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Section 2: GEOGRAPHY

Pakistan is situated between the latitudes 23° and 36° North and between the

longitudes of 61° and 75° East. It has an area of 796,095 square kilometers (kms).India is on its eastern border, the People’s Republic of China lies to the north east.

Afghanistan is situated on itsnorthwestern boundary line while

Iran shares border with Pakistan inthe southwest. In north only a 24

km long Wakhan border of Afghanistan separates it from the

Tajikistan. Jammu and Kashmīr isa disputed territory located

between Pakistan and India.Pakistan controls a portion of the

territory as Azad (Free) Kashmīrand the Federally Administered

Northern Areas (FANA), while Indiacontrols a portion as the state of 

Jammu and Kashmīr.

Pakistan extends some 1,700kilometres northward to the origins

of the Indus among the mountainsof the Himalayas, Hindu Kush and

Karakoram. Many of their peaks

exceed 8,000 metres including K-2, at 8,611 metres, the second

highest in the world. Pakistan hasa coastline of about 1,046 kilometres

with 22,820 square kilometres of territorial waters and an Exclusive Economic Zoneof about 196,600 square kilometres in the Arabian Sea.

The land mass of Pakistan originated in the continent of Gondwanaland which isthought to have broken off from Africa, drifted across the Indian Ocean, and joined

mainland Asia some 50 million years ago. With the creation of a land-bridge betweenGondwanaland and south-east Asia, Indo-Malayan life-forms are thought to have

invaded the evolving sub-continent, and these now predominate in Pakistan eastof the river Indus. The north and west of the country is dominated by Palaearctic forms.

Some Ethiopian forms have become established in the south-western part. About 20million years ago, the gradual drying and retreat of the Sea of Tethys created the

Indus lowlands, and a violent upheaval 13 million years ago gave rise to the

Himalayas. A series of Pleistocene ice-ages, the last ending just 10,000 years ago,gave rise to some unique floral and faunal associations.

Section 6: Mountain Ranges, Peaks and Passes 

Pakistan has within its borders some of the world’s highest and most spectacular

mountains. Some of the famous mountain ranges of Pakistan are Himalayas,

Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Sulaiman, Toba Kakar, Kirthar and Salt range.

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The Northern and Western Highlands produced by the mountain building movementextended from the Makran Coast in the south to the Pamir Plateau in the extreme

north. The Northern and Western Highlands cover most of Balochistan, NWFP,Northern Areas (Gilgit Agency) and parts of the Punjab. These can be further divided

into five physiographic entities:

• Mountainous North • Koh-e-Safaid and Waziristan Hills 

• Sulaiman and Kirthar Mountains 

• Balochistan Plateau 

• Potowar Plateau and the Salt Ranges 

Mountainous North

In the northern part of the country, the Hindu Kush mountains converge with theKarakoram Range, a part of the Himalayan mountain system. These ranges have a

large number of peaks ranging from 6000 to 8611 meters above the sea level.Pakistan has the densest concentration of high mountains in the world: five peaks

over 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) and 101 peaks over 7,000 meters (23,000 feet)

above sea level within a radius of 180 kilometers (112 miles). Thirteen of the world’s30 tallest peaks are in Pakistan. The tallest include K2 (also known as Mount GodwinAusten), the second highest peak in the world at 8,611 m (28,251 ft), in the

Karakoram Range; Nanga Parbat (8,125 m/26,657 ft) in the Himalayas; and TirichMir (7,690 m/25,230 ft) in the Hindu Kush.

The Mountainous North covers the northern parts of Pakistan and comprises parallelmountain ranges intervened by narrow and deep river valleys. East of the Indus

River, the mountain ranges in general run from east to west. To its west - from northto south - run the following important mountain ranges:

• The Himalayas 

• The Karakorams 

• The Hindu Kush 

The western most parts of the Himalayas fall in Pakistan. The sub-Himalayas - thesouthern most ranges - do not rise to great heights (600 - 1200 masl). The Lesser

Himalayas lie to the north of the sub-Himalayas and rise to 1,800 - 4,600 masl. TheGreat Himalayas are located north of the Lesser Himalayas. They attain snowy

heights (of more than 4,600 m).

