NATURAL RESOURCES –
AN ISSUE OF SUSTAINABILITY
WATER
Introduction to Natural
Resources
◦Resources:
Any material which is part of earth and satisfy human needs (both economic and
social needs) and add value is called as a resource.
Example: Rocks, minerals, soil, rivers, plants & animal.
◦Natural Resources:
It is the form of matter/energy which is available in the earth and get used by living
thing.
These are unchanged materials
That have certain value to people
Eg: air, water, soil, minerals, fossil-fuel, wildlife.
Types of Natural Resources
Natural
Resources
Non-
Renewable
Renewable
Sustainable
Continuous Fossil Fuels
e.g. Minerals
water, wind remains of
Vegetation, Metallic &
waves and animals and
soil, Non-Metallic
sunlight plants
landscape
Types of Natural Resources
◦ Renewable Resources:
These are those resources which are renewed/replenished fastly and are not affected
by human activity. Renewable energy sources are more commonly used by developed
nations.
Example: Solar energy, water, air, biomass , wood, and solar energy
Types of Natural Resources
◦ Non-Renewable Resources:
These are those resources which are not
renewed/replenished and are affected by
human activity. Over 85% of the energy
used in the world is from non-renewable.
Most developed nations are dependent
on non-renewable energy sources such
as fossil fuels (coal and oil) and nuclear
power.
Industrialized societies depend on non-
renewable energy sources.
Water Resource
This chapter will focus on a specific natural resource i.e. water.
Hydrological Cycle
The Hydrological cycle also known as water cycle is the
journey water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky
and back again. Consists of following processes or stages:
1. Evaporation (The sun’s heat provides energy to evaporate
water from the earth’s surface (oceans, lakes, etc.).
2. Transpiration (Plants also lose water to the air)
3. Condensation (The water vapour eventually condenses,
forming tiny droplets in clouds).
4. Precipitation When the clouds meet cool air over land,
precipitation (rain, sleet, or snow) is triggered, and water returns
to the land (or sea).
5. Infiltration (Some of the precipitation soaks into the ground.
Some of the underground water is trapped between rock or clay
layers – this is called groundwater. But most of the water flows
downhill as runoff (above ground or underground), eventually
returning to the seas as slightly salty water.
River System of Pakistan
◦There are two main River system in Pakistan
◦ The Indus River System
a. Easter Tributaries
b. Western Tributaries
◦ Rivers of Balochistan
River INDUS & Eastern
Tributaries
◦River Indus is one of the greater river of the World.
◦It starts from Tibet – Lake Mansorwar (China).
◦It passes through Himalayas and enter Pakistan near Gilgit.
◦It then breaks into 5 different rivers which is also famously known
as “Panj Nad”. The below rivers except Baes are the Eastern
Rivers of Pakistan. These includes: River Jhelum, River Sutlej,
River Baes, River Chenab and River Ravi
◦ Easterb Tributaries Jhelum and Chenab start from Himalayas Pakistan
and Ravi Sutlej (Sutlej and Beas meet in India) enter Pakistan from
India.
◦ These all tributaries meet at Panjnad and it covers and area of 72 km
before joining indus before Indus at Mithankot and in Sindh River Indus
flows alone.
◦ All plain areas of our country has existed by the sediments brought by
River Indus and its tributaries.
River INDUS & Eastern
Tributaries
River INDUS & Eastern / Western
Tributaries
Western Tributaries of River
Indus
◦They are much lesser in length and have less water then
Eastern Rivers.
◦ Western Tributaries includes
River Swat,
River Kabul
River Kurram
River Tochi
River Gomal
River Zhoab
River Hab
Ground Water
◦ An important source of irrigation water
◦ Groundwater may be found close to the surface or at profound depth
◦ In coastal plains the groundwater is often brackish or saline due to the proximity of the sea
◦ Inland groundwater may also be brackish in places where the soil contains many soluble salts
◦ Pumping from wells
◦ To tap groundwater a well must be dig deeper than the groundwater level.
