Indus River

River in Asia

"Indus Valley" redirects here. For the Bronze Age civilisation, see Indus Valley civilisation.

For the constellation, see Indus (constellation).

"Indus" and "Sindhu" redirect here. For other uses, see Indus (disambiguation) and Sindhu (disambiguation).

Indus

Sindhu / Mehran[1]

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The Indus Gorge is formed as the Indus River bends around the Nanga Parbat massif, shown towering behind, defining the western anchor of the Himalayan mountain range.

File:Course and major tributaries of the Indus.jpg

The course and major tributaries of the Indus river

Location
Country| China, India, Pakistan
Sovereignty in the Kashmir region is disputed
States and Provinces| Tibet Autonomous Region, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh,
Cities| Leh, Skardu, Dasu, Besham, Thakot, Swabi, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Karachi
Physical characteristics
Source| Lake Manasarovar[2]
• location| Tibetan Plateau
Source confluence|
• location| Shiquanhe, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China
• coordinates| 32°29′54″N 79°41′28″E﻿ / ﻿32.49833°N 79.69111°E﻿ / 32.49833; 79.69111
• elevation| 4,255 m (13,960 ft)
Mouth| Arabian Sea (primary), Rann of Kutch (secondary)

• location

| Indus River Delta (primary), Pakistan
Kori Creek (secondary), India

• coordinates

| 23°59′40″N 67°25′51″E﻿ / ﻿23.99444°N 67.43083°E﻿ / 23.99444; 67.43083

• elevation

| 0 m (0 ft)
Length| 3,180 km (1,980 mi)[3]
Basin size| 1,120,000 km2 (430,000 sq mi)[3]
Discharge|
• location| Indus Delta, Arabian Sea, Pakistan
• average| 5,533 m3/s (195,400 cu ft/s)[4]
• minimum| 1,200 m3/s (42,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum| 58,000 m3/s (2,000,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge|
• location| Sukkur
• average| 5,673.486 m3/s (200,357.3 cu ft/s)[5]
Discharge|
• location| Mithankot
• average| 5,812.326 m3/s (205,260.4 cu ft/s)[5]
Discharge|
• location| Tarbela Dam
• average| 2,469 m3/s (87,200 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries|
• left| Zanskar River, Suru River, Soan River, Panjnad River, Ghaggar-Hakra River, Luni River
• right| Shyok River, Hunza River, Gilgit River, Swat River, Kunar River, Kabul River, Kurram River, Gomal River, Zhob River

The Indus (/ˈɪndəs/ IN-dəs) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia.[6] The 3,120 km (1,940 mi)[3] river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir,[7] bends sharply to the left after the Nanga Parbat massif, and flows south-by-southwest through Pakistan, before emptying into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi.[1][8]

The river has a total drainage area of circa 1,120,000 km2 (430,000 sq mi).[3] Its estimated annual flow is around 243 km3 (58 cu mi), making it one of the 50 largest rivers in the world in terms of average annual flow.[9] Its left-bank tributary in Ladakh is the Zanskar River, and its left-bank tributary in the plains is the Panjnad River which is formed by the successive confluences of the five Punjab rivers, namely the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. Its principal right-bank tributaries are the Shyok, Gilgit, Kabul, Kurram, and Gomal rivers. Beginning in a mountain spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush ranges, the river supports the ecosystems of temperate forests, plains, and arid countryside.

The northern part of the Indus Valley, with its tributaries, forms the Punjab region of South Asia, while the lower course of the river ends in a large delta in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan. The river has historically been important to many cultures of the region. The 3rd millennium BC saw the rise of Indus Valley civilisation, a major urban civilization of the Bronze Age. During the 2nd millennium BC, the Punjab region was mentioned in the Rigveda hymns as Sapta Sindhu and in the Avesta religious texts as Saptha Hindu (both terms meaning "seven rivers"). Early historical kingdoms that arose in the Indus Valley include Gandhāra, and the Ror dynasty of Sauvīra. The Indus River came into the knowledge of the Western world early in the classical period, when King Darius of Persia sent his Greek subject Scylax of Caryanda to explore the river, c. 515 BC.

## Contents

* 1 Etymology and names
* 2 Description
* 3 History
* 4 Geography
* 4.1 Tributaries
* 5 Geology
* 6 Wildlife
* 6.1 Mammals
* 6.2 Fish
* 7 Economy
* 8 People
* 9 Modern issues
* 9.1 Indus delta
* 9.2 Effects of climate change on the river
* 9.3 Pollution
* 9.4 2010 floods
* 9.5 2011 floods
* 10 Barrages, bridges, levees and dams
* 10.1 Gallery
* 11 See also
* 12 Notes
* 13 References
* 14 Bibliography
* 15 External links

## Etymology and names[edit | edit source]

This river was known to the ancient Indians in Sanskrit as Sindhu and the Persians as Hindu which was regarded by both of them as "the border river".[10][11][12][13][14] The variation between the two names is explained by the Old Iranian sound change *s > h, which occurred between 850 and 600 BCE according to Asko Parpola.[15][16] From the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the name passed to the Greeks as Indós (Ἰνδός).[17] It was adopted by the Romans as Indus.[18] The name India is derived from Indus.[19][20] The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are commonly called "Indians" or "Indios", a misnaming that dates to Christopher Columbus's erroneous belief that he had landed near India in 1492, when he actually landed in the Americas.

