SIR ADNAN QURESHI PAKISTAN STUDIES-GEOGRAPHY-CHAPTER 2_____________________

CHAPTER 2: CLIMATE OF PAKISTAN

Climate:

• The study of temperature, rainfall and air pressure of a particular area for a long period of time
(usually up to 30 years).
• It remains constant for a longer period and affects the lives and economic activities of the area.

Weather:

• The study of day-to-day temperature, rainfall and air pressure of a particular area.
• It does not affect people’s lives in general.

CLIMATIC ZONES OF PAKISTAN:

On the basis of climate, Pakistan has been divided into 5 main regions:

• Highland Climate Zone

• Lowland Climate Zone
• Arid Climate Zone
• Coastal Climate Zone
HIGHLAND CLIMATIC ZONE:

Region:

Northern, North-western and Western mountains.

Major Areas:

Chitral, Murree, Muzaffarabad, Drosh, Quetta, Kalat, Parachinar, Waziristan.

Climatic Features:

• The winters are cold, snowy and long and the summers are short and mild.
• Rainfall is associated with altitude. In the Northern mountains, the rainfall (June till September) and
snowfall (November till February) is seen.
• Rainfall in the western mountains is less and is often observed during Winter Depression (November
till January).
• The temperature also varies here. The temperature drops while moving from north to south mainly
due to altitude, transfer of heat and the angle of the Sun.

Life and Economic activities:

• The growth of tress is retarded because of severe cold winters. At some places rivers and torrents
also freeze and during winter farming is not practiced and people are involved in indoor activities.
• Transhumance is also practiced.
• People live there as nomadic herdsmen.
• Many northern areas are not accessible due to landslides and heavy snowfall.
• Lack of water supply discourages human settlements.

Sources of Rainfall:

• Relief rainfall
• Monsoon rainfall
• Thunderstorms
• Western Depression

LOWLAND CLIMATIC ZONE:

Region:

Indus Plain (Punjab and Sindh) except the coastal areas.

Main Areas:

Islamabad, Sialkot, Sargodha, Multan, Jacobabad, and Sukkur.

Climatic Features:

• It has arid and extreme climate with hot summers, cool winters and summer monsoon rainfall.
• Thunderstorms are also common in north and north-west of the Indus plain.
• The upper Indus plain and Lower Indus plain there’s less rainfall and spells of very high temperature.
• Winters are cool-mild because of low angle of sun and continental effect and summers are hot due
to high angle of sun and continental effect.

Life and Economic activities:

• The plain is drained through four tributaries of Indus River, economically; it is the most productive
region of Pakistan.
• There is a well developed canal system and many crops are grown there such as Millet, Wheat,
Cotton and Sugarcane
• Population is high and there’s moderate rainfall and tolerable temperature.

Sources of rainfall:

• Convectional rainfall in the north of Punjab.

• Western Depression in the northern Punjab.
• Summer Monsoon from India.

DESERT CLIMATIC ZONE:

Region:

South-eastern desert and South-western Balochistan.

Areas:

Kharan desert, Tharparkar, Nara and Cholistan.

Climatic Features:

• It is markedly dry and hot. Hot dusty winds prevail continuously from mid –May to mid-September,
rainfall takes place during winter season in south-western Balochistan.
• Monsoons bring little rainfall in South-eastern desert.
• Extreme heat, dust storms are the main features of this arid climate.
• Winters are cool-mild because of low angle of sun, summers are hot because of high angle of sun.
Summers are very hot during the day.
• The region is deficient of moisture.

Life and Economic activities:

• the temperature is so extreme that it isn’t suitable for habitation or cultivation.

• The majority of people are nomadic, they move from one place to another with their animals.
• Because rainfall is very low that’s why unique system of Karez is established.
• Through perennial canals many areas are irrigated.
• People there wear thick and rough clothes in order to protect them from extreme heat.
• They move from one place to another in search of water.

Sources of rainfall:

• Little rainfall from Western Depression and monsoon winds.

COASTAL CLIMATIC ZONE:

Region:

South-western strip of Sindh and South of Balochistan.