The Karakoram Ranges in the extreme north rise to an average height of 6,100 m.

Mount Goodwin Austin (K-2) - the second highest peak in the world - is 8,610 m andlocated in the Karakorams.

The Hindu Kush Mountains take off the western side of the Pamir Plateau that is

located to the west of the Karakorams. These mountains take a southerly turn andrise to snowy heights. Some of the peaks rise to great heights like Noshaq (7,369

m), and Tirich Mir (7,690 m).

Koh-e-Safaid and Waziristan HillsThe Koh-e-Safaid Ranges have an east-west trend and rise to an average height of 

3,600m. They are commonly covered with snow. Sikeram, the highest peak in Koh-

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e-Safaid Ranges rises to 4,760 m. Similarly, the elevation of  Waziristan Hillsranges from 1,500 and 3,000 m.

Sulaiman and Kirthar Mountains

The Sulaiman-Kirthar Mountain Ranges extending from south of Gomal River, liebetween Balochistan Plateau and the Indus Plains. On reaching the Murre-Bugti Hills,

they turn northward and extend up to Quetta. Further south, they meet the KirtharMountains, which merge in to the Kohistan area of Sindh. The Sulaiman Mountainsrise to an average height of 600 m that decreases southward. Takht-e-Sulaiman

(3,487 m) and Takatu (3,470m) are the highest peaks of the Sulaiman Ranges.

Balochistan Plateau

The Balochistan Plateau is located west of the Sulaiman-Kirthar Mountains. Itswestern part is dominated by a number of sub-parallel ranges: the Makran Coast

Range (600 m), and the Central Makran Range (900 - 1200 m). The highest peakRas Koh, attains a height of 3010 m.

Potowar Plateau and the Salt Ranges

The Potwar Plateau and the Salt Range region are located to the south of themountainous north and lie between the Indus river on the west and the Jhelum riveron the east. Its northern boundary is formed by the Kala Chitta Ranges and the

Margalla Hills and the southern boundary by the Salt Ranges. The Kala Chitta

Range rises to an average height of 450 - 900 m and extends for about 72 km. Themain Potwar Plateau extends north of the Salt Range. It is an undulating area 300 -

600 m high. The Salt Ranges have a steep face towards the south and slope gentlyin to the Potwar Plateau in the north. They extend from Jhelum River up to Kalabagh

where they cross the Indus river and enter the Bannu district and rise to an average

height of 750 - 900 m. Sakesar Peak (1,527 m) is the highest point of the SaltRanges.

Mountain PassesMany mountain passes cross Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and China. Passes

crossing over the mountains bordering Afghanistan include the Khyber, Bolan,Khojak, Kurram, Tochi, Gomal and Karakoram passes. The most well-known and

well-traveled is the 56 kilometer long Khyber Pass in the northwest. It linksPeshawar in Pakistan with Jalalabad in Afghanistan, where it connects to a route

leading to the Afghan capital of Kabul. It is the widest and lowest of all the mountainpasses, reaching a maximum elevation of 1,072 m (3,517 ft). The route of the Bolan

Pass links Quetta in Baluchistan Province with Kandahar in Afghanistan; it alsoserves as a vital link within Pakistan between Sind and Baluchistan provinces.

Historically, the Khyber and Bolan passes were used as the primary routes forinvaders to enter India from Central Asia, including the armies of Alexander the

Great. The Tochi pass connects Ghazni in Afghanistan with Bannu in Pakistan and

the Gomal pass provides an easy access from Afghanistan to Dera Ismail Khan inPakistan and the Punjab. Also historically significant is Karakoram Pass, on theborder with China. For centuries it was part of the trading routes known as the Silk

Road, which linked China and other parts of Asia with Europe.