◦ Shallow groundwater
◦ Deep groundwater
Irrigation – Agricultural use
of Water
◦Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the Soil
◦It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops,
maintenance of landscapes, and for re-vegetation.
◦It is important for both Arid and humid regions.
◦75% of cultivated area is under irrigation
◦Agriculture of Pakistan mainly depends on Irrigation.
◦Irrigation system of Pakistan has developed from traditional or
complex system to more complex canal systems.
Need for Irrigation
◦Rainfall in Pakistan is ineffective in many ways
◦ Monsoon regions brings rain but the frequency and intensity of
rain varies over the years
◦ Too much rain is also not beneficial for agricultural land because
the land dries away more quickly as it absorbs more water
◦ For this reason the canals and barrages are built to store water
that can later be supplied to the agricultural lands
Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Shaduf
◦ Water is drawn from a well,
river or canal by a bucket
attached to a pole on one side
and weight on other end
◦Only a small area can be
irrigated using this method and
Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Charsa
◦Animal power is used to pull water
from well
◦It is also rarely used now a days.
◦Persian Wheel
◦A system of continuous supply of
water
◦Irrigates a comparatively large
Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Karez
◦A horizontal underground canal in
foothills that bring underground water
to the surface
◦It can be kilometers long
◦Old system practiced only in
Balochistan
Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Inundation Canals
◦Long canals taken off from large rivers
◦They receive water canals when there
is flood on the river or it is at high level
◦ Diversion channel are used to divert
water from the canals to into narrow
channels
Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Tank Irrigation
◦Practiced by constructing
mud tanks across small
streams to make a small
reservoir
◦It can collect excess water
during rainy season
Use of Conventional Systems of
irrigation
◦Tank Irrigation
◦Charsa and Persian wheel are used for small subsistence
farming
◦ It is used for over centuries
◦ Disadvantage: Only small quantity of water can be
stored
◦It can collect excess water during rainy season
Modern Systems of
irrigation
◦Perennial Canals
◦These are the canals that flows
through out the year.
◦Most of the canals in Pakistan
are perennial canals.
◦Perennial canals need dams
and barrages for storage of
Modern Systems of
irrigation
◦Tubewell
◦After independence, the tubewell
was introduced.
◦Sources of water were tapped from
a depth of several hundred meters.
◦Tubewells became an effective
mode of irrigation by 1967-68.
◦Lift irrigation provides significant
qty. of ground water every year and
second most important source of
water in Pakistan.
Modern Systems of
irrigation
◦Sprinkler or Spray
Irrigation
◦Sprinklers are connected to
public water supply pipes
◦They are placed in fields to
supply water to the plants or
crops
◦Agricultural fields rarely use
this method
Indus water treaty
◦On April 1, 1948, India stopped the supply of
water to Pakistan from every canal flowing from
India to Pakistan.
◦Pakistan protested and India finally agreed on an
interim agreement on May 4, 1948.
◦This agreement was not a permanent solution;
therefore, Pakistan approached the World Bank in
1952 to help settle the problem permanently.
Indus water treaty
◦The Indus is the most important supplier of water
resources to the Punjab and Sindh plains
◦It forms the backbone of agriculture and food production
in Pakistan. The river is especially critical since rainfall is
meagre in the lower Indus valley.
◦A water control treaty guaranteed that Pakistan would
receive water from the Indus River and its two
tributaries the Jhelum River & the Chenab River
independently of upstream control by India.
Indus water treaty
◦The treaty also ensured that new dams and link canals
will be constructued by Pakistan and India was expected
to pay some cost.
◦Following Dams, barrages and Link Canals have been
completed up till now:
Dams including Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam
Barrages including Chashma, Rasul, Marala and
Qadirabad Barrage
Link Canals including Marala-Ravi, Bombanawala-Ravi-
Badian Dipalpur, Qadirabad-Balloki, Balloki0Sulaimanki
1-2, Chashma – Jhelum, Trimmu Sidhnai, Taunsa-
Panjnad, and Sidhnai-Mailsi-Bahawal
