Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian Canal (BRB Canal), also called Ichogil Canal (by Indian authors), [1] is a manmade waterway in Pakistan that takes off from the Upper Chenab Canal near the Bambanwala village (to the west of Daska), runs southeast until reaching close to the India-Pakistan border and then runs south parallel to the border. It ends at the Sutlej near Kanganpur 100 km south of Lahore. It is the source of the Lahore Canal which runs westwards to the city of Lahore.
The canal was built by the citizens of Lahore in 1948 in response to an appeal by the Chief Minister of Punjab Iftikhar Hussein to safeguard the city from a possible Indian invasion in the future. As a result, common Pakistani nationals dug the whole 8km canal free of cost in a few days. [2]
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Pakistani army blew up all except eight bridges crossing the canal and held back the invading Indian forces until the ceasefire was announced. However, Indian sources claim that the Indian military was successful in crossing the canal and captured the area. [3] [4]
The Geography of Pakistan encompasses a wide variety of landscapes varying from plains to deserts, forests, and plateaus ranging from the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean in the south to the mountains of the Karakoram, Hindukush, Himalayas ranges in the north. Pakistan geologically overlaps both with the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates where its Sindh and Punjab provinces lie on the north-western corner of the Indian plate while Balochistan and most of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lie within the Eurasian plate which mainly comprises the Iranian Plateau.
Punjab is a province of Pakistan. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest by population. Lahore is the capital and the largest city of the province. Other major cities include Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Multan.
The Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, also known as the second India–Pakistan war, was an armed conflict between Pakistan and India that took place from August 1965 to September 1965. The conflict began following Pakistan's unsuccessful Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against Indian rule. The seventeen-week war caused thousands of casualties on both sides and witnessed the largest engagement of armored vehicles and the largest tank battle since World War II. Hostilities between the two countries ended after a ceasefire was declared through UNSC Resolution 211 following a diplomatic intervention by the Soviet Union and the United States, and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration. Much of the war was fought by the countries' land forces in Kashmir and along the border between India and Pakistan. This war saw the largest amassing of troops in Kashmir since the Partition of India in 1947, a number that was overshadowed only during the 2001–2002 military standoff between India and Pakistan. Most of the battles were fought by opposing infantry and armored units, with substantial backing from air forces, and naval operations.
The Ravi River is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region.
MajorRaja Aziz Bhatti Ahmed, NH was a Pakistani military officer and war hero. He was the 4th recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, Nishan-e-Haider(Lit.: Emblem of Lion), which he was awarded for his actions of valour during the Battle of Burki in the Indo-Pak War of 1965. He is revered as a hero of the 1965 war in Pakistan.
The East Bengal Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Bangladesh Army. It was founded by Major Abdul Gani.
The Battle of Chawinda was a major engagement between Pakistan and India in the Second Kashmir War as part of the Sialkot campaign. It is well known as being one of the largest tank battles in history since the Battle of Kursk, which was fought between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960 by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pakistani president Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
The Battle of Ichogil Bund also known as the Battle of BRB Canal was a skirmish fought from 22 September to 23 September 1965 as part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 by the 9th Battalion Madras Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B.K. Satyan.
Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of India and Pakistan. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.
Marala Headworks is a headworks situated on the Chenab River near the city of Sialkot in Gujrat district in Punjab, Pakistan. A weir was first built during 1906–1912 in the British India to feed the Upper Chenab Canal, as part of the 'Triple Canals Project'. A new Marala Barrage was constructed in 1968 to feed the Marala–Ravi Link Canal in addition to the original Upper Chenab Canal.
The Marala–Ravi Link Canal is a canal in Pakistani Punjab that flows from the Marala Headworks on the Chenab River near Sialkot to the Ravi river. It was constructed in 1956 to transfer water from Chenab to Ravi as well as to irrigate about 60,000 hectares of land in the Sialkot and Gurjanwala districts. It is 100 kilometres (62 mi) long and has a capacity 22,000 cubic feet per second (620 m3/s).
Pul Kanjri is a historical site situated 35 km away from Amritsar on Amritsar-Lahore road, near the villages of Dhanoa Khurd and Dhanoa Kalan on the Wagah border. It is one of the heritage sites built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, where he used to rest while travelling with his troops. During his reign, Pul Kanjari was an important trading centre. The legend has it when Maharaja Ranjit Singh married Begum Gul Bahar, on their way to Lahore they had to cross this canal on Ravi river. People used to cross the canal by foot but Begum Gul Bahar refused to do so. Since Maharaja Ranjit Singh was deeply in love with Begum Gul Bahar, he had a small bridge built for her. Some part of the bridge still exists. It was named Pul Kanjri. It was greatly in news during 1971 war. This fortress also contains a bathing pool, a temple, a Gurudwara and a mosque.
Lahore Canal is a canal that runs through the east of the city of Lahore, Punjab in Pakistan. It diverges from the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal. This 37 miles (60 km) long waterway was initially built by the Mughals. It was then upgraded by the British in 1861. It is an important part of the city's cultural heritage.
The topography of Pakistan is divided into seven geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain, the desert areas, the Pothohar Plateau, Balochistan Plateau, Salt Range, and the Sistan Basin. All the rivers of Pakistan, i.e. Sindh, Ravi River, Chenab River, Jhelum River, and Sutlej River, originate from the Himalayas mountain range. Some geographers designate Plateau as to the west of the imaginary southwest line; and the Indus Plain lies to the east of that line.
The Battle of Barki was a battle during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 between Indian infantry and Pakistani armour units. Burki is a village, that lies south-east of Lahore near the border with Punjab. For reference, that is just 11 km from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, and is connected to Lahore by the a bridge over the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian (BRB) Canal. During the battle, the strength of the two sides were relatively even. Indian infantry clashed with Pakistani forces that were entrenched in pillboxes, dug-outs and slit trenches that had been carved into the canal banks. The Pakistanis were supported by a large number of tanks, as well as fighter jets. The battle resulted in an Indian victory and withdrawal of Pakistani forces towards Dograi.The Indian Army went on to capture Dograi on 21st September, 1965.
Sulemanki Headworks is a headworks on the River Sutlej in Sulemanki Village, near Depalpur City in Okara district of the Punjab province of Pakistan.
Madhopur Headworks is a barrage on the Ravi River in Madhopur, just 14 km from Pathankot city in Pathankot district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the border with Jammu and Kashmir. The Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) off-taking from Madhopur irrigates agricultural lands in Punjab and provides water to the cities of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala and Amritsar.
Bedian, also spelled Badian, is a village in the Kasur District of Punjab, Pakistan, close to the India-Pakistan border. The village was founded by the Sikh preacher Baba Sahib Singh Bedi during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. After the partition of India, Pakistan built the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal, bringing waters from the Chenab River to the Upper Bari Doab Canal, as a replacement for the canal waters lost to the Indian Punjab.
The Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) is an urban development megaproject in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan that runs along the Ravi River in a north-east to south-west direction. It includes the construction of a 41,308-hectare (102,074-acre) planned city and the rehabilitation of the Ravi River into a perennial freshwater body. The project is to be completed in three phases. It is expected to be the largest riverfront of the world when finished.