The pushed river

THE Indus River is moving east in central Pakistan. Along an 85-kilometre stretch from upstream of Layyah city down to Taunsa Barrage, it is pressing hard against its eastern bank. In this year’s flood season, it destroyed Basti Kanjal, a riverine settlement of more than 500 houses some 15km northwest of Layyah. It did not stop there, washing away several more settlements. Since June, close to 5,000 acres of cultivated land have been lost; according to news reports, 100,000 people have been displaced. A close analysis of 38 years of satellite imagery shows that the river is not wandering. It…