In Sindhi, this river is also known as Mehran.[1] The Ladakhis and Tibetans call it Senge Tsampo, Baltis call it Gemtsuh and Tsuh-Fo, Pashtuns call it Nilab, Sher Darya and Abbasin, while Sindhis call it Purali and Samundar.[21]

The modern name in Urdu and Hindi is Sindh (Urdu: سِنْدھ, Hindi: सिंध), a semi-learned borrowing from the Sanskrit.[22]

## Description[edit | edit source]

File:The Indus river in the Kashmir region.jpg

The course of the Indus in the disputed Kashmir region; the river flows through Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan, administered respectively by India and Pakistan

The Indus River provides key water resources for Pakistan's economy – especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production, and Sindh. The word Punjab means "land of five rivers" and the five rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, all of which finally flow into the Indus. The Indus also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan.

The total length of the river varies in different sources. The length used in this article is 3,180 km (1,980 mi), taken from the Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas (2015).[3] Historically, the 1909 Imperial Gazetteer of India gave it as "just over 1,800 miles".[23] A shorter figure of 2,880 km (1,790 mi) has been widely used in modern sources, as has the one of 3,180 km (1,980 mi). The modern Encyclopedia Britannica was originally published in 1999 with the shorter measurement, but was updated in 2015 to use the longer measurement.[1] Both lengths are commonly found in modern publications; in some cases, both measurements can be found within the same work.[24] An extended figure of circa 3,600 km (2,200 mi) was announced by a Chinese research group in 2011, based on a comprehensive remeasurement from satellite imagery, and a ground expedition to identify an alternative source point, but detailed analysis has not yet been published.[25]

The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet, but there is some debate about the exact source. The traditional source of the river is the Sênggê Kanbab (Sênggê Zangbo) or "Lion's Mouth", a perennial spring not far from the sacred Mount Kailash, marked by a long low line of Tibetan chortens. There are several other tributaries nearby, which may possibly form a longer stream than Sênggê Kanbab, but unlike the Sênggê Kanbab, are all dependent on snowmelt. The Zanskar River, which flows into the Indus in Ladakh, has a greater volume of water than the Indus itself before that point.[26] An alternative reckoning begins the river around 300 km further upstream, at the confluence of the Sengge Zangbo and Gar Tsangpo rivers, which drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan (Gang Rinpoche, Mt. Kailash) mountain ranges. The 2011 remeasurement suggested the source was a small lake northeast of Mount Kailash, rather than either of the two points previously used.[25]

The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh (Indian-administered Kashmir) and Baltistan and Gilgit (Pakistan-administered Kashmir), just south of the Karakoram range. The Shyok, Shigar and Gilgit rivers carry glacial waters into the main river. It gradually bends to the south and descends into the Punjab plains at Kalabagh, Pakistan. The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500–5,200 metres (15,000–17,000 ft) deep near the Nanga Parbat massif. It flows swiftly across Hazara and is dammed at the Tarbela Reservoir. The Kabul River joins it near Attock. The remainder of its route to the sea is in the plains of the Punjab[27] and Sindh, where the flow of the river becomes slow and highly braided. It is joined by the Panjnad at Mithankot. Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named the Satnad River (sat = "seven", nadī = "river"), as the river now carried the waters of the Kabul River, the Indus River and the five Punjab rivers. Passing by Jamshoro, it ends in a large delta to the South of Thatta in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world to exhibit a tidal bore. The Indus system is largely fed by the snow and glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges. The flow of the river is also determined by the seasons – it diminishes greatly in the winter, while flooding its banks in the monsoon months from July to September. There is also evidence of a steady shift in the course of the river since prehistoric times – it deviated westwards from flowing into the Rann of Kutch and adjoining Banni grasslands after the 1816 earthquake.[28][29] As of 2011[update], Indus water flows in to the Rann of Kutch during its floods breaching flood banks.[30]

## History[edit | edit source]

File:IVC-major-sites-2.jpg

The major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization c. 2600–1900 BCE in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan

Main articles: Indus Valley Civilization and History of Sindh

The major cities of the Indus Valley civilisation, such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, date back to around 3300 BC, and represent some of the largest human habitations of the ancient world. The Indus Valley Civilisation extended from across northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India,[31] with an upward reach from east of Jhelum River to Ropar on the upper Sutlej. The coastal settlements extended from Sutkagan Dor at the Pakistan, Iran border to Kutch in modern Gujarat, India. There is an Indus site on the Amu Darya at Shortughai in northern Afghanistan, and the Indus site Alamgirpur at the Hindon River is located only 28 km (17 mi) from Delhi. To date, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the general region of the Ghaggar-Hakra River and its tributaries. Among the settlements were the major urban centres of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, as well as Lothal, Dholavira, Ganeriwala, and Rakhigarhi. Only 40 Indus Valley sites have been discovered on the Indus and its tributaries.[32] However, it is notable that majority of the Indus script seals and inscribed objects discovered were found at sites along the Indus river.[a][33][34]

Most scholars believe that settlements of Gandhara grave culture of the early Indo-Aryans flourished in Gandhara from 1700 BC to 600 BC, when Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had already been abandoned.

