Rivers of Pakistan – River Ravi

It was called Iravati or Parushani by Indians in Vedic times. It flows from west to southwest in Punjab Province of Pakistan near Bahawalpur for about 475 miles then joins the River Chenab

It is an integral part of the Indus River system as it forms the heads waters of the Indus basin. The river drains into the Indian Ocean through the River Indus. It rises in the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, India. This is the smallest of the five rivers in Punjab Province. It originates in the Mid Himalayas from the glaciers and follows north wertern path. It is mostly fed by snow melt.

Origin of River Ravi	Mouth of River Ravi	Basin of River Ravi	Length of River Ravi	River System	Tributaries of River Ravi	Elevationof River Ravi
Chamba District of India	River Chenab (Indo Pak Border)	Pakistan and India	901 kilometers	Indus River System	Sutlej and Bias on the left, Chenab and Indus on the right	14,000 feet

River Ujh is on eof the tributary of River Ravi whose source is in Kailash mountains at an elevation of about 4,300 meters near Jammu district. It joins Ravi at Nainkot in Pakistan.

The main river flows past the Chamba town which is located at an elevation of 856 m. There used to be a long wooden bridge to cross the River Ravi. It flows along the border between India and Pakistan for about 80 kilometers or 50 miles before entering Pakistan and then joins with the River Chenab. . It skirts the historic city of Lahore below Amritsar In India so it is also called ‘The River of Lahore’. The famous tomb of Jehangir and the tomb of Noor Jahan is located on its west bank in the town of Shahdara in Lahore. It once skirted the Multan city and once flew near Lahore Fort. After passing form Lahore it turns at Kamlia joining River Chenab in the south of the town named Ahmadpur Sial.

Rivers of Pakistan – The Swat River

This river is located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The historic name of this river is ‘Suvastu river’ written in Rig Veda. It has been known that the army of the great Alexander crossed this river before moving towards the southern areas which are now known as Odegram and Barikoot.

It originates from the Hindu Kush mountains and flows throught the District Swat and the Kalam Valley. It then skirts the District of Lower Dir and through the Malakand District it enters the River Kabul in the Peshawar valley at the Charsadda. Swat river contributes a lot to the fishing industry in the region and also irrigates a large area in the Swat district. The scenary is very beautiful all around the place and attracts a huge number of tourists especially in summer season. Ayub bridge is one of the most popular places to visit.

There are two hydro electric power projects build on the canals from the River Swat  generating electricity for the area. There are many archaeological sites in the Lower Swat valley.

Rivers of Pakistan -The Soan River

It is an important stream in the Pothohar region in Pakistan and it drains most of its water. It originates from a small village Bun near the lower hills of Patriata and Murree. It also provides water to the Simly Dam which is a main reservoir of Islamabad city.

The river cuts through a mountain range near the Pharwala fort which is called Soan which is a natural phenomenon. It is not possible for a stream to cut through a high mountain which proves that River Soan was there before the formation of this mountain range. It continued its path by cutting throught the mountains through millions of years.

Near Sihala Islamabad highway crosses the stream at the famous Cock Pull Bridge. Lai stream joins it near Soan Camp and then it flows through a big curve and reach Kalabagh and drops into the River Indus. The stream is relatively small in size i.e. 250 kilometers. It is hardly used for irrigation purposes because of its tortuous path and shallow bed. Many species of fish are present in River Soan with Rahu and Kingfisher being the main fish. The river forms the northern border of District Bannu also. The Soan Culture is one of the oldest evidence of human civilizations which is about 100,000 – 150,000 years old and it was found in the River Soan.

Rivers of Pakistan -The Kunhar River

This is also called ‘Nain Sukh’ in Persian language, which means eye’s repose. It is about 166 kilometers long and is located in the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. The river starts from the Lulusar lake, about 48 kilometers from the Naran Valley.

It is fed by the Lake Saiful Muluk and Lake Dudipat with the waters coming from the glaciers of Malika Parbat and other peaks in the valley. The river Kunhar flows through Jalkhad in the entire Kaghan valley, Naran valley, Garhi Habibullah, Balakot and then joins River Jehlum outside Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

There are many species of fish present in this river but its trout is one of the best throughout the subcontinent.

Rivers of Pakistan -The Gilgit River

 

It is a tributary of the of River Indus flowing past the town ofGilgit in Pakistan. The river is located in the northern areas of Azad Kashmir and originates from the Shandur lake.

Shandur is a route from Gilgit to Chitral in the Hindu Kush range and is at a height of approximately 12,000 feet. Annual polo game is played in this area with the representation of the Gilgit and Chitral cities.