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Section 7: Forests of Pakistan

The forests of Pakistan reflect great physiographic, climatic and

edaphic contrasts in the country. Pakistan is an oblong stretch of landbetween the Arabian sea and Karakoram mountains, lying diagonally

between 24° N and 37° N latitudes and 61° E and 75° E longitudes,

and covering an area of 87.98 million hectares. Topographically, thecountry has a continuous massive mountainous tract in the north, the

west and south-west and a large fertile plain, the Indus plain. Thenorthern mountain system, comprising the Karakoram, the great

Himalayas, and the Hindu-Kush, has enormous mass of snow andglaciers and 100 peaks of over 5,400 m. in elevation. K-2 (8,563 m.)

is the second highest peak in the world. The mountain system occupies

one third of this part of the country. The western mountain ranges, notso high as in the north, comprise the Sufed Koh and the Sulaiman

while the south-western ranges forming a high, dry and coldBalochistan plateau. Characteristically, the mountain slopes are steep,

even precipitous, making fragile watershed areas and associated forest

vegetation extremely important from hydrological point of view. Thevalleys are narrow. The mountains are continuously undergoing

natural process of erosion. The nature of climate with high intensityrainfall in summer and of soil in the northern regions render these

mountains prone to landslides.

The Indus plain consists of two features; the alluvial plain and sand-dunal deserts. The country is drained by five rivers; namely, Indus,

Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej. Of these Indus arising in snow

covered northern mountain ranges flows towards south through thePunjab and Sindh plains into a wide delta before entering Arabian sea.

Other rivers join it on the way, together feeding one of the largestirrigation systems in the world. The great river system of Indus in

Pakistan derives a part of their water supply from sources which lie inthe highlands beyond the Himalayas and the western mountains, and

part from countless valleys which lie hidden within the mountain folds.

Much of the silt of the alluvial plain is from natural geological erosionof mountains in the north brought down by rivers. Thal desert lies

between the rivers Indus and Jhelum, while Cholistan and Thar desertsoccur on the south-east of the country.

A great variety of parent rock types occur in Pakistan, which exert

considerable influence on the properties of the soil. The rocks found inPakistan can be classified into three major groups, viz. the igneous

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rocks, the sedimentary rocks and the metamorphic rocks. In theHimalayan regions, the common rock types are metamorphic which

are gneisses, schists, slates and phyllites with some quartzite andmarble. In the northern part of Indus plain, between Sargodha and

Shahkot small outcrops of phyllites and quartzites occur. Granite,

syenite, diorite, gabbro, dolerite and peridotite are more commontypes of igneous rocks, which occur in Dir, Swat, Chitral, Gilgit, Zhob,

Chagai, Las Bela and Nagarpark.

Forest area of Pakistan reported in different official documents hasvaried over the years with administrative and political changes in

country as well as with changes in methods of reporting data. Differentgovernment departments have been publishing different forest

statistics since 1947 when Pakistan was created as an independentcountry. Most recently, data of land use including forest area have

been reported by Forestry Sector Master Plan (FSMP) Project in 1993,

with the help of Landsat Satellite Thematic Mapper Images at a scaleof 1:250,000 covering the whole of Pakistan.

The total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million ha which is 4.8%

of the total land area. However, it may be mentioned here that thefarmland trees and linear planting along roadsides, canalsides and

railway sides covering an estimated area of 466,000 ha and 16,000 harespectively do not constitute forests within the context of legal,

ecological or silvicultural/management definition of forests. The

situation is also similar, but to a lesser extent, in the case of 

miscellaneous plantations over an area of 155,000 ha. If the area of these three categories of plantations is excluded from total forest areaof 4.224 million ha, then the latter is reduced to 3.587 million ha

which is approximately 4.1 % of the total area.

Of the four forest cover percentage groups (> 70%, 40-69%, 10-39%,0-9%), Pakistan lies in the last category: 0-9%. Between 1981 and

1990, there had been a 4.3% decrease in forest areas of the TropicalAsia and Oceania, which Pakistan is a part of. During the same period,

a 0.6% deforestation had been occurring each year. This is an

alarming situation and needs to be stalled and then reversed, if possible.

As recognition of the multiple values of forests has grown, so have

concerns for their disappearance. In Pakistan, subtropical, temperate,riverain and mangrove forests are being lost because of questionable

land use practices and the ever-increasing demand for timber andfirewood. As a result, more responsible management approaches are

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being demanded that can accommodate complex economic andecological needs. Designation of selected forestlands as national parks,

area for agro-forestry practices and the development of plantationsand afforestation practices are needs of the hour.

