Rod Koh or Rod Kohi ( fa, راد کوہ) is a form of irrigation system in

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 ...

. ''Rod'' means ''channel'' and ''Koh'' means ''mountain'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. The Rod Kohi system based on Kulyat Riwajat (Fromulae and Traditions) which governed the irrigation system ever since the

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

tribes moved into

Damaan Damaan Valley is a valley of Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is situated 55 km from Dera Ismail Khan. Sherani mountain range on its west side and Sulaiman Range in the south-west. Pezu mountains Sheikh ...

. The British officers moved all these to writing during their Land Settlements in the later part of the nineteenth century. The Bolton Irrigation Notes of 1908 are still considered the Bible of Rod Kohi irrigation. Rod Koh is the main torrent bed which usually remains dry, when there is no flood, whereas

Zam Zam or ZAM or similar may refer to: Places *Zam, Burkina Faso, a town **Zam Department *Zam Rural District of Iran * Zam, Hunedoara, a commune in Romania * Zam (river), Hunedoara County, Romania People * ZAM-1, Australian artist and designer * ...

means the flow of perennial water coming out of

springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

. The flood and perennial water of the

is used for irrigation and 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 Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, according to

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. '' The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...

, sailed down the river

Jhelum Jhelum (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for pr ...

to its junction with

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 Kash ...

. 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 in a few locations of the

Sulaiman Sulaiman is an English transliteration of the Arabic name that means "peaceful" and corresponds to the Jewish name Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה‎, Shlomoh) and the English Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/) . Solomon was the scriptural figure who was king of ...

piedmont. Heavy rains in the catchments, which extend up to

Balochistan region Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

Sulaiman Range The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān (Balochi/Urdu/ fa, ; "Mountains of Solomon") or Da Kasē Ghrūna ( ps, د كسې غرونه; "Mountains of Kasi"), are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system i ...

Shirani Hills Shirani, or Sherani, may refer to: * Shirani (Pashtun tribe), a Pashtun tribe of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Shirani (Baloch tribe), a Baloch tribe of Iran * Sherani, a subsection of the Marri, a Baloch tribe of Pakistan * Sherani District, in Balo ...

and Bhattani Range result in water rushing intotorrents in the foothill plains, named as Daman area, where torrent agriculture (Rod Kohi) is practised.Rod-Kohi system development and management in Pakistan A National Project
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Library on spate irrigation
Irrigation in Pakistan

See also

References

External links