Etymology and Name:
The
word "Indus" is the romanised form of the ancient Greek word
"Indós" (Ἰνδός), borrowed from the old Persian word "Hinduš",
which in turn was derived from the Sanskrit word
"Sindhu" (सिन्धु pronounced [sɪndʱuː]).[1] The
word "Sindhu" or "Sindh" is still the local appellation of
the Indus River
Megasthenes's book Indica derives its name from the river's
Greek name, "Indós" (Ἰνδός), and describes Nearchus'scontemporaneous
account of how Alexander the Great crossed the river. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians (people of
present-day India and Pakistan)
as "Indói" (Ἰνδοί), literally meaning "the people of the Indus ". The country of India and the Pakistani province of Sindh owe their names to the river.
The Indus River (Urdu : درياۓ سِندor Darya-i-Sindh)
is a major river in Asia which flows through Pakistan and through northwestern India, Jammu and Kashmir and China.
It also has courses through western Tibet and Kashmir. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in
the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, the river runs a course
through the Ladakhregion of Jammu and Kashmir, towards Gilgit and Baltistan and then flows in a southerly
direction along the entire length of Punjab Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.
The total length of the river is 3,180 km (1,980 mi). It is Pakistan
The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km2 (450,000 sq mi). Its
estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km3 (50 cu mi), making it the
twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. The Zanskar is
its left bank tributary in Ladakh. In the plains, its left bank tributary is the Chenab which
itself has four major tributaries, namely, the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas and
the Sutlej. Its principal right bank tributaries are the Shyok, the Gilgit, the Kabul, the Gomal and
the Kurram. Beginning in a mountain spring and fed
with glaciers and
rivers in the Himalayas, the river supports ecosystems of
temperate forests, plains and arid countryside.
The Indus forms the delta of
present-day Pakistan mentioned in the Vedic Rigveda as Sapta Sindhu and the IranianZend Avesta as Hapta Hindu (both terms meaning "seven
rivers"). The river has been a source of wonder since the Classical
Period, with King Darius of Persia sending Scylax of Caryanda to explore the river as early as
510 BC.
The Indus River Indus also supports many heavy industries and
provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan
The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; the river begins at
the confluence of the Sengge and Gar rivers that drain the
Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan (Gang Rinpoche, Mt. Kailas Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, just south
of the Karakoram range. The Shyok, Shigar and Gilgit rivers carry glacial waters into the
main river. It gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi.
The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500–5,200 meters
(15,000–17,000 feet) deep near the Nanga Parbat massif. It flows
swiftly across Hazara and is dammed at the Tarbela
Reservoir. The Kabul River joins it near Attock. The
remainder of its route to the sea is in the plains of the Punjab and Sindh, where the flow of the river
becomes slow and highly braided. It is joined by the Panjnad at Mithankot.
Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named the Satnad River Kabul River Indus River Punjab rivers. Passing byJamshoro,
it ends in a large delta to the east of Thatta.
The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world
to exhibit a tidal bore.
The Indus system is largely fed by the snows and
glaciers of the Himalayas,
Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges of Tibet Jammu and Kashmir
The traditional source of the
river is the Senge Khabab or "Lion's Mouth", a
perennial spring, not far from the sacred Mount Kailash marked by a long low line of Tibetan chortens.
There are several other tributaries nearby, which may possibly form a longer
stream than Senge Khabab, but unlike the Senger Khabab, are all dependent on snowmelt.
The Zanskar River,
which flows into the Indus in Ladakh, has a greater volume of water than the Indus itself before that point.
That
night in the tent [next to Senge Khabab] I ask Sonmatering which of the Indus tributaries which we crossed this
morning is the longest. All of them, he says, start at least a day's walk away
from here. The Bukhar begins near the village of YagraBlack Sea .
One
of the longest tributaries — and thus a candidate for the river's technical
source — is the Kla-chu, the river we crossed yesterday by bridge. Also known
as the Lungdep Chu, it flows into the Indus from the south-east, and rises a day's walk from Darchen. But
Sonamtering insists that the Dorjungla is the longest of the 'three types of
water' that fall into the Seng Tsanplo ['Lion River Indus ].
Mammals:
The blind Indus River Dolphin (Platanista indicus minor) is a
sub-species of dolphin found only in the Indus River Indus river. According to the World Wildlife Fund claims it is one of the most
threatened cetaceans with
only about 1000 still existing.
The Indus River
The Indus Dolphin has a long beak, a small, low
hump, wide flippers and an adult can weigh 70- 90 kg. They are slow swimmers,
but can move in rapid spurts. They breathe through their slit - like blowholes
with a loud sound that is similar to a sneeze, and can be heard from quite a
distance." It sometimes carries its young on its back, above the surface
of the water. These are found in a localized 100 mile stretch between the
Sukkur and Guddu Barrages in Indus River Indus dolphin has been a victim of both
deliberate and accidental exploitation. The Pakistan Adventure Foundation, a project funded
by the UN Development Programme, is trying to create awareness about the
endangered blind dolphin through rafting expeditions and visiting riverside
fishing communities.
Fish:
Palla fish Tenualosa ilisha of the river is a delicacy for people living along the river. The population of fish in the river is moderately high, with Sukkur, Thatta and Kotri being the major fishing centres – all in the lower Sindh course. But damming and irrigation has made fish farming an important economic activity. Located southeast of Karachi