Total Forest Area under the control of the Forest Departments(including Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas) is 4.26 millionhectares. The per capita forest area is only 0.037 ha compared to the

world average of ONE ha. Main reason for this is that more than 70%

land area of Pakistan is Arid and semi-Arid with annual rainfall of 250-500 mm: too low and erratic to sustain natural vegetation and to plan

afforestation/regeneration programmes.

Forest Areas and Rangelands (in ha.)

 

Forest

Type

NWFP Punjab Sindh Balochistan Northern

Areas

Azad

Kashmir

Total

Coniferous

1105 29 - 131 285 361 1911

Irr.

Plantations

- 142 82 - 2 - 226

RiverainForests

- 51 241 5 - - 297

Scrub

Forests

115 340 10 163 658 1 1287

Coastal

Forests

- - 345 - - - 345

Mazri

Lands

24 - - - - - 24

Linear

Pltns.

2 4 - - - - 6

PrivatePltns.

159 - - - - - 159

Range

Lands

150 2683 490 787 2104 195 6409

TOTAL: 1555 3249 1168 1086 3049 557 10664

 

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The following forest types are found in Pakistan:

• Littoral and Swamp forests 

• Tropical dry deciduous forests 

• Tropical thorn forests 

• Sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forests • Sub-tropical pine forests 

• Himalayan moist temperate forests 

• Himalayan dry temperate forests 

• Sub-alpine forests 

• Alpine scrub 

Littoral and Swamp forestsThese are more or less gregarious forests of low height which occur in

the Arabian sea around the coast of Karachi and Pasni in Balochistan.

The main species is Avicennia marina (99%). Other species likeRhizophora have disappeared over a period of time due to heavy

cutting. According to latest estimates, these forest cover an area of 207,000 ha.

Tropical dry deciduous forests

These are forests of low or moderate height consisting almost entirelyof deciduous species. Their canopy is typically light though it may

appear fairly dense and complete during the short rainy season. This

type does not occur extensively in Pakistan but there are limited areasin the Rawalpindi foothills carrying this vegetation type, all much

adversely affected by close proximity to habitation or cultivation. It isclosely similar both in floristic composition and in structure to that

developed freely in the adjoining parts of North West India. The chief 

tree species are Lannea (Kamlai, Kembal) Bombax ceiba (Semal),Sterculia, Flacourtia (Kakoh, Kangu), Mallotus (Kamila, Raiuni) and

Acacia catechu (Kath). Common shrubs are Adhatoda (Bankar, Basuti,Bansha), Gymnosporia (Putaki) and Indigofera (Kathi, Kainthi).

Tropical thorn forests

These are low, open and pronouncedly xerophytic forests in whichthorny leguminous species predominate. This type occupies the whole

of the Indus plain except the driest parts. The major tree species areProsopis cineraria (Jhand), Capparis decidua (Karir, Karil), Zizyphus

mauritiana (Ber), Tamarix aphylla (Farash) and Salvadora oleoides

(Pilu, wan). Among them are a large number of shrubs of all sizes. Thetree forest climax is very frequently degraded to a very open, low

thorny scrub of  Euphorbia (Thor), Zizyphus (Ber), etc. owing to theuniversally heavy incidence of grazing and other biotic factors. Edaphic

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variants, especially connected with degree of salinity, shallowness overrock, etc., often occur. A characteristic pioneer vegetation is developed

on inland sand dunes and the semi-deserts of the areas of leastrainfall.

On the basis of climax vegetation, the whole Indus basin plain with theexception of parts of the districts of Sialkot, Gujrat and Jehlum,consists of tropical thorn forests. Prior to development of irrigation,

agriculture and urbanization, the area extended from the foothills of 

the Himalayas and low-hills in the south-west Punjab plains andBalochistan to the Arabian sea. The climax species of these forests are

Salvadora oleoides, Capparis decidua, Tamarix aphylla and Prosopiscineraria, which grow on a wide range of soil textures, from flat deep

alluvial soils to heavy clays, loams and sandy loams. The climatevaries from semi-arid (250 to 750 mm rainfall) to arid (less than 250

mm rainfall). The summer temperature in this tract is as high as 50°C.

