Zhob River Explained

Zhob
Map:Zhob (rivière).png
Map Size:280px
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:Pakistan
Subdivision Type2:province
Subdivision Name2:Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Subdivision Type4:District
Subdivision Name4:Zhob District
Length:410km (260miles)
Source1:Near Tsari Mehtarazai
Mouth:Gomal River
Mouth Location:Khajuri Kach

Zhob River (Pushto; Pashto: ږوب سيند;) is located in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The total length of the Zhob River is 410 km, and it flows on a generally northeasterly course.

Etymology

In the Pashto language, Zhob means "oozing water".[1] Linguistically, the name is Irano-Aryan in origin and compares etymologically to those of the Little Zab and Great Zab rivers in the Tigris Basin.

Course

The Zhob River originates in the Kan Mehtarzai range (Tsari Mehtarzai Pass) near Muslim Bagh. It passes about 4 km west of the city of Zhob. As a tributary of the Gomal River, which it joins near Khajuri Kach, the Zhob forms a part of the Indus River Basin.

Agriculture

The Zhob River is used to irrigate the land in northern Balochistan along with the Gomal River, making the fertile soil available for agriculture. Although in the 1960s and 1970s degradation of the channel of the Zhob decreased the irrigable acreage.[2]

Archaeology

Along the Zhob River there are located the ancient sites of Rana Ghundai, Periano Ghundai, Rehman Dheri, along with the nearby site of Gumla, which go before 3000 BC.

References

32.0667°N 120°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zhob District . Khyber Gateway . 1 April 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120320074450/http://www.khyber.org/places/2005/ZhobDistrict.shtml. 20 March 2012. usurped.
  2. Book: Verheijen, Olaf . 1998 . Community Irrigation Systems in the Province of Balochistan. Lahore, Pakistan. International Irrigation Management Institute . 43. 152564336.