Kot Addu City

Kot Addu
كوٹ ادُّو
City
Kot Addu
Kot Addu
Coordinates: 30°27′59″N 70°57′56″E / 30.46639°N 70.96556°E / 30.46639; 70.96556Coordinates: 30°27′59″N 70°57′56″E / 30.46639°N 70.96556°E / 30.46639; 70.96556
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
District Muzaffargarh District
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Kot Addu is a city and Tehsil (administrative division) in the Muzaffargarh District of the southern part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. This city is subdivided into 30 Union Councils.[1] and has a population of over 400,000, making it the 150th largest city in Pakistan. It is located just east of the Indus River, about 866 km from Karachi, 600 km from Islamabad, 100 km from Multan, 80 km from D.G.Khan, 60 km from Muzaffargarh, 60 km from Layyah, and 16 km from Taunsa Barrage. Kot Addu City attracts a large number of tourists every year, due to the Indus river and public gardens among other things. The city is served by Kot Adu Junction railway station.

Demography


The city contains a total of 29 Union councils, which are listed below.

Location

The city of Kot Adu is located in the southern area of Punjab province, almost at the exact centre of Pakistan. The area around the city is a flat plain and is ideal for agriculture. There are two main canals (Muzaffar, and T.P link) and eight sub canals that cross Kot Adu, providing water from the Indus River. The geographical coordinates of the city, according to Google Maps, are N 30° 28' 34" E 70° 57' 52" .

Geography and Climate

Kot Addu is located almost exactly at the geographical center of Pakistan. The closest major city is Multan. The area around the city is a flat alluvial plain and is ideal for agriculture, with many citrus and mango farms. There are also canals that cut across the Muzaffargarh District, providing water to farms. During the monsoon season, the land close to the Taunsa Barrage is usually flooded.

Kot Addu has an arid climate with very hot summers and mild winters. The city has experienced some of the most extreme weather in Pakistan. The highest recorded temperature was approximately 51 °C (129 °F), and the lowest recorded temperature was approximately −1 °C (30 °F). The average rainfall is roughly 127 millimeters (5.0 in). Dust storms are a common occurrence within the city.

Education

Like other major cities in Punjab, Kot Adu features a rich educational landscape. In the last few years, the city has observed a surge in the number of educational institutions. Colleges include private Commerce and Science colleges, schools, academies like Punjab Inter Science Academy, and a cadet college. Government degrees are provided for both men and women. Several colleges are affiliated with the Bahuddin Zakrya University, B.Z.U Multan Pakistan, and Punjab University Lahore Pakistan. The names of some private institutions are, Kot Addu School of Economics and Management Sciences (Mr. Fiaz Hussain Malik Director), Punjab Higher Secondary School, Bismillah. Inter Science Academy, Punjab Group of Colleges, My School System, DAR-E-ARQAM School, Oxford Grammar School, Professor Academy, etc. A Govt Technical College, also, is under construction.

School

Taunsa Barrage

Taunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus. It is situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Taunsa Sharif and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Kot Addu. This barrage controls water flow in the River Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes.

This barrage serves 2.351 million acres (951,400 hectares) besides diverting flows from Indus River to the Chenab River through Taunsa Panjnad (TP) Link Canal. The barrage also serves as an arterial road bridge, a railway bridge, and crossing for gas and oil pipelines, telephone line and extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines.[5] In 2011, the rehabilitation of the Taunsa Barrage was blamed for devastation of the Muzaffargarh district during the 2010 Pakistan floods.[6] Critics blamed the rehabilitation of the barrage, alleging that it failed to raise its height and strengthen protective embankments, used dysfunctional computer control system of the hoist gates and ignored hill-torrent management.[7]

Industry

Kot Adu is a prominent commercial and industrial City in the Punjab province. It is connected by road and rail with Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Quetta, and Faisalabad; and also by air from Multan Airport to all Pakistani Airports.

Main Industries

Power Stations

Kot Adu Power Company

[9] The Kot Addu Power Company Limited (KAPCO), was incorporated in 1996, location in Kot Addu, District Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan. Kot Addu Power Plant was built by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). In April 2000, the Company was incorporated as a public limited company. Kot Addu Power Plant produces 1,600 MW of electricity. On 18 April 2005 the Company was formally listed on all three Stock Exchanges of Pakistan.[21]

Sugar Mills

Beside these, cotton factories, foundries, cotton, woolen and silk textile mills, flour, and oil mills are also located in this region. This area is famous for its handicrafts (Kundar work), and cottage industries.

Information technology industry

With the changing environment in the world, as the information technology has become the necessity of the world, Kot Addu has also adopted this change with a great positive response. The first totally professional information technology center was introduced in 2002, named I.TECH[13] which then also opened a branch in Dubai in 2006, U.A.E. It is a prominent institution in that region which mainly focuses on web designing and development. There are many other institutions contributing towards education in Information Technology. It is clear from the interest of people that this region needs some Great Government I.T institution. In November 2009 the Government of Pakistan also opened a Great Technical College named LAL-MEER technical college in the Union of Kot Addu.[14]

Health centers

There is one Government Civil Hospital and several Private hospitals in the city beside many small Government and Private Hospitals in the Union Councils.

Agriculture

Kot Addu is also an important agricultural area. Total area of Tehsil Kot Adu is 8,77,989 Acres of which 4,24,521 acres are under cultivation. Main crops of the area include:-

Besides these, bajra, moong, mash, masoor and oil seed such as mustard and sun flower are also grown in the district.

Fruits such as Mangoes (Mangoes of Shujabad district are the best in the world), citrus, guavas and pomegranates are the main grown in the Kot Adu City. Dates, jaman, pears, falsa and banana are also grown in minor quantities in the district.

One other local fruit is called a bare. It is one of the main fruits grown in this region. Due to flooding, the crops are now rare, especially cotton and wheat products affected by this flooding. So, now a majority of the agricultural lands are covered by sugarcane. People either sell this sugarcane to sugar mills or produce Jaggery from sugarcane.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tehsils & Unions in the District of Muzaffargarh - Government of Pakistan
  2. ↑ Muzaffar Garh Demographic
  3. ↑ Google Map
  4. ↑ District administration (Kot Adu)
  5. ↑ PLANNING AND DESIGN OF TAUNSA BARRAGE REHABILITATION PROJECT S.M.A. Zaidi, M. Akram Khan, Saif ur Rehman
  6. ↑ "Sindhu Bachao Tarla protest against WB". Pakistan Today. 2011-12-03.
  7. ↑ "Taunsa Barrage project: Affected people continue protest". The Express Tribune. 2011-12-03.
  8. ↑ PARCO
  9. ↑ KAPCO
  10. ↑ Pakistan Government Archived 26 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Pakistan Government
  12. ↑ Pakistan Government
  13. ↑ Kot Adu I.T Institutions
  14. ↑ Government of Pakistan
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