The Panjkora River ( ur, ) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
province of the northwest of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The river runs through the mountainous northern part of the province, and forms the
Kumrat Valley
Kumrat ( ur, ) is a valley in the Upper Dir District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Kumrat Valley is located about 45 minutes away from the town of Thal on the banks of the Panjkora River, and is among the most popular tourist spots i ...
. It passes from Dir, Timergara and meet at Chakdara with Swat river. It generally characterized by having steep slopes on either side of the riverbank covered in thick forests. The river has a large catchment area, making the river susceptible to significant flooding - most notably during the
2010 floods
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
that occurred throughout much of Pakistan.
Geography
The Panjkora river is the main river in the Panjkora River Basin which is a part of the larger
Swat River Basin located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwest of Pakistan. Main tributaries of the Panjkora river are Rivers Dir, Barawal, Kohistan and Usherai.
The flow of water occurs year-round, during the monsoon season (June-September) the water levels drastically rise. Large amounts of water can be found during this time in the Panjkora river with greater amounts at the mouths of the
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
. This water flow is very powerful causing floods throughout the region.
![Baroon panjkora river](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Baroon_panjkora_river.jpg)
The Panjkora river is located at coordinates (Latitude: 34.6667 Longitude: 71.7667). The river is characterised by steep mountain slopes at the beginning, these act as a funnel trapping the water. Towards the end the river starts to widen, and the flood plain begins to sprawl.
The lower flood plains are the main agricultural land used by farmers due to the increased nutrient content in the soil.
Pollution and Environmental Concerns
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost or eliminated ...
is the major environmental concern currently occurring in the river Panjkora.
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation is the gradual accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost or eliminated ...
occurs when a species absorbs substances faster than it expels them. This often has increased effects on predators higher up the food chain which can affect humans who digest these organisms. Panjkora river faces increases in toxic metal accumulation in fish species.
Metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
content found in fish increases the closer you move to the mouth of the river Panjkora.
The metal content occurs because of agricultural practices and sewage dumping in the river.
Agriculture while being the major industry supporting people living on the river it does come with its down sides. During the large rainfall events huge amounts of runoff occurs, dragging with it the soil, animal droppings and
fertilisers
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
. This floods the river with large amounts of
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
(Pb) and
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
(Ni).
Ni very consistently increased the closer towards the mouth of the river. It is thought that the
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
industry
effluent
Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...
s were another major source of increase in Ni.
The contamination of heavy metals has not yet become a serious health issue for the people who survive off the river.
Scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
however predict that if not carefully monitored bioaccumulation continues to manifest and accumulate. Potentially causing significant health risks to the environment and human health.
Natural Disasters
![Panjkora River](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Panjkora_River.jpg)
The Panjkora basin is a temperamental region that is very dependent on the season. The climate in this region of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
is characterised by large downpours during the monsoon season (June- September) and relatively dry winters.
The monsoon seasons have caused many significant and devastating floods in the region. Most notably a flood in 2010 swept through the river resulting in loss of life and large amounts of destruction to ecosystems and infrastructure.
These high levels of
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
al rainfall are magnified by the
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
of the land surrounding the river. Steep slopes on either side of the river allow for water to runoff into the river quickly and in large volumes. While rainfall in these higher altitudes is generally less, the combination of the huge basins
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
makes for large volumes of water towards the mouth of the river Panjkora. With river systems floods are generally much more likely to occur in the low-lying areas towards the base of the mountains.
Panjkora basin has 15% of its area classified as highly prone to flooding.
These areas that are flood prone are also inhabited making for a deadly mix of people gambling their lives for the rich alluvial farmland. This then continues to run down the river destroying agricultural land, taking lives and causing infrastructure damage.
Socio-Economic Impact
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
s along the river rely heavily on the rich alluvial soil the flood plains offer.
Poor
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
and
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
practices mean that the soil often remains fallow for parts of the year.
Course
The river's
headwaters are high in the glaciers of
Hindu Kush Mountains
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Provinc ...
. It flows south through the
Upper Dir District
Upper Dir District ( ps, بر دير ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city of Dir is the district headquarters. Badogai Pass connects it to Utror.
At the time of independ ...
and the
Lower Dir District.
Its
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
with the
Swat River is in the
Malakand District
Malakand District ( ps, ملاکنډ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.
The District was formed in 1970 as a Provincially Administered Tribal Area, It had previously been a tri ...
near totakan. The Swat River is a tributary of the
Kabul River, part of the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
basin.
Fishing
The Panjkora River is the natural habitat of
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
and other freshwater fish sought by anglers. the most common species are cyprinids. snow trout (Schizothorax plagiostomus) is most common game fish in the upper part of River Panjkora at Kumrat Valley. Brown trout and Rainbow trout are exotic species, they were introduced by Britishers in 1928 while snow trout and other cyprinids are native species of River Panjkora.
[Arif Jan, Lecturer in Fisheries, Department of Zoology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal Dir Upper, Pakistan]
See also
*
References
External links
Map of Gandhara archeological sites, Huntington Collection, Ohio State University
{{-
Rivers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Kabul River
Lower Dir District
Malakand District
Upper Dir District
Rivers of Pakistan