**7.6 Central Baluchistan**

The region consists of Northern and central Baluchistan having barren hills with steep slopes, intervened by valleys filled with Pleistocene deposits and gravels, alluvium, and loessic materials in Kachhi plain.

Due to steep slopes, soil erosion is severe and extensive. Most of the land is almost devoid of vegetation except some xerophyte bushes and poor grasses, which are being worn down by human and animal exploitation. There are numerous hill torrents that carry flashfloods and occasionally cause considerable damage to land and population. The area is mountainous having an arid climate with mild short summers and cold long winters (**Figure 7**).

The area is mountainous with deep valleys. The main soils of the valleys are strongly calcareous but deep and loamy, with weak subangular blocky structure and low organic matter content of 0.3–0.5%. Only at high altitudes, the virgin soils have 1–1.5% organic matter content. The higher parts of valleys have gravelly soils; the lowest parts are occupied by plains containing strongly saline soils and in between are loamy. The mountains have either very shallow soils or bare rocks with soil materials only in crevices (**Figure 12**).

Predominant land use of the area is grazing. Parts of the loamy soils of the valleys are, however, used for growing wheat under a system of spate irrigation by diverting torrent floods into fields having high embankments. A very small proportion of the area is under irrigated fruit orchards, mainly apples, peaches, plums, apricots, and grapes. Also grown under the irrigation are crops of wheat, maize, and alfalfa.

#### **7.7 Makran coast, southwestern Baluchistan, and Sind**

This agroecological zone covers Karachi and Dadu districts in Sind and Gwadar, Kharan, Chaghi, and Las Bela districts in Baluchistan. The climate of the region

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*Environment, Agriculture, and Land Use Pattern DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83850*

patches of agriculture scattered in the area.

ous salt pan in western Kharan Desert.

**7.8 Piedmont zone of the Sulaiman range**

lying areas (**Figure 12**).

**Figure 12.**

*Baluchistan province land use.*

comprises of long hot summers and mild short winters with dust storms in June and July. The winter precipitation is higher than the summer monsoon. The area is characterized by the mountains with intermountain basins, plateaux, and desert. It is the watershed between the Indus drainage system and the rivers that drains directly into the Arabian Sea including Porali, Nall, Hingol, and Dasht Rivers of Baluchistan. In the north and the west, it has inland drainage system (**Figure 7**) with isolated

The valleys generally have their floors covered with recent and subrecent deposits of alluvium derived from the adjoining hill ranges. Most of the non-perennial streams from these valleys in the area converge on Hamun-e-Mashkel and conspicu-

The soils of the plain area in this region are deep, strongly calcareous silt loams with weak structure. The slopes of the mountains and hills comprise either bare rocks or have very shallow soils. The lower parts of hills and higher parts of the plain have gravelly soils with a strong zone of lime accumulation at 30–40 cm of depth. Vegetation is xerophytes and is characterized by thorny scrubs and poor grasses in the lower regions. On higher altitudes there are forests of junipers and wild olive, which merge with barren lands with scanty bushes and grasses in low-

The most important land use of the area is grazing. Cultivation on deep valley soils depends mainly on spate irrigation practiced by diverting torrent water into fields, which have high embankments for pending of water. The soil is soaked with 30–50 cm of water to grow the crop. In the north wheat is the main crop but some melons are also grown. In the south *Sorghum bicolor* and millets are the important crops along the coast; castor bean is grown quite extensible. Fruits, vegetable, and

The region contains Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur of the Punjab, and Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, and Bolan

wheat are grown wherever water is available from springs or karez.

*Climate Change and Agriculture*

**7.6 Central Baluchistan**

*Gilgit-Baltistan province land use.*

**Figure 11.**

alluvium, and loessic materials in Kachhi plain.

summers and cold long winters (**Figure 7**).

materials only in crevices (**Figure 12**).

**7.7 Makran coast, southwestern Baluchistan, and Sind**

The region consists of Northern and central Baluchistan having barren hills with steep slopes, intervened by valleys filled with Pleistocene deposits and gravels,

Due to steep slopes, soil erosion is severe and extensive. Most of the land is almost devoid of vegetation except some xerophyte bushes and poor grasses, which are being worn down by human and animal exploitation. There are numerous hill torrents that carry flashfloods and occasionally cause considerable damage to land and population. The area is mountainous having an arid climate with mild short

The area is mountainous with deep valleys. The main soils of the valleys are strongly calcareous but deep and loamy, with weak subangular blocky structure and low organic matter content of 0.3–0.5%. Only at high altitudes, the virgin soils have 1–1.5% organic matter content. The higher parts of valleys have gravelly soils; the lowest parts are occupied by plains containing strongly saline soils and in between are loamy. The mountains have either very shallow soils or bare rocks with soil

Predominant land use of the area is grazing. Parts of the loamy soils of the valleys are, however, used for growing wheat under a system of spate irrigation by diverting torrent floods into fields having high embankments. A very small proportion of the area is under irrigated fruit orchards, mainly apples, peaches, plums, apricots, and grapes. Also grown under the irrigation are crops of wheat, maize, and alfalfa.