Earlier, these forests merged with riverain forests along the riverbanks and with scrub forests in the low hills in the north and north-

western regions of Pakistan. Together these forests provided an ideal

habitat to the wildlife of the area which seasonally migrated accordingto their needs; during cold winter from the lower hills towards the

plains in search of food and shelter, from the flood plains towards thedry areas during floods and towards the rivers during the summer

drought. This is no longer the situation. Riverain forests now grow in

the forms of disjunct patches over an area of 173,000 ha. Irrigated

agriculture is carried over 18.668 million ha. and irrigated treeplantations over an area of 103,000 ha in this tract.

Sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forestsThese are xerophtic forests of thorny and small-leafed evergreen

species. This type occurs on the foothills and lower slopes of theHimalayas, the Salt Range, Kalachitta and the Sulaiman Range. The

typical species are; Olea cuspidata (Kau) and Acacia modesta (Phulai),the two species occurring mixed or pure, and the shrub Dodonaea

(Sanatta) which is particularly abundant in the most degraded areas.

Total area of these forests is estimated to be 1,191,000 ha.

Sub-tropical pine forests

These are open inflammable pine forests sometimes with, but often

without, a dry evergreen shrub layer and little or no underwood. Thistype consists of Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii ) forests found between 900

m and 1700 m elevation in the Western Himalayas within the range of the south-west summer monsoon. It is the only pine of these forests

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though there is a small overlap with Pinus wallichiana (Kail, Biar) atthe upper limit.

Himalayan moist temperate forests

The evergreen forests of conifers, locally with some admixture of oak

and deciduous broad-leaved trees fall in this category. Theirundergrowth is rarely dense, and consists of both evergreen anddeciduous species. These forests occur between 1500 m and 3000 m

elevation in the Western Himalayas except where the rainfall falls

below about 1000 mm in the inner ranges, especially in the extremenorth-west.

These forests are divided into a lower and an upper zone, in each of which definite species of conifers and/or oaks dominate. In the lower

zone, Cedrus deodara (Deodar, diar), Pinus wallichiana, Picea

smithiana and Abies pindrow  (Partal) are the main conifer species inorder of increasing altitude, with Quercus incana (rin, rinj) at lower

altitudes and Q. dilatata above 2130 m. In the upper zone Abiespindrow  and Q. semecarpifolia are the dominant tree species. There

may be pockets of deciduous broad-leaved trees, mainly edaphically

conditioned, in both the zones. Alder (Alnus species) colonizes newgravels and sometimes kail does the same. Degradation forms take

the shape of scrub growth and in the higher reaches, parklands andpastures are subjected to heavy grazing.

Himalayan dry temperate forests

These are open evergreen forest with open scrub undergrowth. Bothconiferous and broad-leaved species are present. This type occurs on

the inner ranges throughout their length and are mainly represented in

the north-west. Dry zone deodar, Pinus gerardiana (Chalghoza) and/orQuercus ilex are the main species. Higher up, blue pine communities

occur and in the driest inner tracts, forests of blue pine, Juniperusmacropoda (Abhal, Shupa, Shur) and some Picea smithiana (e.g. in

Gilgit) are found locally.

Sub-alpine forestsEvergreen conifers and mainly evergreen broad-leaved trees occur in

relatively low open canopy, usually with a deciduous shrubbyundergrowth of Viburnum (Guch), Salix  (Willow, Bed), etc. The type

occurs throughout the Himalayas from about 3,350 m to the timber

limit. Abies spectabilis and Betula utilis (Birch, Bhuj) are the typicaltree species. High level blue pine may occur on landslips and as a

secondary sere on burnt areas or abandoned clearings.Rhododendrons (Bras, Chahan) occur in the understorey but do not

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form extensive communities as they do in the central and easternHimalaya. Dwarf junipers are often abundant.

