Indus River System

[UPSC Notes]
What is Indus River System?
On the basis of the Indus River system, one of the oldest human civilizations was not
only developed but also named the Indus Valley Civilization.
• The name Indus River System has been given because the main river of this
system is known as the Indus.
• The Indus river is also known as the "Sindhu" river in the Sanskrit language.
• Apart from Sanskrit, the description of Indus in the Greek language is also found
as the' Sinthos’.
The Indus river system is comprised of six perennial rivers, namely: the Indus, Jhelum,
Chenab, Ravi, Satluj, and Beas.
The importance of the Indus River System for the Indian sub-continent can be derived
from the fact that the name of our country ‘India’ has been extracted from the word
‘Indus’.

Overview of Indus River System

It is important to understand the distribution of the Indus River System in India and Pakistan and
also State-wise distribution in India. As per Indus Water Treaty,1960, Indus, Jhelum, and
Chenab are under Pakistan, and Rabi, Beas and Satluj are under India as a water-distribution
treaty.
• Flows through J&K- Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, and Rabi
• Chenab, Rabi, Beas, and Satluj flow through Himachal Pradesh with Yamuna
• Rabi, Beas, Satlu, and Chenab flow through Punjab with Ghaggar

Indus River System also expands to Haryana and Rajasthan through the canal.

Tributaries of the Indus River

Go through the detailed Tributaries of the Indus River and understand all important points
regarding Sindhu Water System.

River Place of origin Tributaries Multipurpose States

Projects
Indus Bokhar Chu- Zaskar (Ladakh), Kishanganga J&K
Near Astor Nanga Parbat), Mangla Dam Distribution as
Manasarovar Chenab, Sutlej, (Jhelum) per IWT, 1960
lake, Tibet Soan, Beas, Ravi, Tarbela
Dras, Suru (Indus), Dam(Indus)
Jhelum, Ghazi Barotha
Kishanganga, R. Hydroelectric
Shyok, Gilgit Project

Jhelum Verinag spring Kishanganga (Right) Mangla Dam J&K

(Pir Panjal Neelum Kunhar Rasul Barrage
Range) Poonch

Chenab Lahaul and Spiti Headward Salal Project Himachal

district of Tributaries: Dhulhasti Dam, Pradesh, J&K
Himachal Chandra(Zozi La) Baglihar Dam
Pradesh: Bara Bhaga (Baracha La) Trimmu Barrage
Lacha pass R. Tavi

Ravi Kullu hills, West R. Soul (Valley: Rich Thein (Ranjit J&K
to Rohtang timber trees Garden Sagar) Dam
Pass of Chamba)
R. Budhil
R. Nai/Dhona Battle
of the ten kings was
fought

Beas Near Rohtang Parbati - Created Beas Project, Punjab and

Pass, Beas problems in Pong Dam Haryana
Kund-H.P Alexander's invasion Pandoh Dam
(southern end of India 2014
at Pir Panjal) Beas River Tragedy:
Flood gates of the
Larji dam were
opened

Satluj Manasarovar- T Spiti Proposal to Bhakra Nangal Punjab, HP,

Rakas Lakes build a 214- Project, Harike, North of the
Enters India kilometre (133 mi) Sirhind, Gobind Vindhya Range,
through Shipki long heavy freight Ballabh Sagar, South of the
la Pass canal, to be known Karcham Wangtoo Hindu) Kush
as the Sutlej- Hydroelectric segment of the
Yamuna Link (SYL) Plant, Neptha Himalayas, and
in India to connect Jhakhari Dam East of the
the Sutlej and Central Sulaiman
Yamuna rivers Range in Pak
Description of the Indus River System
With 2900 km of total length, the Indus River System is one of the longest river systems
in the sub-continent. The total drainage area of the Indus river system is around 11 lakh
65 thousand square kilometers. However, most of this area has now been included in
Pakistan.
The rivers included in the Indus river system are explained down under with their point
of origin-

Indus River

The Indus is the main river of this river system and it originates from the glaciers of the
Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. The length of the Indus river is around 2880
km, out of which only 710 km lies in the Indian territories in Jammu & Kashmir state and
the rest lies in Pakistan and Tibet collectively.
• originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu- Near Manasarovar lake, Tibet. Lies
the ranges and foothills of the Himalayas the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram -
Range; the rest are the semiarid plains of Pakistan.
• Tributaries:
o Zaskar (Ladakh)
o Astor (Nanga Parbat)
o Chenab, Sutlej, Soan, Beas, Ravi,Dras, Suru (Indus), Jhelum,
Kishanganga, R. Shyok, Gilgit,
o Shigar/Sangar+Kabul+ Kurram Gomal - Tochi +Viboa- Originate in
Sulaiman Ranges
o Harike Barrage, at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej: Channels water
into the Indira Gandhi
• Cuts across the Ladakh range, forming a spectacular gorge near Gilgit in Jammu
and Kashmir
• Canyons: in the vicinity of the Nanga Parbat formation
• Tidal Bore Elongated protruding distributaries and low sandy beaches
• Indus flows only through Leh district Gets into Pakistan through the
• Northern Areas- near Chillar in the Dardistan region
• Rivers Chenab, Jhelum, Sutlej, Ravi, Beas+ 2 tributaries from the Afghanistan &
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Known as Sapta Sindhu (Seven Rivers) delta of Pakistan
• Fish: Hilsa
• Blind Indus River Dolphin (Platanista indicus minor) is a sub-species of dolphin
found only the Indus River

Jhelum River

The next important river in the Indus river system is the Jhelum river, also known as
Vitusta (Rígveda), Hydaspes (Greeks) and Veth in Kashmir.
 • It originates from the Chashma Verinag glacier and covers around 720 km of
distance before it joins the Chenab river in Pakistan.
• The Jhelum river flows through the Jammu & Kashmir state of India and then
enters Pakistan.

Chenab River
Another very significant river in the Indus river system is the river Chenab, also known
as Asskini Chandrabhaga. The Chenab river is actually the combination of two rivers,
Chandra and Bhaga, in the West Himalayan region in the Himachal Pradesh state.
• The main source of water for the streams is the Baralacha La Pass.
• The Chenab River flows through Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir
before it merges into the Indus river.
• Largest tributary of Indus

Ravi River
The next tributary of the Indus river system is the river Ravi, known as Iravati "The river
of Lahore". The Ravi originates near Rohtang pass in the Chamba district of Himachal
Pradesh and, after flowing for about 720 km, it merges into the Chenab river in
Pakistan.
• Ravi runs through the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and
Kashmir.
• Flows between Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar Ranges Shahdara Bagh with the tomb
of Jahangir and the Tomb of Noor Jahan

Beas River

Beas is another significant river that contributes to the Indus river system. Beas river
originates from the Beas Kund in Rohtang La pass in the Indian state of Himachal
Pradesh. After its origination in Himachal Pradesh, the Beas covers a distance of
around 470 km before it gets merged with the Satluj river in Punjab. Hence, the Beas
river flows in the Himachal Pradesh and Punjab states of India.
• Makes Kullu Valley meets Satluj near Harike Kullu
• on Tributary Parbati
• within India completely

Satluj River

One of the most important rivers of the Indus river system is the river Satluj. It is the
longest river of all the tributaries of the Indus river system. Satluj originates from the
Rakkas lake or Lake Rakshastal in the Tibet region. The Satluj river enters India
through Shipki La pass and travels through the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
and finally enters Pakistan to merge with the Chenab river. The total length of the Satluj
river is 1450 km out of which 1050 km lies within the Indian territories.