Rivers of Pakistan:

River IndusMade by:Ibrahim AwaisVIII – SilverBMIB

Indus River• The Indus River is a major south-flowing river in South Asia.

The total length of the river is 3,180 km which makes it one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the western part of Tibet in the vicinity of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar (Picture below), the river runs a course through Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and then flows along the entire length of Punjab to merge into the Arabian Sea near the city of Thatta in Sindh. It is the longest river and national river of Pakistan.

Source of Indus River:LakeManasarovar

Map of course of rivers present in Pakistan, all eventually leading to Indus which then flows into the Arabian Sea.

Division:• The river has a total drainage area exceeding

1,165,000 km2. Its estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km3, making it the twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. The Zanskar is its left bank tributary in Ladakh. In the plains, its left bank tributary is the Chenab which itself has four major tributaries, namely, the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej. Its principal right bank tributaries are the Shyok, the Gilgit, the Kabul, the Gomal, and the Kurram. Beginning in a mountain spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayas, the river supports ecosystems of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside.

Chenab

Zanskar

Jhelum

Ravi

Beas

Satluj

Shyok

Gilgit

Kabul

Gomal

Kurram

More about the Indus River: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.

Course:The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; the river begins at the confluence of the Sengge Zangbo and Gar Tsangpo rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan (Gang Rinpoche, Mt. Kailas) mountain ranges. The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, 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, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500–5,200 metres 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 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, 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 east of Thatta and flows into the Arabian Sea.

Impacts of the Indus River because of change in Climate:

• Notably all the impacts of climate change identified by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the UN– appointed expert panel on assessing climate change– in its 4 th and 5thAssessment Reports (2007 and 2013-14) would impact the quantity and quality of water. These include rising sea-levels causing salination of agricultural land and surface and ground water; the rapid melting of ice and snow in the Himalaya-Karakoram-Hindu Kush (HKH) glaciers which initially increase but subsequently diminish water supply; disruption of the monsoon precipitation patterns which would either cause droughts or flooding; and other extreme events such as storms and hurricanes which would threaten human settlements and water infrastructure, including the aquifers.

• The consequences of receding glaciers and variation in the timing, duration and intensity of the monsoon precipitation are especially ominous because far more than the other basins the Indus Basin depends on the glaciers for a much larger share (between 50-70%) of its water on these two highly climate- sensitive sources.

• Diminished and degraded water supplies and higher temperatures which would accentuate the water thirst of crops, plants and trees as well as livestock will lead to reduced crop yields, especially wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, threatening food production and the livelihoods of rural populations. Curtailed or excessive water during droughts and floods would also endanger dairy farming and fisheries.

• Depleted water supplies would reduce hydropower generation capacity in India and Pakistan as has been observed during droughts. Reduced water and increased pollution caused by extreme events would lead to increase in incidence of infectious and water-borne diseases.

Drought

Flood

Thirst Of Crops

More Impacts of the Indus River because of change in Climate:• The Indus basin is already suffering from severe water scarcity due to over-

extraction for agriculture, causing salt water intrusion in the delta. In 1995, the Indus River already supplied much less water per person than the minimum recommended by the United Nations (UN) and by 2025 is predicted to suffer even more severe water scarcity. Well-managed riparian forests are especially important in minimizing the impacts of climate change on river biota. They provide shade and temperature regulation, can moderate the effect of frequent, short duration storm events and can support natural water flow regimes.

• However, the Indus basin has already lost over 90% of its original forest cover. Climate change will exacerbate the impact of deforestation on water regulation.

• Although the Indus system is currently robust enough to cope with shortages of 10-13% in river flows, when the rivers flow drops to 15-20% below the average, irrigation shortages occur. Climate change will surely exacerbate the problems of irregular and low flow.

Indus is a beautiful river that is one of the longest in all of Asia, and is one of the greatest features of Pakistan. If there is any threat to Indus River then not only is the beauty of our country being affected, but also our well being, because Pakistan heavily relies on Indus River for resources, especially electricity and agriculture. We must try to save it from whatever might threaten it!

Thank You!