Rivers of Pakistan – River Chenab

Origin of River Chenab	Length of River Chenab	River System	Basins of River Chenab
Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India	1,242 kilometers	Indus River System	Pakistan and India

The River Chenab was called Iskmati or Ashkini in Vedic times by Indians. The river is generally considered to be the second healthiest river of Pakistan after River Indus. It originates from the Mountains of Himalayas in the Indian state of Himachal Pardesh. Passing through the area of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir the river takes a south western turn into the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The river is joined by River Jehlum at Trimmu and then by River Ravi. It then forms the Panjnad by joining River Sutlej near Uch Sharif before falling into the River Indus at Mithankot.

The waters of the river are allocated under the terms of the Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India. India has build many hydro power dams along the river and for that it has been storing and channeling the waters of Chenab. This is a continuous violation of the terms and conditions of the treaty and despite protesting of the Pakistani government many times the Indian government has always rejected the claims.

The importance of River Chenab is the same as Rhine is for Germans and Danube for Hungarians. The great love stories of Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal revolves around this iconic river giving it importance in the Punjabi culture.

Rivers of Pakistan – Lyari River

There are only two rivers in Karachi; one is Malir river and the other one is River Lyari. It is a small stream flowing through Karachi from north east to the center and drops into the Arabian Sea at the Monora channel. The river is approximately 30 miles or 50 kilometers long and it carries collected water from the rains in the catchment area.

The river had fish and clean water with farming done on its bank until 1950. After the independence Karachi bacame the capital of Pakistan and a huge number of refugees came into the city. The river’s ecology started to transform and slowly and steadily it discharged sewage, waste water and industrial wastes.

Due to some occasional floods in the surroundings of the river and the havoc caused by heavy rains in 1977 flood barriers were build along River Lyari. An express was planned with a length of about 16.5 kilometers through the city along both sides of the river banks of Lyari many years back. The work started in 2002 and got completed in 2009.

Rivers of Pakistan – Hunza River

This is the main river of  Hunza which is one of the most beautiful location in the northern areas of Pakistan. It is originated through the joining of the Khunjerab and kilik gorges (nalas), which are basically fed by the glaciers from the mountains. It joins River Gilgit and River Naltar and finally falls into the River Indus.

It cuts through the Karakoram range of mountains from north to south. The great Karakoram highway crosses this river near Nagar and Hunza valleys.

Rivers of Pakistan – Zhob River

This river is located in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The name is in Iranic and is similar to the Little Zab river and the Great Zab river of Iraq and the Pamirs. The water melting from the Sulaiman mountains forming this river which then flows through the province and drops into the River Gomal near Khajuri Kachadd. The city located at the bank of this river is called Zhob city.

The two main channels of darinage for this river are River Kundar and River Zhob whixh flow into River Gomal. The river flows from southwestern direction to the northeast and rises at Tesari Mehtarazai pass with a water shedding a distance of about 400 km. River Kundar rises from the highest point of the Tobakakar range near Sakir and constitutes the long boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Baskan, Sri Toi, Surab, Chukhan and Sawar are the other subsidiaries of Rievr Zhob.

Rivers of Pakistan – The Neelum River

This river is located in the Kashmir region of both Pakistan and India and is also called the River Kishanganga in India. The river originates from the Indian side and enters Pakistan’s territory in the Gurais sector  of the line of control running westwards meeting River Jehlum in the north of Muzzafarabad. It was given the name Neelum either because of its sky blue color or due to the precious gem neelum( ruby) which is present in the area.

The beautiful valley of Neelum located in the Azad Kashmir at the bank of the river has captivating views. This valley can be entered through two routes; one by the Neelum road from Muzzafarabad and the other by Julkhan road from Kaghan.

It is a lush green and fertile valley about 250 kilometers long stretching its ways from the District of Muzzafarabad to Athmuqan and further to Taobutt.  Neelum has always had a great importance due to its attractiveness and fertility. Tourists come here every year especially in the summers to enjoy its forests, slop hills, waterfalls, greenery and pleasant weather. Many fruits grow in this area and they taste like heaven. The Azad Kashmir department of tourism has build many Guest houses in almost all the main areas. There are many hotels of good standard at the bank of River Neelum giving a reamrkable view of the river from every window.

In 2005 earthquake it was badly effected and most of its roads were damaged becoming inaccessible for the outside world. A new international standard road is under construction

Indian goverenment has been planning a power project at the Neelum river banks by diverting the water through the mountains to Bandipore joining the Wular lake and then River Jehlum. Pakistan claims it to be against the Indus waters treaty. Pakistan has also decided to build a hydro power project acroos Jehlum with the assistance of China.

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