Alpine scrub

Under this type are included shrub formations 1 m to 2 m high

extending 150 m or more above the sub-alpine forests. Thecharacteristic genera are Salix , Lonicera (Phut), Berberis (Sumbul,Sumblue), Cotoneaster with Juniperus and occasionally Rhododendron

or Ephedra (Asmania).

Section 9: Climate 

Depending on the topography, there is an extreme variation in the temperature of 

Pakistan. The country is essentially arid except for the southern slopes of theHimalayas and the sub-mountainous tract where the annual rainfall varies between

760 and 1270 mm. This area has humid sub-Tropical climate. In the extreme north -because of great heights - Highland climate prevails. The controlling factors of the

climate are:

1. The sub-Tropical location of Pakistan that tends to keep the temperature high,

particularly insummer.

2. The oceanic influence of the Arabian Sea that keeps down the temperaturecontrast between

summer and winter at the coast.3. Higher altitudes in the west and north that keep the temperature down throughout

the year.4. The Monsoon winds that bring rainfall in summer.

5. The Western Depression originating from the Mediterranean region and enteringPakistan from the

west that brings rainfall in winter. These cyclones make a long land journey and

are thus robbedof most of the moisture by the time they reach Pakistan. 6. A temperature

inversion layer at a

low elevation of about 1,500 m in the south during the summer, that does notallow the

moisture-laden air to rise and condensation to take place.

Temperature

Pakistan can be divided into four broad temperature regions:

1. Hot summer and mild winter: 32o C or more in summer and 10 to 21o C in winter.2. Warm summer and mild winter: 21 - 32oC in summer and 10 to 21oC in winter.

3. Warm summer and cool winter: 21 - 32oC in summer and 0 - 10oC in winter.4. Mild summer and cool/cold winter: Summer temperature between 10 and 21oC

and wintertemperature between 0 and 10oC.

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Maps showing maximum and minimum temperature regimes

Map Credit: UNEP Environment Assessment Programme for Asia and the Pacific

(http://www.rrcap.unep.org)

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RainfallThe major part of Pakistan experiences dry climate. Humid conditions prevail but

over a small area in the north. The whole of Sindh, most of Balochistan, the majorpart of the Punjab and central parts of Northern Areas receive less than 250 mm of 

rainfall in a year. Northern Sindh, southern Punjab, north-western Balochistan andthe central parts of Northern Areas receive less than 125 mm of rainfall. True humid

conditions appear after the rainfall increases to 750 mm in plains and 625 mm inhighlands. There are two sources of rainfall in Pakistan: the Monsoon and theWestern Depression. The former takes place from July to September and the

latter, December to March.

Map showing precipitation regime

Map Credit: UNEP Environment Assessment Programme for Asia and the Pacific(http://www.rrcap.unep.org)

Record rainfall extremes in Pakistan over 200 millimetres (7.9 in) in 24 hours, based ondata from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, 1931–2010[9] and other sources.

Date Rainfall(mm)

Rainfall(in)

City Province Notes References

24-7-2001 620 24.4 Islamabad Islamabad

CapitalTerritory

620 millimetres

(24 in) rainfallwas recorded in

10 hours, on 24

July 2001 inIslamabad, it is

[3][4]

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the heaviest

rainfall in

Islamabad.

29-7-2010 280 11.0 Risalpur Khyber 

Pakhtunkhwa[24]

7-8-1953 278.1 10.95 Karachi Sindh[25]

29-7-2010 274 10.7 Peshawar Khyber 

Pakhtunkhwa

Record-

breaking

rainfall in

Peshawar,previously

187 millimetres

(7.4 in) mmwas recorded

on 10 April

2009.

[11][24]

5-9-1961 264.2 10.4 Fasilabad Punjab [16]

30-7-2010 257 10.1 Islamabad

Islamabad

Capital

Territory

[24]

29-7-2010 257 10.1 CheratKhyber 

Pakhtunkhwa[24]

2-7-1972 256.5 10.1 Nawabshah Sindh [26]

10-9-1992 255 10.0 Murree Punjab [27]

12-9-1962 250.7 9.8 Hyderabad Sindh [13]

18-7-2009 245 9.6 Karachi Sindh

The rainfall

occurred in just 4 hours

[28]

30-7-2010 240 9.4 Kamra Punjab [24]

27-8-1997 233.8 9.2 Murree Punjab [27]

29-7-2010 233 9.1 KohatKhyber Pakhtunkhwa

[24]

30-7-2010 231 9.1 Murree Punjab [24]

6-6-2010 227 8.9 Gawadar   Balouchistan

Record-

breakingrainfall in

Gwadar.

