Major Rivers in Pakistan

Major Rivers Of Pakistan 

Water is the most common liquid on Earth. It covers about 71.4% of the Earth Purewater has no smell, taste, or color. Lakes, oceans, and rivers are made of water.

Water, a finite commodity, has a direct bearing on almost all sectors of economy. In Pakistan its importance is more than ordinary due to the agrarian nature of the economy. Pakistan has the widest irrigation system in the world. There are five major rivers of Pakistan which are filled by several small rivers. The most widely spread canal  system is of great importance and supplement to the agriculture of the country. Among the available resources of water in Pakistan, the river water is the biggest one. There are five major Rivers Of Pakistan

The Indus: 

The creation of the embryonic Indus river system, the main source of surface water in South Asia, most likely began 50 million years ago when the Indian plate, Gondwanaland, first collided with Eurasia, Angaraland and

formed the Himalayan Mountains in the Mesozoic era. The Indus River system comprises of three major reservoirs, 16 Barrages, 2 head-works, 2 Siphons across major rivers 12 inter link canals, 44 canal systems(23 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh, 5 in Khyber  and 2 in Balochstan) and more than 107000 water courses. The aggregate length of the canals is about 56073 km. It originates from singikahad near Manshwar Lake. Important engineering’s Tarbela Dam and Gazi Brotha Hydro Power Project.

The Chanab:

The Chenab river originates in the Kulu and Kangra districts of the Himachal pardesh, provinces of India. The two chief Streams of Chenab—the Chandr and the Bangr—rise elevation of 16000 feet. These join at Tandi in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Feed by inumerable tributaries on the long journey from its headwaters, the river gains immense power region above Kashmir. In enters Pakistan through Sialkot near Diawara village.

The chenab flows through the alluvial plains of the Punjab province. It is then joined by the Jehlum Riverat at Trimmu, 64 km downstrons of Trimmu, the river Ravi joins it. The Satluj joins Chenab upstream of Punjnad and finally at above 64 km below Punjnad it meets of river Sindh at Mithankot. The river Chenab has Marala, Khanki, Punjnad, Trimmu and Qadirabed Barrage and Marala

River Sutlej:

The  longest of the rivers that give Punjab (meaning “Five River”) originates in western Tibet in the Kailas mountain ranges. Flowing Northwest and West – South West through Himalayan gorges, it crosses Himachal Pardesh state (India) and enters the Punjab plains in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab state.

Continuing Southwest in a broad channel, it relieves the Beas River and from 105 km Indo-Pak border before entering Pakistan and joining the chenab river west of Bahawal Pur.

The Jhelum:

It is a large eastern tributary of the Indus. It rises from a deep spring of Vernag, in the Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir state. The river moves North-West ward from the Northern slope of the Pir Panjab range to

Wular Lake. At Mazaffarabad, the Jhelum joins the Kishanganga river and then bends Southward forming part or the border between Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Near Mangla, it breaks through the Siwalik range into broad alluvial plains. At Jhelum town the river turns South-West ward to Khushab .The Mangla Dam is one of the biggest dams of Pakistan built on Jhehlum river and its reservoir irrigates about 3,000,000 acres of land and has an installed capacity of 300 MW of electricity.

The Ravi:

The Ravi is the smallest of the five main eastern tributaries of Indus. It rises in the Himalauans in Himachal Pardesh (India) and flows west – Northwest past Chamba, turning Southwest at the boundary of Jammu and Kashmir. It flows past Lahore and turns west near kamalia, emplying into the chenab

The Indus River basin is the most important yet heavily degraded river system in Pakistan. Ecological degradation in the basin is fast increasing, and threatens the livelihoods of millions who depend on its rich ecosystem.

The construction of dams on the Indus, both for irrigation and power generation, as well as the construction of drainage systems for agricultural run-off, are the major causes for the downward spiral of the Indus basin. The largest dam on the Indus is Tarbela Dam, which forced almost 100,000 people to leave their lands and homes. The World Bank-sponsored Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) Project is one of the main drainage systems in the delta. These projects are part of a wider set of infrastructure projects, the so-called Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), which is the world’s largest irrigation system.

Affected communities in the Indus delta have been actively protesting the devastating impacts of the existing water development projects. International Rivers and other civil society organizations and networks are working with these communities to promote alternatives to the planned large dams.

The Indus System of rivers In the Indus basin comprises of above mentioned five rivers. The are all combine into one river near  Mithan Kot in Punjab, and flow into Arabian Sea