The Rigveda describes several rivers, including one named "Sindhu". The Rigvedic "Sindhu" is thought to be the present-day Indus river. It is attested 176 times in its text, 94 times in the plural, and most often used in the generic sense of "river". In the Rigveda, notably in the later hymns, the meaning of the word is narrowed to refer to the Indus river in particular, e.g. in the list of rivers mentioned in the hymn of Nadistuti sukta. The Rigvedic hymns apply a feminine gender to all the rivers mentioned therein, except for the Brahmaputra.

The word "India" is derived from the Indus River. In ancient times, "India" initially referred to those regions immediately along the east bank of the Indus, where are Punjab and Sindh now but by 300 BC, Greek writers including Herodotus and Megasthenes were applying the term to the entire subcontinent that extends much farther eastward.[35][36]

The lower basin of the Indus forms a natural boundary between the Iranian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent; this region embraces all or parts of the Pakistani provinces Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh and the countries Afghanistan and India. The first West Eurasian empire to annex the Indus Valley was the Persian Empire, during the reign of Darius the Great. During his reign, the Greek explorer Scylax of Caryanda was commissioned to explore the course of the Indus. It was crossed by the invading armies of Alexander, but after his Macedonians conquered the west bank—joining it to the Hellenic world, they elected to retreat along the southern course of the river, ending Alexander's Asian campaign. Alexander's admiral Nearchus set out from the Indus Delta to explore the Persian Gulf, until reaching the Tigris River. The Indus Valley was later dominated by the Mauryan and Kushan Empires, Indo-Greek Kingdoms, Indo-Scythians and Hepthalites. Over several centuries Muslim armies of Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni, Mohammed Ghori, Tamerlane and Babur crossed the river to invade Sindh and Punjab, providing a gateway to the Indian subcontinent.

## Geography[edit | edit source]

The Indus River near Leh

The Indus River near Leh

### Tributaries[edit | edit source]

* Gar River
* Gilgit River
* Gomal River
* Hunza River
* Kabul River
* Kunar River
* Kurram River
* Panjnad River
* Chenab River
* Jhelum River
* Ravi River
* Satluj River
* Beas River
* Shyok River
* Soan River
* Suru River
* Swat River
* Zanskar River
* Zhob River

Indus River basin

Indus River basin

## Geology[edit | edit source]

File:Indus river near Leh.jpg

Indus River near Leh, Ladakh, India

File:Confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers.jpg

Confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers. The Indus is at the left of the picture, flowing left-to-right; the Zanskar, carrying more water, comes in from the top of the picture

Indus is an antecedent river, meaning that it existed before the Himalayas and entrenched itself while they were rising.

The Indus river feeds the Indus submarine fan, which is the second largest sediment body on the Earth.[37] It consists of around 5 million cubic kilometres of material eroded from the mountains. Studies of the sediment in the modern river indicate that the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan and India are the single most important source of material, with the Himalayas providing the next largest contribution, mostly via the large rivers of the Punjab (Jhelum, Ravi, Chenab, Beas and Sutlej). Analysis of sediments from the Arabian Sea has demonstrated that prior to five million years ago the Indus was not connected to these Punjab rivers which instead flowed east into the Ganga and were captured after that time.[38] Earlier work showed that sand and silt from western Tibet was reaching the Arabian Sea by 45 million years ago, implying the existence of an ancient Indus River by that time.[39] The delta of this proto-Indus river has subsequently been found in the Katawaz Basin, on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

In the Nanga Parbat region, the massive amounts of erosion due to the Indus river following the capture and rerouting through that area is thought to bring middle and lower crustal rocks to the surface.[40]

In November 2011, satellite images showed that the Indus river had re-entered India, feeding Great Rann of Kutch, Little Rann of Kutch and a lake near Ahmedabad known as Nal Sarovar.[30] Heavy rains had left the river basin along with the Lake Manchar, Lake Hemal and Kalri Lake (all in modern-day Pakistan) inundated. This happened two centuries after the Indus river shifted its course westwards following the 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake.

The Induan Age at start of the Triassic Period of geological time is named for the Indus region.

## Wildlife[edit | edit source]

File:Fishermen on the Indus.jpeg

Fishermen on the Indus River, c. 1905

Accounts of the Indus valley from the times of Alexander's campaign indicate a healthy forest cover in the region. The Mughal Emperor Babur writes of encountering rhinoceroses along its bank in his memoirs (the Baburnama). Extensive deforestation and human interference in the ecology of the Shivalik Hills has led to a marked deterioration in vegetation and growing conditions. The Indus valley regions are arid with poor vegetation. Agriculture is sustained largely due to irrigation works. The Indus river and its watershed has a rich biodiversity. It is home to around 25 amphibian species.[41]

### Mammals[edit | edit source]

The Indus river dolphin (Platanista indicus minor) is found only in the Indus River. It is subspecies of the South Asian river dolphin. The Indus river dolphin formerly also occurred in the tributaries of the Indus river. According to the World Wildlife Fund it is one of the most threatened cetaceans with only about 1,000 still existing.[42]

There are two otter species in the Indus River basin: the Eurasian otter in the northeastern highland sections and the smooth-coated otter elsewhere in the river basin. The smooth-coated otters in the Indus River represent a subspecies found nowhere else, the Sindh otter (Lutrogale perspicillata sindica).[43]

