Which countries does the Indus River flow through?

The mapped course of the Indus River runs through or along China, India and Pakistan.

Where does the Indus River begin and end?

Source: Mount Kailash / Tibetan Plateau. Mouth: Arabian Sea (Indus River Delta, Pakistan).

How long is the Indus River?

About 3,180 km (1,976 miles), draining a basin of about 1,165,000 km².

What is the tallest dam on the Indus River?

Tarbela Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Indus River, at 143 m (469 ft), completed in 1976.

Which civilizations grew up along the Indus River?

Among them: Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan), Vedic Civilizations, Maurya Empire and Kushan Empire.

3,180 km Total LengthDrainage Basin: 1,165,000 km²

The Indus River (Sindhu)

Ancient Appellations: Sindhu (Sanskrit) • Indos (Greek) • Hindu (Old Persian) • Mehran (Sindhi)

The ancient lifeline of the Indian subcontinent and namesake of India, nourishing the Bronze Age urban grid systems of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.

Hydrological Influence & Ancient Statecraft

Rising near sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, the Indus carves through the Karakoram and Himalayan ranges before sprawling across the fertile plains of Punjab ("Land of Five Rivers") and Sindh. Between 2600 and 1900 BCE, the Indus supported the largest urban society of the ancient world—the Indus Valley Civilization—famous for its standardized brick architecture, sophisticated underground sanitation, and dockyards at Lothal.

Agricultural Surplus & Flood Pulse Ecology

Nourished multi-crop agriculture based on winter wheat, barley, peas, and the earliest domestic cultivation of cotton (Gossypium) in the Old World.

Hydrological Anatomy

✓Fed by immense Himalayan and Karakoram glaciers, providing tremendous spring meltwater runoff
✓The Panjnad convergence of five major tributaries: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej
✓Extensive delta mangrove ecosystem and seasonal monsoon discharge pulses
✓Historic avulsions (river channel shifts) that led to the abandonment of ancient cities

About the Indus River

The Indus ( IN-dəs) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The 3,180 km (1,980 mi) river rises in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China where it is known as Sengge Zangbo, flows northwest through the disputed Kashmir region, first through the Indian-administered Ladakh, and then the Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, bends sharply to the left after the Nanga Parbat massif, and flows south-by-southwest through several provinces of Pakistan, before bifurcating and emptying into the Arabian Sea, its main stem located near the port city of Karachi.

The Indus River has a total drainage area of circa 1,120,000 km2 (430,000 mi2). Its estimated annual flow is around 175 km3/a (5,500 m3/s), making it one of the 50 largest rivers in the world in terms of average annual flow. 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.

Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Indus River (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Indus River in Depth

History

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, with an upward reach from east of the 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.

Geology

The Indus River 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 Earth. It consists of around 5 million cubic kilometers 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).

Description

The Indus River provides key water resources for the Pakistani economy – especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production. 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). Historically, the 1909 The Imperial Gazetteer of India gave it as "just over 1,800 miles".

Economy

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.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Indus River (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Indus River: Key Facts

Key facts about Indus River
Average discharge	6,600 m³/s
Drainage system	Indus basin
Tributaries	Zanskar River, Haro River, Gilgit River, Shigar River, Shyok River, Panjnad River, Shingo River, Soan River

Facts from Wikidata Q7348 (CC0).

Dams of the Indus River

2 dams of the Indus River, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.

Dams of the Indus River
Dam	Height	Capacity	Completed
Tarbela Dam	143 m	4,888 MW	1976
Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage)	20 m	—	1932

Tarbela Dam

Earth and Rock-fill dam · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Tarbela Dam is an earth and rock-fill dam on the Indus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, standing 143 m (469 ft) high and completed in 1976. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 4,888 MW. The structure impounds Tarbela Lake.

Tarbela Dam (Pashto: د توربېلې بند, Hindko: تربیلا بند) is an earth-filled dam on the Indus River in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is mainly located in Swabi Tehsil. The dam lies in the vicinity of the town of Topi, 105 km (65 mi) northwest of Islamabad and 125 km (80 mi) east of Peshawar. It is the largest earth-filled dam in the world. The dam is 143 metres (470 ft) high above the riverbed, and its reservoir, Tarbela Lake, has a surface area of approximately 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi).

The Tarbela Dam is located where the Indus River emerges from the foothills of the Himalayas and enters the Pothohar Plateau. The dam has a reservoir that stores water for irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power generation, capturing monsoon flows and releasing water during the low-flow winter period. The average annual flow available is 101 billion cubic meters (3221 m3/sec). It has a storage capacity of 11.9 billion cubic meters. The dam was completed in 1976.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Tarbela Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Dam type: Earth and Rock-fill
Structural height: 143 m (469 ft)
Installed capacity: 4,888 MW
Impounded river: Indus
Reservoir: Tarbela Lake
Location: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Year completed: 1976
Height rank: #35 of 115 indexed
Output rank: #16 of 102 indexed
Coordinates: 34.0886°, 72.6975°

Notable: Largest earth and rock-fill dam in the world by structural volume.

Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Tarbela Dam ranks #35 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #16, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).

Nearest cities: Abbottabad (47 km), Mansehra (54 km), Islamabad (61 km).

