Indus River: Longest River of Pakistan

Indus River is the longest River Of Pakistan which is about 1976 miles (3180 km) long. Among the five major and more than 75 smaller rivers in Pakistan, the Indus river is the not only the longest but the largest river as well. According to the average annual flow The Indus River stands at the twenty first number in the list of largest rivers in the world. The annual flow of Indus river is almost 50 cubic miles (207 cubic meter).

The Origin:
Indus River originates in the Tibetan plateau which is an autonomous region. Starting from the Lake Mansarovar, this river enters Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir which is an occupied territory by India. Darya-e-Sind enters Pakistan at Gilgit-Baltistan and then it travel throughout the country, at the end, the Indus River falls in the Arabian Sea near the famous port of Karachi.

Indus River

Tributaries of The Indus:
Following are the tributaries of the Indus River. Nagar River, Astor River, Balram River, Dras River, Gar River, Ghizar River, Gilgit River, Gumal River, Kabul River, Kurram River, Panjnad River, Shigar River, Shyok River, Sohan River, Tanubal River, Zanskar River. Apart from these sixteen smaller rivers Chenab is also the tributary of this mighty river. Other three major rivers of Pakistan, fall in Chenab which ultimately meets The Indus at Punjnad.

Tarbela Dam

Irrigation System on The Indus River:
There are 6 main barrages on the Indus river which provide water for 18 major canals. As Pakistan has the largest canal system in the world, Indus is the major source of this vast irrigation system as it provides water for Sindh and Punjab agricultural areas. The world’s largest earth filled dam (Tarbela Dam) is also built on this river. This river is the lifeline of the economy of Pakistan as it provide water for those fertile areas which provide food items to the country. These food items not only feed the nationals of the country but also they are exported to the other countries of the world. Being an agricultural country, Pakistan is fed by this river through a powerful and wider spread canal system.

Barrages of Indus River:

Jinnah Barrage (Feeds 2 major Canals)

Chashma Barrage (Feeds 2 major Canals)

Taunsa Barrage (Feeds 2 major Canals)

Guddu Barrage (Feeds 3 major Canals)

Sukkar Barrage (Feeds 7 major Canals)

Ghulam Muhammad Barrage (Feeds 4 major Canals)

Sukkar barrage is commonly known as Sindh barrage whereas Ghulam Mohammad barrage is commonly known as Kotri barrage.