Taunsa Sharif Explained

Official Name:Taunsa Sharif
Native Name:تونسه شريف
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:Pakistan
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Pakistan
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Pakistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Punjab
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Taunsa
Subdivision Type3:Tehsil
Subdivision Type4:Union councils
Subdivision Name4:3
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:115,704
Population Density Km2:auto
Coordinates:30.7056°N 70.6578°W
Elevation M:157
Elevation Ft:515
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:+5
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:+6
Postal Code Type:Post code
Postal Code:32100
Area Code:0642

Taunsa Sharif (Urdu,Balochi:) is a city in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the capital of Taunsa District. Taunsa Sharif is primarily inhabited by Balochi speaking and Saraiki Speaking Baloch descent people. It is situated on the bank of River Indus. Taunsa is an agricultural area known for its fertile land and crops.

Location

Taunsa Sharif is located on the Karachi-Peshawar Highway, which is also known as Indus Highway. It is approximately 120 kilometers from major cities: Multan, from Karachi, from Peshawar, and from Lahore. Taunsa is also the location of one of the headworks on the Indus River called Taunsa Barrage, located 16 kilometres south of Taunsa Sharif city. Taunsa is surrounded by Koh e Sulaiman mountain range. Taunsa Sharif is also called Younaan E Sagheer due to its 100 percent literacy rate even due to limited facilities of education.

Taunsa Barrage

Taunsa Sharif is also the location of one of the notable structures on the Indus River called Taunsa Barrage, located several kilometres south of Taunsa city. It was designated a Ramsar site on March 22, 1996. The Taunsa Barrage was completed in 1958, and it has been identified as the barrage with the highest priority for rehabilitation. It requires urgent measures to avoid severe economic and social impacts on the lives of millions of poor farmers through interruption of irrigation on two million acres (8,000 km2) and drinking water in the rural areas of southern Punjab, benefiting several million farmers.

In 2003, the World Bank approved a $123 million loan to Pakistan to rehabilitate the Taunsa Barrage on the River Indus whose structure had been damaged owing to soil erosions and old-age. The project was designed to ensure irrigation of the cultivated lands in the area of the Muzaffargarh[2] and Dera Ghazi Khan Tehsil[3] canals, and through the Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal that supplements the water supply to Panjnad headworks canals.

Taunsa Barrage also serves to provide for a variety of fish, which contributes towards fulfilling the food related needs of area.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Punjab (Pakistan): Province and Major cities, Municipalities and Towns - Population Statistics, Charts and Map.
  2. http://irrigation.punjab.gov.pk/kharif_detail.aspx?season=tarbela&yr=2009-10 Muzaffar Garh Canal
  3. http://www.urbanunit.gov.pk/downloads/rtWSSDGKhan.pdf Dera Ghazi khan canal