### Fish[edit | edit source]

The Indus River basin has a high diversity, being the home of more than 180 freshwater fish species,[44] including 22 which are found nowhere else.[41] Fish also played a major role in earlier cultures of the region, including the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation where depictions of fish were frequent. The Indus script has a commonly used fish sign, which in its various forms may simply have meant "fish", or referred to stars or gods.[45]

In the uppermost, highest part of the Indus River basin there are relatively few genera and species: Diptychus, Ptychobarbus, Schizopyge, Schizopygopsis and Schizothorax snowtrout, Triplophysa loaches, and the catfish Glyptosternon reticulatum.[44] Going downstream these are soon joined by the golden mahseer Tor putitora (alternatively T. macrolepis, although it often is regarded as a synonym of T. putitora) and Schistura loaches. Downriver from around Thakot, Tarbela, the Kabul–Indus river confluence, Attock Khurd and Peshawar the diversity rises strongly, including many cyprinids (Amblypharyngodon, Aspidoparia, Barilius, Chela, Cirrhinus, Crossocheilus, Cyprinion, Danio, Devario, Esomus, Garra, Labeo, Naziritor, Osteobrama, Pethia, Puntius, Rasbora, Salmophasia, Securicula and Systomus), true loaches (Botia and Lepidocephalus), stone loaches (Acanthocobitis and Nemacheilus), ailiid catfish (Clupisoma), bagridae catfish (Batasio, Mystus, Rita and Sperata), airsac catfish (Heteropneustes), schilbid catfish (Eutropiichthys), silurid catfish (Ompok and Wallago), sisorid catfish (Bagarius, Gagata, Glyptothorax and Sisor), gouramis (Trichogaster), nandid leaffish (Nandus), snakeheads (Channa), spiny eel (Macrognathus and Mastacembelus), knifefish (Notopterus), glassfish (Chanda and Parambassis), clupeids (Gudusia), needlefish (Xenentodon) and gobies (Glossogobius), as well as a few introduced species.[44] As the altitude further declines the Indus basin becomes overall quite slow-flowing as it passes through the Punjab Plain. Major carp become common, and chameleonfish (Badis), mullet (Sicamugil) and swamp eel (Monopterus) appear.[44] In some upland lakes and tributaries of the Punjab region snowtrout and mahseer are still common, but once the Indus basin reaches its lower plain the former group is entirely absent and the latter are rare.[44] Many of the species of the middle sections of the Indus basin are also present in the lower. Notable examples of genera that are present in the lower plain but generally not elsewhere in the Indus River basin are the Aphanius pupfish, Aplocheilus killifish, palla fish (Tenualosa ilisha), catla (Labeo catla), rohu (Labeo rohita) and Cirrhinus mrigala.[44] The lowermost part of the river and its delta are home to freshwater fish, but also a number of brackish and marine species.[44] This includes pomfret and prawns. The large delta has been recognized by conservationists as an important ecological region. Here, the river turns into many marshes, streams and creeks and meets the sea at shallow levels.

Palla fish (Tenualosa ilisha) of the river is a delicacy for people living along the river. The population of fish in the river is moderately high, with Sukkur, Thatta, and Kotri being the major fishing centres – all in the lower Sindh course. As a result, damming and irrigation has made fish farming an important economic activity.

## Economy[edit | edit source]

File:Sukkur Skyline along the shores of the River Indus.jpg

Skyline of Sukkur along the shores of the Indus River

The Indus is the most important supplier of water resources to the Punjab and Sindh plains – it forms the backbone of agriculture and food production in Pakistan. The river is especially critical since rainfall is meagre in the lower Indus valley. Irrigation canals were first built by the people of the Indus Valley civilisation, and later by the engineers of the Kushan Empire and the Mughal Empire. Modern irrigation was introduced by the British East India Company in 1850 – the construction of modern canals accompanied with the restoration of old canals. The British supervised the construction of one of the most complex irrigation networks in the world. The Guddu Barrage is 1,350 m (4,430 ft) long – irrigating Sukkur, Jacobabad, Larkana and Kalat. The Sukkur Barrage serves over 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi).

After Pakistan came into existence, a water control treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 guaranteed that Pakistan would receive water from the Indus River and its two tributaries the Jhelum River & the Chenab River independently of upstream control by India.[46]

The Indus Basin Project consisted primarily of the construction of two main dams, the Mangla Dam built on the Jhelum River and the Tarbela Dam constructed on the Indus River, together with their subsidiary dams.[47] The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority undertook the construction of the Chashma-Jhelum link canal – linking the waters of the Indus and Jhelum rivers – extending water supplies to the regions of Bahawalpur and Multan. Pakistan constructed the Tarbela Dam near Rawalpindi – standing 2,743 metres (9,000 ft) long and 143 metres (470 ft) high, with an 80-kilometre (50 mi) long reservoir. It supports the Chashma Barrage near Dera Ismail Khan for irrigation use and flood control and the Taunsa Barrage near Dera Ghazi Khan which also produces 100,000 kilowatts of electricity. The Kotri Barrage near Hyderabad is 915 metres (3,000 ft) long and provides additional water supplies for Karachi. The extensive linking of tributaries with the Indus has helped spread water resources to the valley of Peshawar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The extensive irrigation and dam projects provide the basis for Pakistan's large production of crops such as cotton, sugarcane and wheat. The dams also generate electricity for heavy industries and urban centers.

