tides creates a
some other smaller unique ecosystem in
settlements. tidal deltas

• has Tidal flats with mangrove

swamps

• Low population density as its

exposed to waves and tides

• Agriculture limited due to

swampy land covered with
seawater, saline soil
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 seawater, saline soil

• low annual rainfall

(125mm-250mm)

• Coastal area is generally low

and flat
• Worlds 5th biggest delta
• Home to over 1 million
people

• Changes upstream in the

Indus Basin affect the delta
due to water used for
farming and loss of soil.

• Less water (100 million km³

or less) reaches the Indus
Delta, leading to saltwater
replacing rice fields and
displacing villagers.

• Rising sea levels due to

global warming make
saltwater intrusion worse.

• In the past, the Indus River

carried 300 million tonnes of
sediment into the Arabian
Sea.

• Over thousands of years, this

sediment formed the delta.

• However, by 2000, the river

brought less than 100 million
tonnes of sediment.

• The reduced sediment makes

the delta more vulnerable to
erosion by the sea.

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 erosion by the sea.

Rolling Location and Physical features Soil Type Importance

Sand Characteristic (Relief and drainage
plains
• Gently rolling terrain • Gently undulating or • mainly • Attracts tourists
with sand dunes rolling terrain. consist of
shaped by wind. loose, fine
• They are sand.
• Sparse vegetation due characterized by sand
to arid conditions (dry dunes and ridges
conditions) formed by wind
action.
• Harsh climate with hot
days and cold nights. • Generally flat in some
areas but can have
• Constantly shaped by gentle slopes.
wind erosion.
• No significant
mountains or steep
cliffs.

Drainage:

• Limited natural
drainage due to
sandy, porous soil.

• Rainwater tends to be
absorbed quickly or
evaporates in the arid
climate.

• In some places, there

are dry riverbeds
called wadis. These
riverbeds only get
water in them when
there's very rare rain.
• Man-made drainage

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 • Man-made drainage
systems like canals
may be used for
irrigation in
agriculture.

Cues Location and Physical features (Relief Soil Type Importance

tas Characteristic and drainage
• Lower Indus plains • Hills with a steep slope None cuz • Limestone provide firm
(cuesta) on one side limestone foundation for
• These are Ridges and a gentle slope (dip) is a mineral construction of Dams
which (in Sindh) on the other side for Irrigation
are made of
limestone • Add to the scenic
beauty of the area
• Rohri Cuesta
* 80m height • Provide raw material
* 48 km long for cement industry

• Ganjo takkar
cuesta
* stretches
southwards
from Hyderabad
for a distance of
24km

Economic Activities in the Indus Plains

• Most productive Region of Pakistan
• Growth of Settlement due to its Relief and Drainage

• Doabs in the Upper Indus plain and Old and Active flood plains in Lower Indus plains are
good for farming

• More than 80% of the total cultivated area of Pakistan located here

• Cops grown all year on fertile flat land and undulating slopes
* Summers: cotton, rice, sugarcane
Winters: Wheat
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 * Winters: Wheat

• Flat Land Ideal for Canal irrigating

• extensive system developed to irrigate fields

• Most developed region

• Infrastructure facilities are easier to provide
• Transport network of road, rail and air is dense

• Electricity provided to all Urban centers (Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sukkur &
Hyderabad)
• Many rural area also provided with electricity

UPPER INDUS PLAINS LOWER INDUS PLAINS

• Northern part of the Indus plain • Southern Part of the Indus plain

• River Indus + Tributaries flow here • Rive Indus flows alone

• Jhelum, Ravi & Sutlej have joined Chenab • River Indus flows in the Arabian sea south of
at Panjnad to form the River Panjnad Thatta through its distributaries which flow
which joins the Indus near Mithankot in across its delta (river has to divide into
Sindh different distributaries in order to flow into
the sea

• Nealy flat, undulating plain sloping • Nearly flat, undulating plain sloping towards
towards the south-west south

• AVERAGE width of Indus = 1.4km till • Width=1.6 km

Kalabagh and 1.6 near Sukkur (when it
reaches Sukkur is widens)

• River Indus is in its middle course in the • River Indus is in its lower course
north and enters its slower course
towards the south

• Both erosion and deposition take place • Deposition main function of River Indus
with deposition increasing southwards

• Meanders, oxbow lakes, braided channels • Meanders, Oxbow lakes, braided channels
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• Meanders, oxbow lakes, braided channels • Meanders, Oxbow lakes, braided channels
and levees are present in doab areas and levees are present

• Alluvial terraces formed b/w rivers

• NO alluvial terraces as Indus river flows
alone
• Piedmont Plain w/ alluvial fans to the
north and west • Piedmont plain with alluvial fans to the west

• Ideal for agriculture WITH a network of

link canal irrigation • Ideal for agriculture WITH irrigation

Geography Page 12