sutlej river for 27 August 2025

Sutlej River Latest News

With the Sutlej swelling due to incessant rain in its catchment areas and heavy releases from dams, evacuation in several low-lying villages of Fazilka and Ferozepur districts began late Tuesday afternoon.

About Sutlej River

• It is an important tributary of the Indus River.
• It is the longest of the five big rivers that flow through the Punjab region in northern India and Pakistan.
• It is also known as “Satadree”.
• It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and in Pakistan. 
• Course:
  • Origin: It rises on the north slope of the Himalayas in Lake Rakshastal in southwestern Tibet at an elevation above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres).
  • It is one of only three Trans-Himalayan rivers originating in the high Tibetan Plateau that cuts across the mighty Himalayan ranges. The other two are the Indus and the Brahmaputra.
  • The Sutlej enters India by flowing west and south-westwards through the Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh at an altitude of 6,608 metres. 
  • The river then flows through Punjab near Nangal before meeting the Beas River. The merger of these two rivers goes on to form 105 Km of the India-Pakistan border. 
  • The river continues to flow for another 350 Km before joining the Chenab River.
  • The combination of the Sutlej and Chenab Rivers forms the Panjnad, which finally flows into the Indus River.
• Length: It has a total length of 1550 km, out of which 529 km is in Pakistan.
• The hydrology of the Sutlej is controlled by spring and summer snowmelt in the Himalayas and by the South Asian monsoon. 
• Tributaries: Spiti River, Baspa River, Soan River, and the Nogli Khad are the major tributaries of the Sutlej River.
• The waters of the Sutlej are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, and are mostly diverted to irrigation canals in India.
• There are many hydroelectric and irrigation projects across the river, such as the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, Kol Dam, Nathpa Jhakri Project, and Baspa Hydel Scheme.

Source: IE