## People[edit | edit source]

File:Indus near Skardu.jpg

The Indus River near Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Indus river is sacred to Hindus.[48][49] Sindhu Darshan Festival is held on every Guru Purnima on the banks of Indus.[50]

The ethnicities of the Indus Valley (Pakistan and Northwest India) have a greater amount of ANI (or West Eurasian) admixture than other South Asians, including inputs from Western Steppe Herders, with evidence of more sustained and multi-layered migrations from the west.[51]

## Modern issues[edit | edit source]

### Indus delta[edit | edit source]

Main article: Indus River Delta

Originally, the delta used to receive almost all of the water from the Indus river, which has an annual flow of approximately 180 billion cubic metres (240×10 ~~^~~ 9 cu yd), and is accompanied by 400 million tonnes (390×10 ~~^~~ 6 long tons) of silt.[52] Since the 1940s, dams, barrages and irrigation works have been constructed on the river. The Indus Basin Irrigation System is the "largest contiguous irrigation system developed over the past 140 years" anywhere in the world.[53] This has reduced the flow of water and by 2018, the average annual flow of water below the Kotri barrage was 33 billion cubic metres (43×10 ~~^~~ 9 cu yd),[54] and annual amount of silt discharged was estimated at 100 million tonnes (98×10 ~~^~~ 6 long tons).[citation needed] As a result, the 2010 Pakistan floods were considered "good news" for the ecosystem and population of the river delta as they brought much needed fresh water.[55][56] Any further utilization of the river basin water is not economically feasible.[57][58]

Vegetation and wildlife of the Indus delta are threatened by the reduced inflow of fresh water, along with extensive deforestation, industrial pollution and global warming. Damming has also isolated the delta population of Indus river dolphins from those further upstream.[59]

Large-scale diversion of the river's water for irrigation has raised far-reaching issues. Sediment clogging from poor maintenance of canals has affected agricultural production and vegetation on numerous occasions. Irrigation itself is increasing soil salinization, reducing crop yields and in some cases rendering farmland useless for cultivation.[60]

### Effects of climate change on the river[edit | edit source]

The Tibetan Plateau contains the world's third-largest store of ice. Qin Dahe, the former head of the China Meteorological Administration, said the recent fast pace of melting and warmer temperatures will be good for agriculture and tourism in the short term, but issued a strong warning:

"Temperatures are rising four times faster than elsewhere in China, and the Tibetan glaciers are retreating at a higher speed than in any other part of the world... In the short term, this will cause lakes to expand and bring floods and mudflows.. In the long run, the glaciers are vital lifelines of the Indus River. Once they vanish, water supplies in Pakistan will be in peril."[61]

"There is insufficient data to say what will happen to the Indus," says David Grey, the World Bank's senior water advisor in South Asia. "But we all have very nasty fears that the flows of the Indus could be severely, severely affected by glacier melt as a consequence of climate change," and reduced by perhaps as much as 50 percent. "Now what does that mean to a population that lives in a desert [where], without the river, there would be no life? I don't know the answer to that question," he says. "But we need to be concerned about that. Deeply, deeply concerned."

U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke said, shortly before his death in 2010, that he believed that falling water levels in the Indus River "could very well precipitate World War III."[62]

### Pollution[edit | edit source]

Over the years factories on the banks of the Indus River have increased levels of water pollution in the river and the atmosphere around it. High levels of pollutants in the river have led to the deaths of endangered Indus river dolphin. The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency has ordered polluting factories around the river to shut down under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.[63] Death of the Indus river dolphin has also been attributed to fishermen using poison to kill fish and scooping them up.[64][65] As a result, the government banned fishing from Guddu Barrage to Sukkur.[66]

The Indus is second among a group of ten rivers responsible for about 90% of all the plastic that reaches the oceans. The Yangtze is the only river contributing more plastic.[67][68]

### 2010 floods[edit | edit source]

File:Indus flooding 2010 en.svg

Affected areas as of 26 August 2010

Main article: 2010 Pakistan floods

Frequently, Indus river is prone to moderate to severe flooding.[69] In July 2010, following abnormally heavy monsoon rains, the Indus River rose above its banks and started flooding. The rain continued for the next two months, devastating large areas of Pakistan. In Sindh, the Indus burst its banks near Sukkur on 8 August, submerging the village of Mor Khan Jatoi.[70] In early August, the heaviest flooding moved southward along the Indus River from severely affected northern regions toward western Punjab, where at least 1,400,000 acres (570,000 ha) of cropland was destroyed, and the southern province of Sindh.[71] As of September 2010[update], over two thousand people had died and over a million homes had been destroyed since the flooding began.[72][73]

### 2011 floods[edit | edit source]

Main article: 2011 Sindh floods

The 2011 Sindh floods began during the Pakistani monsoon season in mid-August 2011, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in Sindh, eastern Balochistan, and southern Punjab.[74] The floods caused considerable damage; an estimated 434 civilians were killed, with 5.3 million people and 1,524,773 homes affected.[75] Sindh is a fertile region and often called the "breadbasket" of the country; the damage and toll of the floods on the local agrarian economy was said to be extensive. At least 1.7 million acres (690,000 ha; 2,700 sq mi) of arable land were inundated. The flooding followed the previous year's floods, which devastated a large part of the country.[75] Unprecedented torrential monsoon rains caused severe flooding in 16 districts of Sindh.[76]

