How Khemkaran’s flat fields and irrigation canals helped the Indian Army defend the Punjab plains
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The Khemkaran Sector lay in the southwestern part of the Bari Doab, the tract of land between the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. To the south and east stood the Beas and the Sutlej. To the north ran the Grand Trunk Road. To the west lay the Ichhogil Canal. The international border ran a short distance to the west of the canal before turning towards the northeast. The entire stretch of ground had a gentle fall from the northeast towards the southwest. Every nala, distributary, and surface drain followed this natural slope, and over time these channels shaped both cultivation and movement across the countryside.
There were three principal canals in this area, all aligned broadly from the northeast to the southwest. These were the Upper Bari Doab Canal, the Kasur Branch, and the Sobraon Branch. Beyond the Sobraon Branch lay the Beas and the Sutlej. Together, these water bodies not only irrigated the land but also canalized movement and created corridors between embankments where wheels and tracks could travel with relative ease. The very orientation of these corridors favoured movement from the Pakistani side towards the northeast in the direction of the Grand Trunk axis.