There are two tehsils in newly carved district i.e. Pathankot itself & Dhar kalan which is around 30 km from district headquaters and foot of Shivalik hills. The landscape of the Pathankot district has varied topography comprising the hilly tract, undulating plan, the flood plains of the Ravi and the Beas and the up land plain. The hilly tract covering the north-eastern parts of Pathankot and Dhar tehsils have a typical land topography, ranging in elevation from about 381 to 930 metre above sea level. From north to south the tract consists of three small ranges running in north west to south east direction – The Siali Dhar-Dangahri Dhar range the Dhaula Dhar-Nag Dhar range and the Rata Dhar range. The Siali Dhar-Dangahri Dhar range lies to the extreme north. In its western part Siali Dhar is about 931 metres above sea level at its highest point and in the eastern part about 959 metres. This range is highly dissected by numerous streams. South of this is situated the Dhaul Dhar-Nag Dhar which is about 13 km long and at places about 2.5 km. wide and has an elevation varying from about 610 to 844 metres above sea level. The Rata Dhar is marking the boundary between the hilly tract at the dissected undulating plain having and elevation of about 665 metres above sea level. To its south lies an area of about 128 sq.kms which is highly dissected and is an undulating plain. Its elevation ranges from about 305 to 381 meters above sea level. The flood plains of the Ravi and the Beas are separated from the up land plain by sharp river cut bluffs. They are low lying, with slightly uneven topography. Sand dominates in the soil structure of the flood plains, but it diminishes in both quantity and coarseness in the upland plain.
Rivers, Tributaries and Canals
The Beas and the Ravi are the two rivers of the district and Upper Bari Doaab Canal system which irrigates the most parts of the district.
River Chakki Khad
It is raising from the southern face of the Rohtang Pass in Kullu at an altitude of about 4,062 metres, traversing the districts of Kullu, Mandi and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, All through its course, a strip of shallow alluvial soil fringes its banks which are subject to inundation during the rainy season. The main channel of the river is broad, dotted with islands and wide pools. The depth of water varies from about 1.5 metres during the dry seasons to about 4.5 metres during the rainy seasons. The Chakki Khad is the chief tributary of the Beas in Pathankot district. This stream rise in the hills surrounding Dalhousie and for some distance forms the boundary of the district with Kangra. After collecting the drainage of the Chamba Hills, it joins the Beas near Mirthal.
After traversing the mountainous areas of Himachal Pradesh, it enters the district. With its general south – western course, it forms the boundary between the Punjab and the Jammu and Kashmir State for about 40 km. Further, it traverse well within the territory of the district for about 26 km till reaches Mirzapur, from where it again marks roughly the western boundary of the district and the international boundary between India and Pakistan for a distance of about 58 km. A number of tributaries join it from both sides. On its right bank it is joined by the Ujh, the Jalalia, the Shingarwan and the Masto, all of which rise in the Jammu hills. Like other rivers of the Punjab, the discharge of the Beas and the Ravi fluctuates from season to season and year to year. The drive winters have only a trickle of water in these rivers. As summer approaches, the melting of snow in their forces in their source areas releases more water. The rivers are swollen into floods during the rainy seasons. The fluctuating discharge of the rivers does not permit their navigational use.
Apart from these natural drainage lines, the district possesses a fairly dense net work of canals of the Upper Bari Doaab Canal System which irrigates most of the upland plain of the Pathankot District. Its main branches traversing through the upland plain of the district are the Lahore branch, the Kasur branch and the Sabhraon branch. Through about a 19 km long canal, the Ravi-Beas link, completed around 1954 diverts part of the Ravi water into the Chakki Khad which is tributary of the Beas. Some drains have also been constructed to drain flood water.
Ranjit Sagar Dam : 600 MW with Punjab share of 452 MW Ranjit Sagar Dam is one of the latest multipurpose river valley projects under construction on river Ravi about 24 Kms. upstream of Madhopur Head Works. This project mainly comprises of 160 m high dam ,600 MW Power Plant with four units of 150 MW capacity each. Shahpur Kandi Project(168 MW): This project was inaugurated by Sh P. V. Narsimha Rao Prime Minister of India and is constructed on River Ravi about 11 Km downstream of R.S.D and 8km upstream of Madhopur Head Works for harnessing and regularizing the release of water from R.S.D for generation of Power. There is 61 m high dam and 2 power houses installed with capacity of 168 MW.