## Barrages, bridges, levees and dams[edit | edit source]

Main articles: List of barrages and headworks in Pakistan and List of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan

In Pakistan currently there are six barrages on the Indus: Guddu Barrage, Sukkur Barrage, Kotri Barrage (also called Ghulam Muhammad barrage), Taunsa Barrage, Chashma Barrage and Jinnah Barrage. Another new barrage called "Sindh Barrage" is planned as a terminal barrage on the Indus River.[77][78] There are some bridges on river Indus, such as, Dadu Moro Bridge, Larkana Khairpur Indus River Bridge, Thatta-Sujawal bridge, Jhirk-Mula Katiar bridge and recently planned Kandhkot-Ghotki bridge.[79]

The entire left bank of Indus river in Sind province is protected from river flooding by constructing around 600 km long levees. The right bank side is also leveed from Guddu barrage to Lake Manchar.[80] In response to the levees construction, the river has been aggrading rapidly over the last 20 years leading to breaches upstream of barrages and inundation of large areas.[81]

Tarbela Dam in Pakistan is constructed on the Indus River, while the controversial Kalabagh dam is also being constructed on Indus river. Pakistan is also building Munda Dam.

### Gallery[edit | edit source]

* River Indus at Kotri Barrage Jamshoro.webm

Video of River Indus at Kotri Barrage, Sindh, Pakistan.

* Rohri.jpg

Lansdowne Bridge and Ayub Bridge connecting the cities of Rohri and Sukkur in Sindh, Pakistan.

* Frozen Indus, Near Nyoma.jpg

Frozen Indus, Near Nyoma

* Indus at Skardu (1).jpg

Indus at Skardu

* Indus River Dera Ismail Khan.jpg

Indus near Dera Ismail Khan

## See also[edit | edit source]

* List of rivers of Pakistan
* Baglihar Dam
* Ghaggar-Hakra River
* Geology of the Himalaya
* HMS Indus
* Indus River Delta
* Indus Valley civilisation
* Indus Waters Treaty
* Rivers of Jammu and Kashmir
* Sarasvati River
* Sindh Sagar Doab
* Sindhology
* Sindhu Darshan Festival
* Sindhu Pushkaram
* Rigvedic rivers

## Notes[edit | edit source]

1. ^ Number of Indus script inscribed objects and seals obtained from various Harappan sites: 1540 from Mohanjodaro, 985 from Harappa, 66 from Chanhudaro, 165 from Lothal, 99 from Kalibangan, 7 from Banawali, 6 from Ur in Iraq, 5 from Surkotada, 4 from Chandigarh

## References[edit | edit source]

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4. ^ Amir, Khan; Naresh, Pant; Anuj, Goswami; Ravish, Lal; Rajesh, Joshi (Dec 2015). "Critical Evaluation and Assessment of Average Annual Precipitation in The Indus, The Ganges and The Brahmaputra Basins, Northern India - Himalayan Cryospheric Observations and Modelling (HiCOM)".
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## Bibliography[edit | edit source]

* Albinia, Alice. (2008) Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River. First American Edition (20101) W. W. Norton & Company, New York. ISBN 978-0-393-33860-7.
* Alexander Burnes, A voyage on the Indus, London, 1973
* Philippe Fabry, Wandering with the Indus, with Yusuf Shahid (text) Lahore, 1995
* Jean Fairley, The Lion River: The Indus, London, 1975
* G.P. Malalasekera (1 September 2003). Dictionary of Pali Proper Names. Vol. 1\. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-2061-823-7.
* D. Murphy, Where the Indus is Young, London, 1977
* Samina Quraeshi, Legacy of the Indus, New York, 1974
* Schomberg, Between Oxus and Indus, London, 1935
* Francine Tissot, Les Arts anciens du Pakistan et de l'Afghanistan, Paris, 1987
* Sir M. Wheeler, Civilisations of the Indus Valley and Beyond, London, 1966
* World Atlas, Millennium Edition, p. 265.

## External links[edit | edit source]

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* Gangabal Lake
* Krishansar Lake
* Manasbal Lake
* Mansar Lake
* Sheshnag Lake
* Tulian Lake
* Vishansar Lake
* Wular Lake
* Kausar Nag
* Satsar
* Nundkol
* Brari Nambal
* Khushal Sar
* Gil Sar
* Khanpursar

Glaciers|

* Kolahoi Glacier
* Machoi Glacier
* Shafat Glacier

Dams, Barrages|

* Baglihar Dam
* Pakal Dul Dam
* Dul Hasti Dam
* Dumkhar Dam
* Kishanganga Dam
* Nimoo Bazgo Dam
* Ratle Dam
* Salal Dam
* Uri Dam