Major Areas:

Karachi, Thatta, Pasni, Jiwani, Ormara, Gwadar.

Climatic Features:

• The climate is dominated by sea breezes throughout the year.

• Maritime influence keeps the daily temperature low. The temperature on land and sea is different;
land and water absorb the sun’s heat and water and also radiate it. In summer the land heats up,
while ocean remains cool. In winter the land loses heat quickly and becomes cold while ocean
remains hot.
• The humidity level is usually high, more than 50% from April to September. Means monthly
temperature is 32۫C and May, June and October are the hottest month.
• During October the climate is dominated by dry winds from south-eastern desert. Rainfall is scanty;
the rainfall is experienced during monsoon season.

Life and Economic activities:

• The rainfall takes place during monsoon season, many tourist visit Karachi in November and
February and most of the social events are held in these months.
• The extent of precipitation affects the supply of drinking water in Gwadar. The development of
Gwadar port had made is a major district of Pakistan and had contributed in the economic
development of Balochistan.
• Economic activities could be carried out throughout the year because of moderate climate. Farming
is possible, the sea ports are operational throughout the year in order to carry international trade,
roads and rail transport links are never closed in the year for the businesses, air flights are rarely
cancelled, all types of industries are present there.
• However, during summer months, tropical cyclones sometimes cause coastal flooding in low-lying
areas causing damage to infrastructure. Fishing is nearly impossible when the sea is wild and fishing
communities face losses.

Sources of rainfall:
• Monsoon rainfall (Sindh mainly)
• Western depression
• Tropical cyclones

RAINFALL:

• The quantity of water, expressed in inches, precipitated as rain, snow, hail, or sleet in a specified
area and time interval.
• Only in a few northern areas humid conditions are found. The rainfall in Pakistan is highest in
northern areas decreases towards south.
• Sources of rainfall in Pakistan:
• Monsoon winds
• The Western Depression
• Convectional Currents
• Relief rainfall
• Tropical cyclones

Monsoon Winds:
• Monsoon winds are seasonal winds which blow during summer and winter. The summer winds are
called South-west monsoons and the winter winds are called North-east monsoons.
• South-west monsoon are giant sea breezes which bring rainfall. the rains began when the ocean are
less heated and land is more heated. The air from the land rises developing a low pressure and it
attracts the cool air causing heavy rainfall.
• North-east monsoons blow from the land towards the sea.

Western Depression:

• Western Depression are the cyclones which originate in Mediterranean Sea, they travel across
Afghanistan and Iran and then reach the western part of Pakistan. The moisture in the air is
evaporated causing rainfall.
Convectional Rainfall:

• Hot air rises during summer and when it reaches the high layer of atmosphere, condensation takes
place causing rainfall. Strong winds accompanying the storms may pick up dust with them
• Only northern and north western areas of Pakistan receive rainfall from Convectional currents.
Southern Pakistan despite being more hot then the northern areas experience less rainfall because
of temperature inversion layer.

Relief Rainfall:

• Relief rainfall is related to the height of land. It occurs where moist unstable air moves up a
mountain edge and it is chilled, heavy condensation takes place and rainfall occurs.

Tropical Cyclones:

• Tropical cyclones bring heavy rainfall for few hours and can cause a lot of destruction. They originate
in Arabian Sea quite often but rarely reach the coast of Pakistan. Therefore, this source of rainfall is
totally unreliable.

TEMPERATURE:

Factors affecting the temperature of Pakistan:

• Latitudinal effect:
The areas that lie near the equator encounter more amounts of sun rays than the areas that don’t
lie near the equator. Southern Pakistan receives more amounts of sun rays as compared to Northern
Pakistan.
• Continental effect:
The areas that are away from the sea are unaffected by maritime influence, consequently; they are
more hot as compared to areas near sea. Winters are extreme and summer temperatures are quite
severe
• Altitude and temperature
• Cloud cover and temperature
In daytime cloud cover reduces the amount of heat by reflecting the heat back to the space but in
night time it traps the outgoing heat and because of this the cloudy nights are warm.
• Latitude and angle of sun
The sun rays don’t fall at the same angle everywhere.
During summer, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun and the northern areas of
Pakistan absorb more heat because of high angle of sun, during winter the northern hemisphere is
tilted away from the sun and the northern areas experience sun for shorter duration.

