Zam System
Encyclopedia
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.
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...
. Zam 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...
, whereas Rod Koh
Rod Koh
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 governed the irrigation system ever since the Pashtun tribes had moved into Damaan...
is the main torrent bed which remains usually dry, when there is no flood.
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
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
- Rod KohRod KohRod 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 governed the irrigation system ever since the Pashtun tribes had moved into Damaan...
- 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...
- Rod Kohi