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More about Tarbela Dam

Background

Tarbela Dam was constructed as part of the Indus Basin Project after signing of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan. The purpose was to compensate for the loss of water supplies of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Sutlej and Beas) that were designated for exclusive use by India per terms of the treaty. By the mid-1970s, power generation capacity was added in three subsequent hydro-electrical project extensions which were completed in 1992, installing a total of 3,478 MW generating capacity.

Construction

Construction of Tarbela Dam was carried out in three stages to meet the diversion requirements of the river. Construction was undertaken by the Italian firm Salini Impregilo.

In the first stage, the Indus River was allowed to flow in its natural channel, while construction works commenced on the right bank where a 1,500 feet (460 meters) long and 694.8 feet (211.8 meters) wide diversion channel was being excavated along with a 105 feet (32 meters) high buttress dam that was also being constructed. Stage 1 construction lasted approximately 2½ years.

The main embankment dam and the upstream blanket were constructed across the main valley of the river Indus as part of the second stage of construction.

Project description

The dam is at a narrow spot in the Indus River valley, named after the village of Tarbela in the Swabi Districtwithin the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

The main dam wall, built of earth and rock fill, stretches 2,743 metres (8,999 ft) from the island to river right, standing 148 metres (486 ft) high. A pair of concrete auxiliary dams spans the river from the island to river left. The dam's two spillways are near the auxiliary dams rather than the main dam. The main service spillway has a discharge capacity of 18,406 cubic metres per second (650,000 cu ft/s) and the auxiliary spillway, 24,070 cubic metres per second (850,000 cu ft/s). Annually, over 70% of water discharged at Tarbela passes over the spillways without being used for hydropower generation.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tarbela Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Tarbela Dam: Key Facts

Key facts about Tarbela Dam
Crest length	2,743 m

Facts from Wikidata Q1551258 (CC0).

Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage)

Masonry Barrage dam · Sindh, Pakistan

Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage) is a masonry barrage dam on the Indus in Sindh, Pakistan, standing 20 m (66 ft) high and completed in 1932. The structure impounds Indus Flow Control.

Sukkur Barrage (Sindhi: سکر بئراج, Urdu: سکھر بیراج) is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The barrage was built during the British Raj from 1923 to 1932 and was named Lloyd Barrage. It is considered to be the largest single irrigation network of its kind in the world. It irrigates from Sukkur district in the north, to Mirpurkhas/Tharparkar and Hyderabad districts in the south of Sindh, almost all parts of the province. It is situated about 500 kilometres (300 miles) northeast of Karachi, 5 kilometres (3 miles) below the railway bridge, or the Sukkur Gorge. The introduction of barrage-controlled irrigation system resulted in more timely water supplies for the existing cultivated areas of Sindh province of Pakistan.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Sukkur Barrage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Dam type: Masonry Barrage
Structural height: 20 m (66 ft)
Impounded river: Indus
Reservoir: Indus Flow Control
Location: Sindh, Pakistan
Year completed: 1932
Height rank: #112 of 115 indexed
Coordinates: 27.7058°, 68.8572°

Notable: Historic 1932 British engineering marvel with 66 spans; irrigates nearly 10 million acres of farmland.

Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage) ranks #112 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m).

Nearest cities: Sukkur (1 km), Larkana (66 km), Sadiqabad (141 km).

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More about Sukkur Barrage (Lloyd Barrage)

History

Sindh survives almost entirely on the water of the River Indus as there is very limited groundwater available. Rainfall in the province averages between 100 and 200 millimetres (3.9 and 7.9 in) per year, while the evaporation rate is between 1,000 and 2,000 millimetres (39 and 79 in). Thus, Sindh is arid and it is only the Indus which irrigates otherwise barren lands of Sindh. Regular surveys have not been carried out to assess the availability of groundwater in the province. Various sources estimate that its volume is between three and five MAF scattered in 28 per cent of the geographical area of Sindh. However, some experts suggest it to be less than these estimates. This water is found mainly along the Indus water channels and in the few natural underground streams.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sukkur Barrage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Indus River: Quick Answers

Which countries does the Indus River flow through?: The mapped course of the Indus River runs through or along China, India and Pakistan.
Where does the Indus River begin and end?: Source: Mount Kailash / Tibetan Plateau. Mouth: Arabian Sea (Indus River Delta, Pakistan).
How long is the Indus River?: About 3,180 km (1,976 miles), draining a basin of about 1,165,000 km².
What is the tallest dam on the Indus River?: Tarbela Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Indus River, at 143 m (469 ft), completed in 1976.
Which civilizations grew up along the Indus River?: Among them: Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan), Vedic Civilizations, Maurya Empire and Kushan Empire.

Countries Along the River

The main stream from source to mouth, then any country only a tributary or delta branch reaches.

Historic Cities on the Banks

Mohenjo-daroHarappaTaxilaLahore (Ravi tributary)Hyderabad (Sindh)Karachi

Nearest River Dossiers

The Sarasvati Paleoriver (Ghaggar-Hakra)1,500 km

Basin: 0.42M km²

The Uzboy River (Paleo-Oxus)750 km

Basin: 0.32M km²

The Ganges & Brahmaputra Delta2,525 km

Basin: 1.70M km²

Tigris & Euphrates Basin2,800 km

Basin: 0.88M km²