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Indus River Sources: Himalayan & Karakoram Snowmelt + 5 Major Tributaries

The Indus River (3,180 km) is fed by glacial/snow melt from the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush plus monsoon rain. Its five Punjab tributaries (the "Five Rivers") define the region:

Tributary	Source Range	Key Notes
Sutlej (longest)	Kailash (Tibet) / Himalaya	Feeds Bhakra Dam; historic Sutlej-Yamuna link
Beas	Rohtang Pass (Himachal)	Pong Dam; joins Sutlej in India
Ravi	Bara Banghal (Himachal)	Ranjit Sagar Dam; Lahore on banks
Chenab	Lahaul (Himachal) – Chandra + Bhaga	Largest by volume; Baglihar, Salal dams
Jhelum	Verinag Spring (Kashmir)	Wular Lake; Mangla Dam (Pak)

Hydrology

Upper Indus: Glacial (70–80% meltwater), steep, turbid.
Monsoon pulse: Jul–Sep adds 2× flow.
Annual flow at Kotri (mouth): ~60–70 km³ (pre-dam ~180 km³).
Delta: 4,000 km²; shrinking due to reduced sediment/flow.

Geopolitics

Indus Waters Treaty (1960) allocates: India → Eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi); Pakistan → Western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, Indus main). Climate stress testing the treaty.

The Indus is a mountain-to-sea lifeline for 300M+ people.

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