Key Facts about Sutlej River

About Sutlej River:

• It is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River.
• It is also known as “Satadree”.
• The Sutlej River is primarily located to the north of the Vindhya Range, east of the Pakistani Central Makran Range, and south of the Hindu Kush region.
• 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: It has many tributaries, with Baspa, Spiti, Nogli Khad, and Soan River being its main ones.
• Water from the Sutlej River has been allocated to India according to the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. 
• There are several major hydroelectric projects on the Sutlej, including the 1,000 MW Bhakra Dam, the 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant, and the 1,530 MW Nathpa Jhakri Dam.

Q1: What is the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960?

Indus Waters Treaty is a treaty signed between India and Pakistan regulating the use and distribution of the Indus River system. It was signed by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistan President Ayub Khan in 1960. The treaty was brokered by the World Bank, which too is a signatory to the treaty. The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus River and its tributaries (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab) equitably among the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers, Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej, was allocated to India, and water from the three western rivers – Chenab, Indus, and Jhelum were allocated to Pakistan.

News: Anger mounts in Rajasthan district over pollution in river Sutlej, local leaders say Punjab’s industries to blame

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