[29]

1-8-1976 211 8.3 Lahore Punjab [15]

8-7-2003 209 8.2 Larkana Sindh

10-9-1992 208 8.2 MuzaffarabadAzad

Kashmir [30]

1-7-1977 207.6 8.1 Karachi Sindh [2]

29-7-2007 205 8.0 Sargodha Punjab

4-8-2010 202 7.9 Dera Ismail Khyber Record- [2][12]

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Khan Pakhtunkhwa

breaking

rainfall in Dera

Ismail Khanpreviously

116 millimetres

(4.6 in) wasrecorded on 4

July 1994.

24-7-2001 200 7.8 IslamabadIslamabadCapital

Territory

[20]

27-8-1997 200 7.8 Islamabad

Islamabad

CapitalTerritory

[20]

13-8-2008 200 7.8 Lahore Punjab [31]

[edit] Record-breaking torrential rainfall of July 2010

Unprecedented heavy monsoon rain began in the last week of July 2010 in the Khyber  Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab,  Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir  regions of Pakistan which

causes floods in Balochistan and  Sindh.[32] The floods which were caused by monsoon

rains, and were forecast to continue into early August, were described as the worst in the

last 80 years.[33] The  Pakistan Meteorological Department  said that over 200 mm(7.88 inches) of rain fell over a 24-hour period over a number of places of  Khyber  

Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab  and more was expected.[34] A record-breaking 274 mm

(10.7 inches) rain fell in Peshawar during 24 hours,[35] previously 187 mm (7.36 inches)of rain was recorded in April 2009. [11]  Other record-breaking rains were recorded in

Risalpur , Cherat, Saidu Sharif , Mianwali, and Kohat regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

[edit] Heavy rainfalls recorded during the wet spell of July 2010

Heavy rainfalls of more than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) recorded during the four day wetspell of July 27 to July 30, 2010 in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab 

based on data from the Pakistan Meteorological Department.[24]

CityRainfall

(mm)Rainfall (in)Province Notes References

Risalpur  415[B]

16.3 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[24]

Islamabad 394 15.5Islamabad Capital 

Territory[24]

Murree 373 14.6 Punjab [24]

Cherat 372[B] 14.6 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Garhi Dopatta 346 13.6 Azad Kashmir  [24]

Saidu Sharif  338[B] 13.3 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

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Peshawar  333[B] 13.1 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Kamra 308 12.1 Punjab [24]

Rawalakot 297 11.7 Azad Kashmir   [24]

Muzaffarabad 292 11.5 Azad Kashmir   [24]

Lahore 288 11.3 Punjab [24]

Mianwali 271[B] 10.6 Punjab [24]

Lower Dir  263 10.3 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Kohat 262[B] 10.3 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Balakot 256 10.0 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Sialkot 255 10.0 Punjab [24]

Pattan 242 9.5 Azad Kashmir   [24]

DIR  231 9.10 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Gujranwala 222 8.7 Punjab [24]

Dera Ismail 

Khan220 8.6 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [24]

Rawalpindi 219 8.6 Punjab [24]

[edit] Floods

Main article: List of floods in Pakistan

A NASA satellite image showing the Indus River at the time of 2010 floods

Pakistan has seen many floods, the most worst and destructive is the recent 2010 Pakistan 

floods, which swept away the 20 % of Pakistan's land, the flood is the result of 

unprecedented Monsson rains which lasted from 28 July to 31 July 2010. Khyber  Pakhtunkhwa and North eastern punjab were badly affected during the monsoon rains

when dams, rivers and lakes overflowed. By mid-August, according to the governmental