This agroecological zone covers Karachi and Dadu districts in Sind and Gwadar, Kharan, Chaghi, and Las Bela districts in Baluchistan. The climate of the region

**112**

**Figure 12.** *Baluchistan province land use.*

comprises of long hot summers and mild short winters with dust storms in June and July. The winter precipitation is higher than the summer monsoon. The area is characterized by the mountains with intermountain basins, plateaux, and desert. It is the watershed between the Indus drainage system and the rivers that drains directly into the Arabian Sea including Porali, Nall, Hingol, and Dasht Rivers of Baluchistan. In the north and the west, it has inland drainage system (**Figure 7**) with isolated patches of agriculture scattered in the area.

The valleys generally have their floors covered with recent and subrecent deposits of alluvium derived from the adjoining hill ranges. Most of the non-perennial streams from these valleys in the area converge on Hamun-e-Mashkel and conspicuous salt pan in western Kharan Desert.

The soils of the plain area in this region are deep, strongly calcareous silt loams with weak structure. The slopes of the mountains and hills comprise either bare rocks or have very shallow soils. The lower parts of hills and higher parts of the plain have gravelly soils with a strong zone of lime accumulation at 30–40 cm of depth. Vegetation is xerophytes and is characterized by thorny scrubs and poor grasses in the lower regions. On higher altitudes there are forests of junipers and wild olive, which merge with barren lands with scanty bushes and grasses in lowlying areas (**Figure 12**).

The most important land use of the area is grazing. Cultivation on deep valley soils depends mainly on spate irrigation practiced by diverting torrent water into fields, which have high embankments for pending of water. The soil is soaked with 30–50 cm of water to grow the crop. In the north wheat is the main crop but some melons are also grown. In the south *Sorghum bicolor* and millets are the important crops along the coast; castor bean is grown quite extensible. Fruits, vegetable, and wheat are grown wherever water is available from springs or karez.

#### **7.8 Piedmont zone of the Sulaiman range**

The region contains Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur of the Punjab, and Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Jhal Magsi, and Bolan

#### *Climate Change and Agriculture*

districts in Baluchistan. The piedmont plains of the Sulaiman range are sloping toward the Indus River. A large number of alluvial fans have been built by the streams, which slope from the hills on to the piedmont slope. Barkhan, Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, and Jhal Magsi districts lie at the foot of the Sulaiman range to the west.

The piedmont deposits in this area show a generalized grading in texture, with gravel and boulders near the hills and silty material farther away. However, this grading of material is not in evidence everywhere, because it has been obscured by subsequent fine or course materials, producing geohydrological inequalities laterally and vertically in the deposits. Severe soil erosion, heterogeneity of soils, shifting of stream channels, lack of vegetation and meager, and highly variable rainfall have made it into one of the most desolate areas of the arid region. The weather is generally hot and arid with hot long summers and short cool winters.

The soils are loamy on gentle slope near mountains but clayey in level areas. All these soils are strongly calcareous and low in organic matter content. Strong salinity occurs only in narrow strip, which is the junction of piedmont plain and the river floodplain.

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*Environment, Agriculture, and Land Use Pattern DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83850*

camels, and cattle (**Figures 9** and **10**).

\*, Mehmood Ul Hassan2

\*Address all correspondence to: saifullahkhan33@gmail.com

provided the original work is properly cited.

**7.9 Thal Desert**

**Author details**

Saifullah Khan1

Pakistan

Pakistan

in torrent beds where coarse tall grasses grow (**Figure 13**).

Torrent-watered cultivation is the main land use, under which wheat, *Sorghum bicolor*, millets, and some gram are grown. Some parts of the clayey soils in the central part of the region are under canal irrigation, and *Sorghum bicolor* and colza are the main crops. Rice is grown in a narrow strip forming the junction of the piedmont and river plains. Extensive grazing is carried out in some parts, especially

The region consists of Layyah, Bhakkar, and Khushab districts in western Punjab. This is a typical desert area with desert landforms including sand ridges, dunes, and sand sheets. However, it places silty and clayey deposits occurring in narrow strips. *The sand ridges are 5–15 m high* [19]. Between the sand ridges, there are depressions that turn into ponds after the rain. In the central parts of the desert, there are large elongated channels showing the palaeochannels the Indus. The desert is quite profusely dotted with vegetation comprising short trees and canals for irrigation. The climate is arid with hot long summers and warm short winters.

"This is an area of the stable sand ridges, which have sand and loamy fine sand soils" [20]. The hollows between the sand ridges have sandy loams and loams, which account for about 10% of the area. However, in the southwestern part of the area, the proportion of loamy soils increases. All the soils are moderately calcareous and have low organic matter content. In addition, there are some narrow strips of silty and clayey soils, which are moderately to strongly calcareous and locally saline. Predominant land use of the area is grazing of livestock especially goats, sheep,

A part of the area is used for dry farming of mainly gram and wheat, while cotton, sugarcane sorghum, millets, and wheat are also grown by canal irrigation.

and Aslam Khan2

1 Institute of Social Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab,

2 Department of Geography, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

**Figure 13.** *Dera Ismail Khan land use.*

Torrent-watered cultivation is the main land use, under which wheat, *Sorghum bicolor*, millets, and some gram are grown. Some parts of the clayey soils in the central part of the region are under canal irrigation, and *Sorghum bicolor* and colza are the main crops. Rice is grown in a narrow strip forming the junction of the piedmont and river plains. Extensive grazing is carried out in some parts, especially in torrent beds where coarse tall grasses grow (**Figure 13**).
