2. The Punjab Haryana Plains (total area 1.75 lakh sq km)

Stretching over an area of about 650 km from north-east to south-west and 300 km from west to east, the Punjab-Haryana Plain is an aggradational plain, deposited by the Satluj, Beas and Ravi rivers. The height of the plains varies from 300 m in the north near Jammu and Kathua to 200 m in the south-east. In the east the Delhi Ridge separates it from the Gangetic Plain. The general direction of slope is from north-east to south-west and south. The main topographical features of the Punjab-Haryana Plains are bluffs, locally called as Dhaya, as high as three metres or more, and the XAadizr belts known as Bet. The undulating topography south of the Shiwaliks is adversely affected by erosion, caused by the seasonal streams locally called as Chos. The south western parts, especially Hissar District is sandy, characterised by shifting sand-dunes. Satluj, Beas, and Ravi are the only perinneal rivers. Between the Satluj and the Yamuna, the Ghaggar (the ancient Saraswati) is a seasonal stream which passes through Ambala Cantt. Its course is about ten km wide and contains water only during the rainy season.

The Punjab-Haryana Plains may be divided into: (i) the Bari-Doab between the Beas and Ravi, (ii) the Bist Doab, between the Beas and Satluj, (iii) the Malwa Plain, the central part of the region, and (iv) the Haryana-Bhiwani Bagar in the southern and south-eastern parts of the region.