The Western Mountains of Pakistan

The Western Mountains of Pakistan

  September 09, 2019    Fantasy

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The Western Mountains

•    The Western Mountains consist of many parallel ranges and are not as high as the Northern Mountains
    Safed Koh Ranges up to 4712 meters
    Waziristan Hills up to 3513 meters
    Sulaiman Range up to 3383 meters
    Kirthar Hills up to 2174 meters

Safed Koh Ranges (Height up to 4712 meters)

Location:

•    The Safed Koh Ranges are located in an east west direction south of the Kabul River.

Topography:

•    They are called Safed Koh (White mountains) because their peaks are often covered with snow.
•    They also have limestone ridges

Drainage:

•    River Kurram flows to the south of this range and the Kurram pass provides a route into Afghanistan.

Valleys of Kohat and Peshawar

•    The Kohat Valley is located at the other end of the Kurram Pass.
•    It is dotted with springs and a number of limestone ridges.
•    With the help of irrigation, the valley is farmed.
•    Wheat, rice and sugar-cane are cultivated there.
•    Another valley in this region is the Vale of Peshawar, drained by the rivers Kabul and Swat.
•    It is a fertile, alluvial plain irrigated by canals originating from the Warsak Dam on the River Kabul.

Special Feature or Importance

•    They offer route to Afghanistan through Kurram pass

Waziristan Hills (Height up to 3513 meters)

Location:

•    The Waziristan Hills are located between the Kurram and the Gomal rivers.
•    Along with the Safed Koh Ranges, these hills form a rampart between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Topography

•    They are devoid of vegetation

Drainage

•    The Kurram dam on the Kurram river is the main source of irrigation water.

Bannu Valley

•    The Bannu valley is located to the east of the Waziristan Hills
•    Bannu, near the Tochi Pass, and Dera Ismail Khan, near the Gomal Pass, are important towns and military centres.
•    The Bannu valley is a low-lying basin bordered by hills and mountains and drained by streams, with braided channels (see Fig.1.35b).
•    The valley has deposits of clay and boulders brought down by streams.

Special Feature

•    They lie in a highly, mineralized (rich in mineral) zone.

Sulaiman (Height up to 3383 meters)

Location:

•    Sulaiman Range is located towards the west of the River Indus.

Topography

•    They are composed of limestone, sandstone and shaly rocks

Special Feature

•    Takht-i-Sulaiman, at 3383 meters is the highest peak in the Sulaiman Range. 
•    Further south it meets the Kirthar Range, which is backed by the Pab Range.

Kirthar Ranges (Height up to 2174 meters)

Location

•    It lies on the west of River Indus in Sindh

Drainage

•    The area is drained by river Hab and river Lyari

Precipitation and Rainfall

•    The area is devoid of vegetation due to very less rainfall

Special Feature

•    It forms a border between Sind Plain and Baluchistan Plateau

Special Feature of Western Moutains - Passes

Khyber Pass:        leads to the fertile Vale of Peshawar
            Wide enough to facilitate the passages of troops
Kurram pass:        A route to Afghanistan
Tochi Pass:        Connects Gazhni to Bannu
Gomal Pass:        Connects Afghanistan to Derajats
Bolan Pass:        Connects the Kachchi Sibi Plain to Quetta

Economic Activities and Lifestyle in the Western Mountains:

Agriculture

•    The Western Mountains are mostly bare of vegetation.
•    The climate and relief do not support farming.

Drainage

•    Canal irrigation is not possible because of the mountainous terrain and rugged landscape.

Impact on people

•    Transportation facilities are limited.
•    Except for a few urban centres like Peshawar and Kohat, the rest of the area is not connected by air or rail networks.
•    Only a few areas are accessible through main (metalled) roads.
•    Most of the areas are accessible only by unmetalled roads.
•    Life in the Western Mountains is difficult because of the rugged landscape.
•    The cost of supplying infrastructure - water supply, transport facilities, electricity, and telephone lines is much higher than in the plains.
•    As a consequence developmental projects, e.g. mining activities, industries, educational facilities, have not been established.
•    These factors adversely affect the lives of the inhabitants.
•    They are deprived of even the basic necessities of life.
•    Nomadic lifestyle is common and sheep and goat rearing is the main occupation.
•    The population density is lower than 100 persons per sq. km.
•    There are abundant mineral resources in the Western Mountains but due to the difficulty of extracting them, they have not been explored or exploited.