Hydrography of surrounding areas|

* Himachal Pradesh
* Punjab, India
* Pakistan

* v
* t
* e

Geography of South Asia

Mountains|

* Himalayas
* Mount Everest
* Western Ghats
* Eastern Ghats
* Aravalli Range
* Nilgiris
* Vindhya Range
* Satpura Range
* Garo Hills
* Shivalik Hills
* Himachal Range
* Khasi Hills
* Anaimalai Hills
* Cardamom Hills
* Sulaiman Mountains
* Toba Kakar Range
* Karakoram
* Hindu Kush
* Chittagong Hill Tracts
* Naga Hills
* Gandhamardan Hills
* Lushai Hills

Plateaus|

* Deccan Plateau
* Chota Nagpur
* Ladakh Plateau
* Mysore Plateau
* Malwa

Deserts|

* Thar Desert

Lowlands|

* Indo-Gangetic plain
* Doab
* Indus Valley
* Indus River Delta
* Ganges Basin
* Ganges Delta
* Terai
* Coromandel Coast
* Konkan
* Sundarbans
* Rann of Kutch
* Protected areas in Tamil Nadu
* Makran

Islands|

* Andaman and Nicobar Islands
* Lakshadweep
* Atolls of the Maldives

By country|

* India
* Pakistan
* Nepal
* Bhutan
* Sri Lanka
* Bangladesh
* Maldives
* Afghanistan

* v
* t
* e

Rivers of India

Great Rivers of India
Indus · Ganges · Yamuna · Brahmaputra · Narmada · Godavari · Krishna · Kaveri

Indus River Basin|

* Indus River
* Panjnad River (Pakistan)
* Sutlej River
* Beas River
* Parbati River (Himachal Pradesh)
* Chenab River
* Ravi River
* Jhelum River
* Neelum River or Kishanganga
* Suru River
* Dras River
* Shingo River
* Yapola River
* Zanskar River
* Markha River
* Khurna River
* Tsarap River
* Doda River
* Hanley River
* Marutsudha River

Ganges River Basin|

* Ganga River
* Hooghly River
* Damodar River
* Barakar River
* Jahanavi River
* Jalangi River
* River Churni
* Ichamati River
* Rupnarayan River
* Ajay River
* Mayurakshi River
* Dwarakeswar River
* Mundeswari River
* Meghna River
* Padma River
* Punarbhaba River
* Atrai River
* Mahananda River
* Kosi River
* Bagmati River
* Bhurhi Gandak River
* Phalgu
* Gandaki River
* Son River
* North Koel River
* Amanat River
* Rihand River
* Gopad River
* Goini River
* Neur River
* Banas River
* Johilla River
* Ghaghara River
* West Rapti River
* Rohni River
* Sarda River
* Ladhiya River
* Sarayu River
* Gori Ganga River
* Darma River
* Gomati River
* Sarayan River
* Kathna River
* Yamuna River
* Ban Ganga River
* Ken River
* Betwa River
* Dhasan River
* Halali River
* Kaliasote River
* Sindh River
* Kwari River
* Hindon River
* Karban River
* Pahuj River
* Chambal River
* Kuno River
* Banas River
* Berach River
* Bandi River
* Mashi River
* Morel River
* Kotari River
* Shipra River
* Ahar River
* Kali Sindh River
* Parbati River (Madhya Pradesh)
* Gambhir River
* Parbati River (Rajasthan)
* Ramganga River
* Khoh River
* Mandal River
* Alaknanda River
* Mandakini River
* Pindar River
* Nandakini River
* Dhauliganga River
* Rishiganga River
* Bhagirathi River
* Bhilangna River
* Jahnavi River

Godavari River Basin|

*     * Purna River
* Pranahita River
* Wainganga River
* Kanhan River
* Kolar River
* Pench River
* Kulbehra River
* Nag River
* Wardha River
* Penganga River
* Pedda Vagu River
* Indravati River
* Bandiya River
* Sabari River
* Pravara River
* Manjira River
* Manair River
* Other minor tributaries:
* Taliperu River
* Kinnerasani River
* Darna River
* Sindphana River

Krishna River Basin|

* Krishna River
* Koyna
* Venna River
* Warana River
* Panch ganga
* Vedganga river
* Tillari
* Bhima
* Agrani
* Yerala
* Varada River
* Tungabhadra River
* Tunga River
* Bhadra River
* Vedavathi River
* Suvarnamukhi River
* Veda River
* Avathi River
* Bhima River
* Sina River
* Nira River
* Mula-Mutha River
* Mula River
* Mutha River
* Chandani River
* Kamini River
* Moshi River
* Ambi River
* Bori River
* Man River
* Bhogwati River
* Indrayani River
* Kundali River
* Kumandala River
* Ghod River
* Bhama River
* Pavna River
* Malaprabha River
* Ghataprabha River
* Varma River
* Venna River
* Urmodi River
* Koyna River

Pennar River Basin|

* Pennar River

Kaveri River Basin|

* Kaveri River (Cauvery)
* Kollidam (distributary)
* Amaravati River
* Arkavathy River
* Bhavani River
* Sarabanga River
* Noyyal River
* Hemavati River
* Kabini River
* Lakshmana Tirtha River

Tapi River Basin|

* Tapi River
* Tapi River
* Gomai River
* Arunavati River
* Panzara River
* Kaan River
* Aner River
* Girna River
* Titur River
* Waghur River
* Purna River
* Nalganga River
* Vaan River
* Morna River
* Katepurna River
* Umaa River
* Sangiya River

