Rakh Branch
Encyclopedia
The Rakh Branch is a canal in the Punjab
province of Pakistan
. The canal was dug in 1892 during colonial rule
. The Rakh Branch originates from canal Lower Chenab. And Lower Chenab comes out from Head Khanki
at the river Chenab.
It passes and produces tributaries in three districts such as Hafizabad
, Nankana Sahib
and Faisalabad
.
Many famous towns are situated at near the Rakh Branch such as Safdarabad
, Sangla Hill
, Salarwala
, Chak Jhumra
, Gutwala, Abdullahpur
and Faisalabad
. The canal ends at Samundri
.
was started and it provides water to many parts of the above districts. It has helped agriculture in these areas. There were watermill
s for floor grinding upon the Canal banks. These mills were operated with Hydropower
and benefited nearby areas. One such mill was operational until 1990 at area between Sangla Hill
and Salarwala
. All these mills are nowadays rusting due to negligence of the local authorities. Each of the watermills was able to grind flour for at least 20 villages. Besides this a small unit for rice shelling and a cotton blower was present. One can hope that due to power shortages in Pakistan
such watermills will be hi
army. They also provided shelter to wild Game animals. These jungles also helped to check waterlogging
due to water seepage from canal. A well-known species of these Rakh areas was Sheesham Dalbergia sissoo
. Due to Government carelessness and theft of wood these Rakh areas have been cleared and the sites are currently almost barren.
Once the Canal water was used for drinking purposes but now salinity
is increasing and is making the water unfit for cooking or drinking.
is situated at Rakh Branch and hundreds of people visit it daily.
In Faisalabad
an artificial waterfall also has been constructed along the canal banks.
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
province of Pakistan
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...
. The canal was dug in 1892 during colonial rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. The Rakh Branch originates from canal Lower Chenab. And Lower Chenab comes out from Head Khanki
Head Khanki
Khanki Headworks is a headworks situated on the River Chenab in Gujranwala District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was constructed in 1889 and is considered to be the oldest headworks in Pakistan....
at the river Chenab.
It passes and produces tributaries in three districts such as Hafizabad
Hafizabad District
Hafizabad District is located in Punjab, Pakistan. Hafizabad was made a district in 1991; formerly, it was a tehsil of Gujranwala District. It is situated in the central Punjab and is known for its rice industry on the agricultural side and cotton textile industry on the industrial side...
, Nankana Sahib
Nankana Sahib District
Nankana Sahib is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Nankana Sahib is the principal town of the district. The district of Nankana Sahib is located about 75 kilometres west of Lahore and about 55 kilometres east of Faisalabad.-Administration:The area around Nankana Sahib was formerly a...
and Faisalabad
Faisalabad District
Faisalabad District is one of the districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 5,429,547 of which almost 42% were in Faisalabad City....
.
Many famous towns are situated at near the Rakh Branch such as Safdarabad
Safdarabad
Safdarabad is an administrative subdivision of Sheikhupura District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Safdar Abad is the headquarters of the tehsil, until 2005 it was a tehsil of Sheikhupura District, but in that year Sheikhpura was bifurcated and the district of Nankana Sahib was...
, Sangla Hill
Sangla Hill
Sangla Hill is a tehsil located in Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.- Introduction :Sangla hill is a tehsil under district Nankana Sahib...
, Salarwala
Salarwala
Salarwala , is located in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. Latitude 33.66; Longitude 73.28. It is a town situated on the Faisalabad to Lahore railway section. It is one of the oldest railway stations of pre-partition days. Many people have used it as a starting point for a railway journey...
, Chak Jhumra
Chak Jhumra
Chak Jhumra is a town and tehsil near the city of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. It is a sub-division of Faisalabad District and has a Tehsil municipal administration . Chak Jhumra Town consists of 15 union councils.-About Chak Jhumra:...
, Gutwala, Abdullahpur
Abdullahpur
Abdullahpur is a village situated in the Jhelum District, of Punjab, Pakistan. Its geographical coordinates are 32° 38' 0" North, 73° 19' 0" East.Most of the population is Muslim, and belongs to the Aura tribe....
and Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
. The canal ends at Samundri
Samundri
Samundri is a city of Faisalabad District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 30°48'30N 71°52'15E with an altitude of 130 metres , and lies 45 from Faisalabad. It is the headquarters of Samundri Tehsil, a subdivision of the district.-History:Samundri was on a major trade route...
.