RIVER FLOOD:

• Overflow of large amount of water beyond its normal limit, especially over what is normally dry
land.
• Rivers are considered by many people around the country as the best place for economic
development. Water is tentatively an imperative resource for human beings but its excess may lead
to disaster. Excessive water in rivers bring flood.

Factors/ Reasons of floods:

• The current flooding in Pakistan is mainly due to climate change. It is the unusual climate-change-
led seasonal cycle of land temperature in Pakistan that has exacerbated the monsoon rainfall and
produced the hugest volume of water in the northern mountainous region of the country ever
recorded in the history, causing floods in the Indus river basin.
• The wood is in demand and because of this there’s excessive cutting of tress which increases
surface run off, the trees mangroves act as a barrier and they can protect the settlements from
floods but because of increasing industrialization and urbanization the water pollution is increasing
threatening mangroves
• The embankments around the river are not heightened, water easily reaches the settlements.
• The dams don’t have much capacity to store water and because of this extra water is not store
causing flood.

Possibilities of avoiding the risk of floods:

• Planting more trees in order to keep check of the flow of water

• Build levees in order to prevent the spread of floodwater
 • Stop building on floodplains
• Build flood controlling Dams.
Building Canals (Drains of Extra Water).
Using less greenhouse gases and reducing pollution in order to stop global warming which is one of
the major causes of floods
• Prevent Soil Erosion.
Do not build on high flood risk area.
• Flood warning should be given through media
• Floodwater must be drained out and facilities to the refugees must be provided

Effects of floods:

• The farmers aren’t able to use the land until the water drains; they face destruction of crops and
loss of food supplies. The load of river improve the fertility of land
• the houses will cut off from the shops and services, mud houses are damaged and water-borne
diseases are spread
• The transport system is severely affected, roads and railway tracks are damaged and old routes are
arduous to follow because they are drained with water.

STORMS:

• A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere especially affecting its
surface, and strongly implying severe. It may be marked by strong wind, hail, thunder and/
or lightning (a thunderstorm), heavy precipitation (snowstorm, rainstorm), heavy freezing rain (ice
storm), strong winds (tropical cyclone, windstorm), or wind transporting some substance through
the atmosphere.
 Storms And Heavy Rainfall Cause Problems For People In Pakistan:
Effects of flooding:
• Wind damage affect power lines and crops/ katcha houses/ Bill boards fall down.
• Lightning strike often result in damage to livestock sanctuaries/ Human life.
• Landslides affects travelling/ infrastructure damage/ loss of possession and life.
• Damage to Communications/ Roads become weary/ transmission lines are disturbed.
• Power supply gets cut down/load shedding.
• Agricultural areas and crops are devastated.

DROUGHTS:

• It is an extended period when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. A drought can last for
months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days. Generally, this occurs when a region
receives consistently below average precipitation
• There are four ways of categorizing drought
• Permanent drought
• Exist where crop cultivation isn’t possible
• Seasonal drought:
• Occurs in areas with well-defined rainy and dry season
• Invisible drought:
• It is the result of a water deficiency that reduces crop yields
• Unpredictable drought
• It is the result of abnormally low rainfall

Causes of Droughts:

Natural
• Unreliability of monsoon winds may lead to seasonal drought
• The dry and hot winds can reduce the moisture contents of sandy soil
• Global climate is constantly changing leading to changes in Pakistan’s climate
Human
• Deforestation on foothills increase soil erosion and reduces rainfall
• Mismanagement of water resources
• The disputed and unfair distribution of water
• Over grazing of land
• Global warming
Effects of Droughts:

• The effects of drought on physical environment are sever, the land is turned into a desert and
because of this the soil is exposed leading to soil erosion, many species are extinct because of lack of
food. There’s rise in temperature and loss of vegetation, because of low precipitation there’s
extension of desert areas.
• Drought not only effect physical environment but also human environment, drought affect
• Population
• Loss of life because of widespread famines, malnutrition, health problems and starvation
• Nomadic lifestyle because people migrate from the areas that are affected by drought and because
of this urbanization is increased causing an increase in domestic waste leading to water pollution.