Narmada River Basin|

* Narmada River
* Tawa River
* Chhota Tawa
* Kaveri River (Madhya Pradesh)
* Kolar River (Madhya Pradesh)
* Kunda River
* Shakkar River
* Orsang
* Burhner
* Banjar
* Gaur River
* Hiran River
* Sher River
* Hathni River
* Tendoni River

Mahi River Basin|

* Mahi River
* Som River
* Gomati River

Sabarmati River Basin|

* Sabarmati River
* Wakal River
* Sei River
* Harnav River

Meghna River Basin|

* Meghna River (in the Bangladesh)
* Padma River (main Ganges
* Dhaleshwari River
* Dakatia River
* Gumti River
* Feni River
* (Old) Brahmaputra River (in Bangladesh)
* Titas River
* Surma River
* Kangsha River,
* Someshwari River
* Kushiyara River
* Manu River
* Barak River
* Tuivai River
* Irang River

Coastal rivers|

* Subarnarekha River
* Kharkai River
* Kangsabati River
* Bhagirathi
* Hughli
* Thenad River
* Mahananda River, North Bengal
* Draupadi River
* Baitarani
* Bhargavi
* Brahmani
* Daya
* Devi
* Hasdeo
* Ib
* Jonk
* Kathajodi
* Koina
* Kuakhai
* Kushabhadra
* Mand
* North Karo
* Ong
* Pairi
* Sankh
* Shivnath
* Sondur
* Surubalijora
* South Karo
* South Koel
* Tel River
* Thamirabarani River
* Palar River
* Vaigai River
* Vaippar River
* Vellar River
* Vasishta Nadi
* Swetha River
* Cooum River
* Adyar River
* Ponnaiyar River
* Kaveri River
* Noyyal River
* Vaaniyaar River
* Kali River
* Netravati River
* Sharavathi River
* Aghanashini River
* Gangavalli River
* Periyar River
* Bharathapuzha River
* Pamba River
* Chaliyar River
* Chandragiri River
* Karyangod River
* Shastri River
* Gad River
* Vashishti River
* Savitri River
* Kundalika River
* Gandhari River
* Patalganga River
* Ulhas River
* Thane Creek
* Vasai Creek
* Mithi River or Mahim River
* Oshiwara River
* Dahisar River
* Tansa River in Thane
* Vaitarna River
* Surya River
* Chenna River
* Terna river

Other major rivers|

* Ghaggar River
* Musi River
* Samir River, India
* Luni River
* Bhavani River

* v
* t
* e

Major rivers of China

Yangtze system|

* Tuotuo
* Dangqu
* Chumar
* Tongtian
* Jinsha
* Yalong
* Baishui
* Min
* Dadu
* Qingyi (Sichuan)
* Tuo
* Qi (Chongqing)
* Jialing
* Bailong
* Fu (Sichuan)
* Qu
* Wu
* Hanshui
* Muma
* Chi
* Du
* Bao
* Qing
* Chishui
* Xiang
* Xiao
* Lei
* Qi (Hunan)
* Mi
* Zi
* Yuan
* Lishui
* Miluo
* Gan
* Fu (Jiangxi)
* Xin
* Qingyi (Anhui)
* Qinhuai
* Xitiao
* Huangpu
* Suzhou Creek

Yellow system|

* Kariqu
* Yuegu Zonglie
* Daxia
* Tao
* Huangshui
* Datong
* Qingshui
* Wuding
* Fen
* Wei
* Jing
* Luo (Shaanxi)
* Luo (Henan)
* Qin
* Dawen
* Xiaoqing

Pearl system|

* North
* East
* West
* Yujiang
* Yong
* Xun
* Qian
* Hongshui
* Nanpan
* Beipan
* Rong
* Li (Guangxi)
* Gui
* Liu

Heilongjiang system|

* Songhua
* 2nd Songhua
* Nen
* Mudan
* Ussuri
* Argun
* Kherlen
* Woken
* Huifa

Huai system|

* Guo
* Ying
* Shiguan
* Quan
* Hui
* Hong

Hai system|

* Chaobai
* Yongding
* Hutuo
* Ziya
* Daqing
* Wenyu
* Juma
* Sanggan
* Fuyang
* Wei
* Ju
* Jiyunhe

Liao system|

* Hun
* Taizi
* Xar Moron
* Xinkai
* Western Liao
* Eastern Liao

Other major rivers|

* Tarim
* Black
* Karatash
* Ili
* Shule
* Dang
* Tumen
* Yalu
* Luan
* Red
* Minjiang
* Longjiang
* Lancang
* Beilun
* Nujiang
* Lion Spring
* Elephant Spring
* Yarlung Tsangpo
* Nyang
* Subansiri
* Irtysh
* Suifen
* Qiantang
* Puyang
* Jiao (Shandong)
* Dai
* Si
* Shu
* Cao'e
* Jiao (Zhejiang)
* Ou
* Mulan
* Jin (Fujian)
* Han (Guangdong)
* Mei
* Ting
* Nandu
* Wanquan
* Taping

Major canals|

* Grand Canal
* Lingqu
* North Jiangsu Main Irrigation Canal
* Eastern Zhejiang Canal
* Red Flag
* Zhengguo

* v
* t
* e

List of rivers of Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* East Timor (Timor-Leste)
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Artsakh
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category Category
* Portal Asia portal

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