Indus River:
The Indus provides the key water resources for theeconomy of Pakistan- especiallythe Breadbasket of Punjab province,which accounts for most of the nation's agricultural production, andSindh.The river also supports many heavy industries and provides the mainsupply of potable water inPakistan.The ultimate source of the Indus is inTibet; it begins at the confluence of the Sengge and Gar rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan mountain ranges. The Indus thenflows northwest through LadakhandBaltistanintoGilgit, just south of theKarakoramrange.TheShyok River ,Shigar andGilgitstreams carry glacial waters into the main river. It gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills betweenPeshawar andRawalpindi.The Indus passesgigantic gorges 4,500-5,200 metres (15,000-17,000 feet) high near the Nanga Parbatmassif . Itflows swiftly acrossHazara, and is dammed at the Tarbela Reservoir. TheKabul River joins itnear Attock .The remainder of its route to the sea is in plains of thePunjabandSindh,and theriver becomes slow-flowing and highly braided. It is joined byPanjnad River atMithankot.Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named Satnad River (Sat = seven, Nadi =river), as the river was now carrying the waters of the Kabul River, the Indus River and thefivePunjabrivers. Passing byJamshoro, it ends in a large delta to the east of Thatta.The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit atidal bore. The Indus system islargely fed by the snows and glaciers of theHimalayas,Karakoramand theHindu Kushrangesof Tibet, the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the Northern Areasof Pakistanrespectively. Theflow of the river is also determined by the seasons - it diminishes greatly in the winter, whileflooding its banks in themonsoonmonths from July to September. There is also evidence of asteady shift in the course of the river since prehistoric times - it deviated westwards from flowinginto the Rann of KutchTarbela dam, Warsak dam (on the Kabul river near the Indus), Kalabagh barrage (also named asJinnah barrage) at Kalabagh, Chashma reservoir, Tausa barrage, Gudu barrage, Sukkur barrage,Kotri barrage.
Tarbela dam:
1. KALABAGH BARRAGE:
TheKalabagh damwas a mega water reservoir that theGovernment of Pakistanwas planning todevelop across theIndus River , one of the world's largest rivers. The proposed site for the damwas situated atKalabaghinMianwali Districtof the north-westPunjabprovince, borderingthe Province. The proposal is halted due to political reasons. However there is a barrage at thesame location which is also known as Jinnah barrage. Details of which are mentioned here.
Thal canal:
The amount of water that it carries is 2.534 MAF. It is divided into 2 different divisions.
Thal canal main line lower:
It is a main canal located in bhakkar. Its reduced distance is 502500. And length in miles is100.50.Its authorized head discharge is 4100.Its authorized tail discharge is 228.00.Its Grosscommand area is 3534.Its Culturable command area is 2966.
Thal canal main line upper:
It is a main canal located in kalabagh. It is categorized in the zone of sarghodha. It is a perennialcanal.Its reduced distance is 157662.00. And length in miles is 31.532.Its authorized headdischarge is 9000.00.Its authorized tail discharge is 9000.00Its Gross command area is2460861.00.Its Culturable command area is 2115931.00.
CHASHMA BARRAGE :
Chashma Barrage is located on the Indus River near the village Chashmain Mianwali district. The project was built between 1967 and 1971. It is one of the many major engineering works that form a part of Indus basin treaty of 1960 between India and Pakistan.According to the project reports, 34 villages were displaced with the population of 22,400 peopleduring the mid 60’s. The installed capacity of power station is 184MW. Chashma Barrage is the 3rd largest water reservoir of Pakistan.
Chashma Jhelum link
Chashma reservoir bank canal
2.TAUNSA BARRAGE:
This barrage is situated on Indus River near Taunsa at a distance of 180 miles from the Jinnah barrage. It provided the much needed rail link between Kashmor and Kot Addu as a parallelroute to the main railway lines from Karachi to the north.The canals which originate from this barrage and their details is given here under;Kachhi Canal
D.G. Khan Canal
It is a main canal located in D.G Khan . It is categorized in the zone of D.G KHAN. It is a non- perennial canal.Its reduced distance is 345230.00. And length in miles is 69.046.Its authorized head discharge is 8900.00.Its authorized tail discharge is 5514.00Its Gross command area is 947874.00.Its Culturable command area is 901981.00.
Muzaffargarah Canal
It is a main canal located in D.G KHAN. It is categorized in the zone of D.G KHAN. It is a non- perennial canal.Its reduced distance is 370700.00. And length in miles is 74.14.Its authorized head discharge is 8901.00.Its authorized tail discharge is 2776.00Its Gross command area is 906490.00.Its Culturable command area is 838380.00. Its tail authorized tail gauge is 9.40.
Taunsa Panjnad Link Canal
It is a main canal located in D.G KHAN. It is categorized in the zone of D.G KHAN. It is a non- perennial canal.Its reduced distance is 191000.00. And length in miles is 38.20.Its authorized head discharge is 12000.00.Its authorized tail discharge is 12000.00Its Gross command area is 2150000.00.Its Culturable command area is 20000000.00.