Irrigation and Hydropower
Rakh Branch was dug when Sandal BarSandal Bar
The Sandal Bar is a region between the rivers Chenab and Ravi in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the Rechna Doab. It spreads over almost 80 km in width and 40 km in length . "Bar", in the local language, means a forested area where there are no resources for cultivation, like water...
was started and it provides water to many parts of the above districts. It has helped agriculture in these areas. There were watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s for floor grinding upon the Canal banks. These mills were operated with Hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
and benefited nearby areas. One such mill was operational until 1990 at area between Sangla Hill
Sangla Hill
Sangla Hill is a tehsil located in Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.- Introduction :Sangla hill is a tehsil under district Nankana Sahib...
and Salarwala
Salarwala
Salarwala , is located in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. Latitude 33.66; Longitude 73.28. It is a town situated on the Faisalabad to Lahore railway section. It is one of the oldest railway stations of pre-partition days. Many people have used it as a starting point for a railway journey...
. All these mills are nowadays rusting due to negligence of the local authorities. Each of the watermills was able to grind flour for at least 20 villages. Besides this a small unit for rice shelling and a cotton blower was present. One can hope that due to power shortages in Pakistan
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...
such watermills will be hi
Rakh
Rakh were jungle areas at both sides of Canal. They extended around 100 metres away from the canal and provided fuel wood to BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
army. They also provided shelter to wild Game animals. These jungles also helped to check waterlogging
Waterlogging
Waterlogging or water logging may refer to:* Waterlogging , saturation of the soil by groundwater sufficient to prevent or hinder agriculture...
due to water seepage from canal. A well-known species of these Rakh areas was Sheesham Dalbergia sissoo
Dalbergia sissoo
Dalbergia sissoo, known as Shisham, is an erect deciduous tree, native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is also called sissoo, sisu, sheesham, tahli and sometimes referred to as Indian Rosewood. It is state tree of Punjab state and provincial tree of Punjab province...
. Due to Government carelessness and theft of wood these Rakh areas have been cleared and the sites are currently almost barren.
Once the Canal water was used for drinking purposes but now salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
is increasing and is making the water unfit for cooking or drinking.
Fauna
The water of the canal and Rakh supported a large no game animals. But pouching and habitat loss has near lead to there extinction.Tourism
Gutwala National ParkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
is situated at Rakh Branch and hundreds of people visit it daily.
In Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
an artificial waterfall also has been constructed along the canal banks.
See also
- PeerwanaPeerwanaPeerwana is a village in Faisalabad District near Chak Jhumra, Punjab, Pakistan. It is in Chak Jhumra Town's Union Council#2. It is situated on the Faisalabad to Pindi Bhattian Motorway M3 near Sahianwala Interchange. Its Latitude is 31°44'21.51"N and Longitude is 73°13'20.97"E. It is one of the...
43/JB - Sangla HillSangla HillSangla Hill is a tehsil located in Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.- Introduction :Sangla hill is a tehsil under district Nankana Sahib...
- SafdarabadSafdarabadSafdarabad is an administrative subdivision of Sheikhupura District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Safdar Abad is the headquarters of the tehsil, until 2005 it was a tehsil of Sheikhupura District, but in that year Sheikhpura was bifurcated and the district of Nankana Sahib was...
- Lower Chenab
- Jhang BranchJhang BranchThe Jhang Branch is a canal that originates from the Lower Chenab canal. It is the longest canal of Sandal Bar. It supplies water to lands in three districts in the Punjab province of Pakistan: Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh...
- Head KhankiHead KhankiKhanki Headworks is a headworks situated on the River Chenab in Gujranwala District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was constructed in 1889 and is considered to be the oldest headworks in Pakistan....
- Marala HeadworksMarala HeadworksdMarala Headworks is a headworks situated on the River Chenab near the city of Sialkot in Punjab province of Pakistan.Marala Headworks is a large hydro engineering project and is used to control water flow and flood control in the River Chenab....
- Taunsa BarrageTaunsa BarrageTaunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in the Muzaffargarh District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated 20 km southeast of Taunsa Sharif....
- TrimmuTrimmuTrimmu Barrage is a barrage on the River Chenab in the Jhang District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated downstream of the confluence of the River Jhelum and River Chenab...
- Indus RiverIndus RiverThe 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...
- Rachna Doab
- Gugera Branch
- TrimmuTrimmuTrimmu Barrage is a barrage on the River Chenab in the Jhang District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated downstream of the confluence of the River Jhelum and River Chenab...
- Baroia Chak No. 36/R.B