Sutlej River

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

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