Federal Flood Commission (FFC), the floods had caused the deaths of at least 1,540people, while 2,088 people had received injuries, 557,226 houses had been destroyed,

and over 6 million people had been displaced.[36] One month later, the data had been

updated to reveal 1,781 deaths, 2,966 people with injuries, and more than 1.89 million

homes destroyed.[37] The flood affected more than 20 million people exceeding the

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combined total of individuals affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 

Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[38][39] The flood is considered as worst

in Pakistan's history affecting people of all four provinces and Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir region of Pakistan.[40]

The other floods which caused destruction in the history of Pakistan, includes the flood of 1950, which killed 2910 people, On 1 July 1977 heavy rains and flooding in Karachi,

killed 248 people, according to Pakistan meteorological department 207 millimetres (8.1in) of rain fell in 24 hours.[41]  In 1992 flooding during  Monsoon season killed 1,834

people across the country, in 1993 flooding during Monsoon rains killed 3,084 people, in

2003 Sindh province was badly affected due to monsoon rains causing damages inbillions, killed 178 people, while in 2007  Cyclone Yemyin submerged lower part of 

Balochistan Province in sea water killing 380 people. Before that it killed 213 people in

Karachi on its way to Balochistan.

The weather extremes in Pakistan include high and low temperatures, heaviest rainfall

and flooding. The highest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan is 53.5 °C (128.3 °F)which was recorded in Mohenjo-daro, Sindh on 26 May, 2010. It was not only the hottest

temperature ever recorded in Pakistan but also the hottest reliably measured temperatureever recorded on the continent of  Asia.[3][4] and the fourth highest temperature ever 

recorded on earth. The highest rainfall of 620 millimetres (24 in) was recorded in

Islamabad  during 24 hours on 24 July, 2001. The record-breaking rain fell in just 10hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in the previous 100 years.

[edit] Tropical cyclones and tornadoes

Main article: Tropical cyclones and tornadoes in Pakistan

Each year before the onset of monsoon that is 15 April to 15 July and also after itswithdrawal that is 15 September to 15 December, there is always a distinct possibility of the cyclonic storm to develop in the north Arabian Sea. There is a 98 per cent chance of 

cyclones to turn towards the Indian state of Gujarat, one per cent chance of moving

towards the Gulf and one per cent chance of moving towards the Pakistani coast.However tornadoes mostly occur during spring season that is March and April usually

when a Western Disturbance starts effecting the northern parts of the country. It is also

speculated that cycles of tornado years may be correlated to the periods of reducedtropical cyclone activity.

[edit] Drought

Main article: Drought in Pakistan

The drought has become a frequent phenomenon in the country. Already, the massive

droughts of 1998-2002 has stretched the coping abilities of the existing systems to thelimit and it has barely been able to check the situation from becoming a catastrophe. The

drought of 1998-2002 is considered worst in 50 years. According to the Economic Survey

of Pakistan, the drought was one of the most significant factors responsible for the lessthan anticipated growth performance. The survey terms it as the worst drought in the

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history of the country. According to the government, 40 percent of the country's water 

needs went unmet.[5][6]

[edit] Floods

Main article: List of floods in Pakistan

• In 2003, Sindh province was badly affected when above normal monsoon rainfall

caused flooding in the province; urban flooding also hit Karachi where two days

of rainfall of 284.5 millimetres (11.20 in) created havoc in the city, while  Thatta district was the worst hit where 404 millimetres (15.9 in) rainfall caused flash

floods in the district. At least 484 people died and some 4,476 villages in the

province were affected.[7][8]

• In 2007, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and coastal Balochistan were badly affected due to monsoon rainfall. Sindh and coastal Balochistan were affected by

Cyclone Yemyin in June and then torrential rains in July and August, while

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was affected by melting glaciers and heavy rainfall in Julyand August. At least 130 people died and 2,000 were displaced in Khyber-

Pakhtunkwain in July and 22 people died in August, while 815 people died in

Balochistan and Sindh due to flash floods.[9]

• In 2010, almost all of Pakistan was affected when massive flooding caused byrecord breaking rains hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The number of 

individuals affected by the flooding exceeds the combined total of individuals

affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the2010 Haiti earthquake.[10] At least 2,000 people died in this flood and almost 20

million people were affected by it.[11]