Rod Koh
Encyclopedia
Rod Koh or Rod Kohi is a form of irrigation system in Pakistan
. Rod means channel and Koh means mountain in Persian
). The Rod Kohi system based on Kulyat Riwajat (Fromulae and Traditions) governed the irrigation system ever since the Pashtun
tribes had moved into Damaan. The British officers reduced all these to writing during their Land Settlements in the later part of nineteenth century. The Bolton Irrigation Notes of 1908 are still considered as the Bible of Rod Kohi Irrigation. Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood, whereas Zam
means the flow of perennial water coming out of various springs
, .
The flood and perennial water of the Zam
is used for irrigation as well as for drinking purpose. Zam water is classified into two categories, Buga pani (flood water) and Kala Pani (perennial water).
Rod Koh (torrent-spate-irrigation) systems go back at least as early as 330 BC and provided economic basis for some of the early civilisations. Alexander the Great, according to Arrian
, sailed down the river Jhelum
to its junction with Indus River
. His land forces marched in two bodies on either side of the river. They noticed some form of torrent agriculture although in a very poor state than present but exist in few locations of the Sulaiman
piedmont. Heavy rains in the catchments, which extend up to Balochistan region, Afghanistan
, Sulaiman Range
, Shirani Hills and Bhattani Range result in water rushing into various torrents in the foothill plains, named as Daman area, where torrent agriculture (Rod-Kohi) is practised.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Rod means channel and Koh means mountain in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
). The Rod Kohi system based on Kulyat Riwajat (Fromulae and Traditions) governed the irrigation system ever since the Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribes had moved into Damaan. The British officers reduced all these to writing during their Land Settlements in the later part of nineteenth century. The Bolton Irrigation Notes of 1908 are still considered as the Bible of Rod Kohi Irrigation. Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood, whereas Zam
Zam System
Zam System is a form of irrigation system in Pakistan. Zam means the flow of perennial water coming out of various springs, whereas Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood....
means the flow of perennial water coming out of various springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, .
The flood and perennial water of the Zam
Zam System
Zam System is a form of irrigation system in Pakistan. Zam means the flow of perennial water coming out of various springs, whereas Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood....
is used for irrigation as well as for drinking purpose. Zam water is classified into two categories, Buga pani (flood water) and Kala Pani (perennial water).
Rod Koh (torrent-spate-irrigation) systems go back at least as early as 330 BC and provided economic basis for some of the early civilisations. Alexander the Great, according to Arrian
Arrian
Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon , known in English as Arrian , and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Roman historian, public servant, a military commander and a philosopher of the 2nd-century Roman period...
, sailed down the river Jhelum
Jhelum River
Jehlum River or Jhelum River , ) is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District...
to its junction with Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
. His land forces marched in two bodies on either side of the river. They noticed some form of torrent agriculture although in a very poor state than present but exist in few locations of the Sulaiman
Sulaiman Mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
piedmont. Heavy rains in the catchments, which extend up to Balochistan region, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Sulaiman Range
Sulaiman Mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
, Shirani Hills and Bhattani Range result in water rushing into various torrents in the foothill plains, named as Daman area, where torrent agriculture (Rod-Kohi) is practised.
See also
- Zam SystemZam SystemZam System is a form of irrigation system in Pakistan. Zam means the flow of perennial water coming out of various springs, whereas Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood....
- Spring (hydrosphere)Spring (hydrosphere)A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
- Pakistan Agricultural Research CouncilPakistan Agricultural Research CouncilPakistan Agricultural Research Council is located in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Agricultural Research Council is the apex agricultural research organization at the national level...
- Irrigation of alluvial fans#Khuzdar
- Spate irrigationSpate irrigationSpate irrigation uses seasonal floods of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes to fill water storage canals. If irrigation is the manipulation of water for use in growing crops, Spate irrigation is perhaps the most ancient method devised...