Indus River’s Origin

As the river passes from Western Tibet to Kashmir, it bends dramatically to the left, following the Nanga Parbat mountain range before flowing into the Arabian Sea near Karachi, Pakistan. The overall length of the river is 3,180 kilometres.

With a drainage area of almost 1,165,000 square kilometres, the river is one of the largest in the world. One of the world’s 50 greatest rivers, it has an average annual flow of around 243 km3 while it is flowing. Ladakh’s Zanskar river and the plains’ Panjnad river are its left-bank tributaries. At least six minor rivers flow into the Panjnad, which has five major tributaries (the Jhelum River is the smallest)and numerous smaller ones.

Physical Features of Indus River

The river’s source may be found near Lake Mapam in China’s Southwest Tibet Autonomous Region, at an elevation of around 18,000 feet, which is close to the lake. It goes northwest for around 200 miles, going across Kashmir’s disputed southeast border at an altitude of 15,000 feet. The Zanskar River, which is its first major tributary, is located in the Indian-administered Ladakh. The Shyok river joins the Indus on its right bank after another 150 miles of comparable travel in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. After meeting the Shyok, it draws water from the Karakoram, Nanga Parbat, and Kohistan mountains of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan. Glacier-melt water streams, such as the Gilgit, Shigar, and others, feed into the Indus.

The Shigar River, which originates in Baltistan near Skardu, drains into the Indus. Several miles downstream, the Gilgit River is joined by another right-bank tributary, the Bunji. There is a small tributary river, the Astor, which starts on the eastern slope of Nanga Parbat. There are gorges that reach 15,000 to 17,000 feet deep and 12 to 16 miles long around the Nanga Parbat range as the Indus River flows west, south, and southwest into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, Pakistan. With an altitude range of 4,500 to 5,000 feet, stony trails cling fiercely to the side of the river.

Wildlife

There was a dense forest cover in the Indus Valley Civilization while Alexander was on his campaign, but that forest has been substantially reduced since then. According to Babar’s chronicles, rhinoceroses can be spotted near the riverbed (the BaberNameh). Deforestation and other human-caused environmental changes in the Shivalik Hills have impacted the vegetation and growth of the area. The Indus Valley is a severe environment that is both arid and desolate.

The Blind Indus River Dolphin, an incredibly rare subspecies of dolphin, is found in the Indus River. A tributary of the Indus river does not exist in the locations where it used to exist, and the river itself does not have any tributaries. Palla fish is considered a delicacy by the natives. The moderate fish population of the lower Sindh canal can be found mostly in the cities of Sukkur, Thatta, and Kotri. Since the creation of artificial lakes and irrigation systems, the fish aquaculture industry has flourished.

Economy

Around 1850, the British East India Company initiated an extensive irrigation programme that saw the construction of new canals and renovations to already existing ones. It was up to the British to manage one of the world’s most intricate irrigation systems. Sukkur, Jacobabad, Larkana, and Kalat are all served by the Guddu Barrage, which provides irrigation. The Sukkur Barrage is the world’s largest, covering an area of 20,000 square kilometres.

The Punjab and Sindh plains rely on the Indus River for their water supply, which is essential to the agriculture and food production sectors in the region. The river is essential in the Indus valley, where it rarely rains. Water channels were jointly built by Kushan and Mughal engineers. The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority built the Chashma-Jhelum connection canal, which connects the Indus and Jhelum rivers and distributes water to Bahawalpur and Multan after the partition. At 50 miles long and 470 feet high, the reservoir at Pakistan’s Tarbela Dam in Rawalpindi can hold enough water to fill a football field. Hyderabad’s 3,000-foot-long Kotri Barrage provides water to Karachi.

Dera Ghazi Khan’s 100,000 kW Taunsa Barrage is an enormous powerhouse. Peshawar, NWFP, has been able to receive water resources because of the strong ties these tributaries have to the Indus river. Pakistan has been able to produce a vast amount of cotton, sugarcane, and wheat as a result of large-scale irrigation and dam developments. Major industries and cities also rely on dams for their electrical needs.

People

The ethnic, religious, national, and cultural backgrounds of the people living in the region surrounding the Indus river are diverse. In Kashmir, which is a mix of Muslims and Hindus, there are also Buddhists from Ladakh who are descended from Tibetans and are now settled there. Those who live along the western banks of the Indus river are predominantly of Afghan descent, including the Pashtuns, Balochis, and other ethnic communities with strong ties to Iran and Afghanistan, as well as other ethnic groups with strong ties to Pakistan and India. People from Punjab, Sindh, and modern India predominate the eastern banks of the river. Pathans and Pashtuns live side by side in Northern Punjab and the Northwest Frontier Province. The Serakai people of the southern Punjab province have a separate language that is distinct from other languages. Sindh is dominated by Mohajirs who speak Sindhi, Punjabi, and Urdu and constitute the majority of the population. Balochistan’s Balochi and Pashtun people live on the western bank of the Indus river, on the province’s western bank.

Conclusion

“The land of the Indus” refers to the area of the Indian subcontinent in the northwest. In fact, India’s name is derived from this river. The Kabul and Kurrem rivers are the major tributaries of the Indus from the west. The five major tributaries from the east are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. All the major Indus rivers flow year-round. The monsoon rains have a greater impact on its tributaries.

Mount Kailash in Tibet is the source of the river. The Upper Indus is referred to as such upstream of Pakistan’s Guddu Barrage, while the Lower Indus is used downstream of the barrage. The river’s total length in India is 1,114 kilometres.