Geography of Gurdaspur

Geographical features of a location can be natural or manmade. The geographical features that come naturally to a location include ecosystems and land reforms and artificial features include engineered structures and settlements. It greatly impacts the size and resources of the place as well as the culture and traditions of the local people. Geographical features also determine the weather conditions which in turn influence agricultural produce of the region. Getting to know about the geography of a location is very important for a city like Gurdaspur in Punjab. It helps to understand many things like atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and the patterns of flora and fauna of this region in detail. It also helps to get a holistic view of the local culture and traditions. This topic about Gurdaspur, the third largest district in Punjab will help you understand where exactly the place is located, what natural resources does it possess and who share their borders with Gurdaspur.

Location of Gurdaspur

Gurdaspur cordinates at 32.0333°N 75.40°E and is located on the northwest side of Punjab. It shares its border with Pakistan and comes under the Jalandhar division. Rivers Ravi and Beas flows on the either side of Gurdaspur. While Gurdaspur city occupies 1369 km², the district covers about 2610 km²
Gurdaspur districts consists of 11 blocks namely, Dhariwal, Dorangla, Gurdapsur, Kalanaur, Kahnuwan, Batala, Dinanagar, Qaidan, Fatehgar Churian, Shri Hargobindpur and Dera Baba Nanak.

Topography of Gurdaspur

The topography of the Gurdaspur consists of undulating plains, flood plains of River Ravi and River Beas and the plains of upland. On the south side of the district about 128 sq.kms of area is undulating plain and is dissected highly. The area is elevated at about 305 to 381 meters above the sea level. The flood plains and the upland plains of the district are separated by the river cut bluffs which are very sharp. The soil structure of the flood plains is dominated by sand. But, the domination of the sand diminishes both in quantity and coarseness in the upland area. The topography of the plains in the district is low lying and slightly uneven. Most of the district is covered by the upland plains which is elevated at about 305 meter above the sea level in the north east side and in the south west side it is elevated about 213 meters above the seal level. There is a gentle gradient of 1 meter in 1.6 km making it the most important physiographic unit of the Gudaspur district.

Ecology of Gurdaspur

Due to change in the ecology, its preservation has become an important point of the district planning. The fast growing population has raised the need for more space. This has led to the denudation of the forests. In the name of urbanization and industrialization, people have pushed the fast forward button of environmental degradation. The vegetation in the Gurdaspur depends on the factors like the topography, elevation and soil. The forest department has undertaken afforestation in the plains of the district. Trees of Mulberry, Eucalyptus, Shisham and Poplar are being planted where ever water is available. Apart from mulberry and mango, fruits like orange, lemon and kinnow are also being cultivated in the district.

Hydrology in Gurdaspur

The two important rivers of Gurdaspur Beas and Raavi originate near the Rohitang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. But the water levels in these rivers fluctuate from year to year depending on the rainfall making it impossible to use it for navigational purpose.the district possess many swampy depressions known as Chhambs. The largest of which is Kahnuwan Chhamb that stretches along the Beas river in Gurdaspur. The irrigation of Gurdaspur is dependent on the dense network of canals. The canal system of upper Bari Doab supplies water for majority of irrigation in the district. The three main branches of this canal system are Sabhraon branch, Kasur branch and Lahore branch.

Soil in Gurdaspur

The clay content of the loamy soil in the Gurdaspur district is about 10 percent. The lime content in the soil is very less but the content of magnesia is very high. The soil is good in phosphoric acid and potash contents but the available quantities are very low. The agriculture of the Gurdaspur district is mostly dependent on the nature of the soil which is determined by the climatic factors. In general the soils of the Gurdaspur district are fertile and alluvial. There are three types of soil that exist in Gurdaspur namely Bangar, Bet and Riarki. Riarki is available in the areas of Qadian, Dhariwal Ghuman, Sri Hargobindpur and Harchowal. Bangar can be found on the western side of Kahnuwan Lake until the canal of Aliwal. And the Bet soil is found in abundance between the Beas and Ravi.The waste lands in the region which can be cultivated are covered with bushes making it difficult to put the land to any use. Examples of cultivable waste lands are ching grass bamboo forest, tree crops and meadows etc. these lands are not considered to be forest but are left alone as green belts.