Ancient India

ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION

 

The Indus River is one of the most beautiful rivers of India and along with its tributaries; it forms an important river system, which helps the agricultural economy of India. “The river originates in the Tibetan highland of western China near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region. The Indus River flows through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir.” Then the river enters Pakistan through Northern Gilgit and Baltistan, running across the North and then in southward route down the entire country of Pakistan and into the Arabian Sea. Snow and glacier melt water is the main water source for the river system. Rainfall is low in this area and only happens during the monsoon season from July to September. “The river has five main tributaries, the Jhelum, the Sutlej, the Beas, the Ravi and the Chenab and is 1,976 miles long making it the longest river in Pakistan.” [1][2][3]

 

The Indus is prone to flooding in the summer, which can be very dangerous to human settlement. These floods are random since they don’t strike everywhere at the same time or even the same year. The banks of the river are very unstable and during floods they can break down and lead to the destruction of settlements located on the banks. After the floods have receded, the silt left behind is very fertile. “The soft rich earth is used for agriculture with a high productivity yield.” [3]

 

IMPORTANCE

“The Indus River is critical for Pakistan’s 160 million people, and irrigates 80% of its 21.5 million hectares of agricultural land. The watershed is also an area of rich biodiversity, particularly where it opens to the Arabian Sea. The Indus river delta is a highly productive area for freshwater fauna and an important region for water birds.” [4]

 

 

SOURCES

 

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/indus_valley/land_of_the_indus/

 

2. http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/rivers/indus.html

 

3. http://www.ancientindia.co.uk/staff/resources/background/bg6/bg6pdf.pdf

 

4. http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/freshwater_problems/river

_decline/10_rivers_risk/indus/