Possibilities of avoiding the risk of droughts:

• Water storage schemes: reservoirs and dams should be built in order to store water and some
traditional methods should also be utilized in order to store water. The areas that receive heavy
rainfall can utilize the water through perennial canal system. More projects are required in order to
meet the needs of people.
• New methods should be used, desalination process should be used, conversion of waste water in to
clean water through chemical treatment
• Drought resistant seeds should be used
• High priority should be given to the allocation of water to industrial areas and to meet the basic
needs of people.
 PAST PAPER QUESTIONS:

Q: Study Fig. 4, which shows the rainfall of Peshawar and Lahore.

i. Using figures from Fig. 4 in your answer compare the distribution of rainfall from June to
September at Lahore and Peshawar. [2]
• Max 68 mms in Peshawar, 202 mms in Lahore
• Totals June – September
Comparisons
Less in Peshawar
Maximum later in Peshawar
Max in Aug in Peshawar, July in Lahore
Annual minimum in June in Peshawar but not Lahore

Q: In what ways does the winter climate make life difficult for people who live in mountainous areas?

• snow covers ground

• water shortage / water freezes
• no farming in winter / nothing grows / need to store food / no fishing -live indoors / cannot work
outside
• animals kept in sheds / need feeding / no pasture
• roads or railways blocked / closed / no travel / communication
• damage to buildings e.g. by avalanches, landslides, frozen pipes / death of people -fog / no air travel
• power lines cut
• telephone lines cut / no telecommunication -no tourism
• need to keep warm / need for heating -long nights / short days
• less income / less work / less trade / economic activity stops

a. Study Fig. 8, which shows January temperatures in Pakistan. [3]

i. What is the temperature at: Karachi? over 18/ any figure between 18 and 30
Faisalabad?10–15 or any figure between these
Chitral? 5 or under, or any figure from –10 to + 5
ii. Do the temperatures increase or decrease: from south to north? Decrease
from east to west? Decrease
iii. Explain two factors that affect winter temperatures in Pakistan. [4]
• Insolation / angle of the sun
• As the overhead sun moves to the southern hemisphere / over Tropic of Capricorn, rays -spread
over a larger area
• Altitude / height of the land
• As this increases temperatures decrease
• Air is less dense so holds less heat / heat radiated from the surface decreases with -altitude
• Continental / maritime effect -Land loses heat in winter
• No moderating sea winds
 Q: Study the map, Fig. 2, which shows the main monsoon wind and the rainfall distribution from July
to September.

i. Explain why the monsoon wind that is shown develops. [4]

• Strong heating of ground / High temperatures over land
• Causes air to rise / become lighter / less dense
• Low pressure created
• High pressure created
• Winds move from high to low pressure.

ii. Describe the rainfall distribution shown in Fig. 2 and explain how it is caused by the monsoon
winds. [7]
Description
• Lowest/ less than 25mm in West Baluchistan and extreme NW
• Large areas / Lower Indus Plain less than 125mms
• Most of Baluchistan less than 125mm
• Decreasing towards NW and SW / Increasing towards SE and NE
• Highest in NE Punjab / Murree area / over 500 mm
Explain
• Winds from N India forced to rise by mountains
• Winds from Arabian Sea / secondary rise over SE Sindh
• Wind has lost moisture over India and Bangladesh/ tail end, so less rain in Pakistan than India
• Baluchistan remote from monsoon winds so less rain
• High mountains in NE increase rainfall
• Plains have less rain than mountains

Prepared and Compiled by:

Sir Adnan Qureshi

0333-2248681

adnanqureshi8096@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/adnan.qureshi.5473