Swaan River
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The Soan River ( ur, ), also referred to as the Swan, Sawan, or Sohan, is a
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.


Location and geography

The Soan River is a stream in the
Pothohar The Pothohar Plateau ( ur, ) is a plateau in north-eastern Pakistan, located between Indus River and the Jhelum River, forming the northern part of Punjab. Geography Potohar Plateau is bounded on the east by the Jhelum River, on the west by the ...
or North Punjab region of Pakistan, and drains much of the water of
Pothohar The Pothohar Plateau ( ur, ) is a plateau in north-eastern Pakistan, located between Indus River and the Jhelum River, forming the northern part of Punjab. Geography Potohar Plateau is bounded on the east by the Jhelum River, on the west by the ...
. It starts near the small village of Bun in the foothills of Patriata and
Murree Murree (Punjabi, Urdu: مری) is a mountain resort city, located in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range, within the Muree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It forms the outskirts of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, and is about ...
and provides water to the
Simly Dam Simly Dam is an high earthen embankment dam on the Soan River, east of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the largest reservoir of drinking water to people living in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The w ...
, which is a water reservoir for
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
. Near
Pharwala Pharwala Fort ( ur, ) is a 15th-century fort located about 40 km from Rawalpindi in Punjab, Pakistan. The fort is naturally defended by one side by a small Himalayan range and the other by the Swaan River. History The fort was originally b ...
Fort, it cuts through a high mountain range at a location called Soan Cut. As streams do not typically form across mountains of this height, it is likely that the Soan was there before the formation of this range. Ling stream, following a relatively long course through Lehtrar and
Kahuta Kahuta (Punjabi, Urdu: کہوٹہ) is a census-designated city and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The population of the Kahuta Tehsil is approximately 220,576 at the 2017 census. Kahuta is the home to the Kahuta ...
, joins the Soan near Sihala on the southern side of Village Gagri. The
Islamabad Highway The Islamabad Expressway ( ur, ), sometimes Islamabad Highway) is a major north-south expressway in Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan. The expressway provides quick access between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, connecting the national capital w ...
crosses this stream near Sihala at the Kak Pul bridge. The Ling Stream joins the Soan river just before the Kak Pul. Two other streams, the
Korang River The Korang River is a stream in Punjab, Pakistan. It originates from Murree Hills and flows towards Islamabad. Korang Stream along with some other small streams coming from Margalla Hills have been set to form the artificial Rawal Lake in Islama ...
and the Lai stream, join the Soan just before and after the Soan Bridge, respectively. After following a path along a big curve, the stream reaches the Kalabagh proposed Dam Site close to Pirpiyahi where it falls into the
Indus river The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmi ...
. There is a railway station by the name of Sohan and a railway bridge close by. The Soan river is more than long. Due to its mountainous course and shallow bed, it is rarely used for irrigation purposes. Chinese rahu,
mahseer Mahseer is the common name used for the genera '' Tor'', ''Neolissochilus'', '' Naziritor'' and ''Parator'' in the family Cyprinidae (carps). The name is, however, more often restricted to members of the genus ''Tor''.Sen TK, Jayaram KC, 1982. Th ...
, snakehead, balm, and
catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
species are the main inhabitants of the river, including many species of turtles and tortoises.


History

The oldest evidence of life in Pakistan has been found in the Soan River valley ruled by the Sainswal tribe. It was here that some of the earliest signs of humans have been discovered during the excavations of prehistoric mounds. Some relics found in the Soan valley area during the excavation process are believed to have originated over 500,000 years ago, during the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...
.


Conservation status

The excavation sites have been minimally conserved, leading to their risk of being damaged by both human activities and environmental causes. The marine life of the river are currently endangered due to drainage of chemicals of the Sihala Industrial State and effluent water of
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...
city into it.


See also

*
Soan Sakaser Valley Soon Valley (Punjabi, ur, ) is in the north west of Khushab District, Punjab, Pakistan. Its largest settlement is the town of Naushera. The valley extends from the village of Padhrar to Sakesar, the highest peak in the Salt Range. The valley is ...
*
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmi ...
* Soan Culture


References


External links


Photo of fossils found in Soan valley
{{Coord, 33, 01, 19, N, 71, 43, 19, E, display=title, region:PK_type:river Rivers of Punjab (Pakistan) Rigvedic rivers Tributaries of the Indus River Rivers of Pakistan