Indus River
• The Indus is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and East Asia.
• Although, the two-third of the itinerary of the river is flowing through Pakistan yet it has its presence on the Indian soil.
• The Indus river originates from the lofty mountains of Himalayas (Kailash Glacier) near the Mansarovar Lake in Tibet at an elevation of 5,182 m.
• Through its origin, the river flows northwest towards the Leh region of Ladakh and meets the Zanskar river near the Karakoram Pass.
• The river now bends sharply to the left after the Nanga Parbat mountain range and flows in south direction to Pakistan before emptying into the Arabian sea near the port city of Karachi situated at Sindh.
• It is one of the longest rivers in the world, with a total length of 3200 km.
• Overall, the river drains an area of 11,65,500 sq. km.
• The total catchment area of river in India is 3,21,289 sq. km which is about 9.8 % of total geographical area.
• The main tributaries of the Indus river in India are the Ravi, the Chenab, the Beas, the Jhelum and the Sutlej, all joining from left.
• In India, the river flows across the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
• The Indus River flows through Tibet, India and Pakistan and drains into the Arabian Sea.
Indus and Pakistan Economy
The Indus provides the key water resources for the economy of Pakistan - especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production, and Sindh. It also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan.
Tributaries of Indus River
• Astor River
• Balram River
• Beas River
• Chenab River
• Dras River
• Gar River
• Ghizar River
• Gilgit River
• Gumar River
• Jhelum River
• Kabul River
• Kurram River
• Nagar River
• Panjnad River (formed by the joining of the Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej rivers)
• Ravi River
• Shigar River
• Shyok River
• Sohan River
• Sutlej River
• Tanubal River
• Zanskar River
The five main tributaries of the Indus River in India are discussed below :
1. Chenab River
• The river is the longest of the five tributaries of Indus that flows through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan.
• The Chenab River originates from the Baralacha Pass near Tandi in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Here, it is formed by the union of two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga.
• It flows parallel to the Pir Panjal and forms a deep gorge in the Pir Panjal near Kishtwar.
• The Baralacha Pass is 4,480 km above the sea level.
• The length of the Chenab River in India is 1,180 km and its catchment area is 26,755 km.
• It joins the Sutlej river in Pakistan.
• The Sanskrit name of this river is 'Asikni' or 'Chandrabhaga'.
• The tributaries of this river are Ravi, Chandra, Bhama.
• The dams built on this river are Baglihar Dam, Salal Dam and Dulhasti Dam.
Do you know ?
A rail bridge has been built on the Chenab river in India, which is one of the highest bridges in the world. The height of this bridge is about five times more than the Qutub Minar. The bridge is even higher than the Eiffel tower.
2. Beas River
• The Beas river also known as Bias, is a river in North India.
• The river has its origin from Beas Kund near the Rohtang Pass of Himalayas in Central Himachal Pradesh at an elevation of 4,000 m above the mean sea level.
• It joins the Sutlej River at Harike Pattan south of Amritsar in Punjab, India via Mandi.
• The total length of the Beas river is 470 km and the catchment area of the river is 20,303 sq. km.
• It is one of the five rivers that give the Punjab its name.
• The river is known as 'Vipasha' in Sanskrit texts.
3. Jhelum River
• The river lies westernmost of the the five rivers of Punjab region.
• It is the smallest tributary of Indus river in India.
• The river originates from a spring at Verinag located at the foot of Pir Panjal in the Kashmir valley.
• It passes through the Srinagar and Wular Lake.
• Wular Lake is one of the Ramsar wetland site and the largest freshwater lake in India.
• After joining the Wular Lake, it enters Pakistan and joins the Chenab River.
• The total length of jhelum river is 724 km out of which 400 km is situated in India.
• The catchment area of Jhelum in India is 28,490 sq. km.
• Neelum is the largest tributary of Jhelum.
• The Sanksrit name of the Jhelum River is 'Vitasta'.
4. Ravi River
• It is also one of the important tributary of Indus.
• The Ravi has its origin in Kullu hills near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh.
• It joins the Chenab River near Multan in Pakistan.
• It drains the area between the Pir Panjal and the Dhaola Dhar ranges.
• The river flows through the Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan.
• The cities situated on the bank of this river are Lahore and Chamba.
• The length of Ravi river in India is 720 km and it's catchment area is 5,597 sq. km.
• Thein Dam is situated on this river.
• The Vedic or Sanskrit name of the river are 'Parushini' and 'Irawati'.
5. Sutlej River
• The Sutlej river originates from the Rakshastal near the Mansarovar lake in Tibet. Rakshastal is at an elevation of 4,630 m above the mean sea level.
• It flows almost parallel to the Indus for about 400 km before entering India, and comes out of a gorge at Ropar.
• The river enters into India via the Shipki La Pass located in Himachal Pradesh.
• The river covers a distance of 1,500 km from its origin and joins the Chenab River in Pakistan.
• The length of the Sutlej River in India is 1,050 km and it's catchment area is 2,40,000 sq. km.
• The river is the easternmost tributary of the Indus river.
• The famous Bhakra Nangal Dam is built on the river Sutlej, thus, the river is highly significant.
• Often, the Sutlej is known by the name 'Red River'.
• The Vedic or Sanskrit name of the Sutlej River is 'Shutudri' or 'Shatudri'.
Dams in Indus River
1. Baglihar Dam – Chenab River- Jammu and Kashmir
2. Baira Siul Dam – Baira/ Ravi River – Himachal Pradesh
3. Bassi Dam – Ravi River – Himachal Pradesh
4. Bhakra Dam – Satluj – Himachal Pradesh
5. Chamera Dam – Ravi River – Himachal Pradesh
6. Chohal Dam – Chohal River – Punjab
7. Damsal Dam – Damsal river – Punjab
8. Dholbaha Dam – Dholbaha Khad river – Punjab
9. Dulhasti Dam – Chenab River – Jammu and Kashmir
10. Karchham Wangtoo Dam – Ravi River – Himachal Pradesh
11. Kishanganga Dam – Kishanganga river – Jammu and Kashmir
12. Kol Dam – Satluj River – Himachal Pradesh
13. Largi Dam – Beas River – Himachal Pradesh
14. Malana Dam – Ravi River – Himachal Pradesh
15. Nathpa Jhakri Dam – Satluj River – Himachal Pradesh .
16. Nimoo Bazgo River – Indus River – Jammu and Kashmir
17. Pakal Dul Dam – Marusudar river – Jammu and Kashmir
18. Pandoh Dam – Beas River – Himachal Pradesh
19. Parbati Dam – Parbati River (Beas Tributary) – Himachal Pradesh
20. Pong Dam – Beas River – Himachal Pradesh
21. Ranjit Sagar Dam – Ravi River – Punjab
22. Salal Dam – Chenab River – Jammu and Kashmir
23. Shahpur Kandi Dam – Ravi River – Punjab
24. Uri Dam – Jhelum River – Jammu and Kashmir
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