Rivers & Glaciers of Jammu & Kashmir

Rivers & Glaciers of Jammu & Kashmir

• Nature has richly endowed Jammu & Kashmir with freshwater resources, particularly snowmelt from glaciers.
• A well-developed river system exists, with notable rivers including the Chenab, Tawi, Jhelum.
• The Jammu region is drained primarily by the Chenab and Tawi rivers.
• The Kashmir Valley is drained by the Jhelum river and its tributaries.
• All these rivers are fed by snow and glacier meltwater from the upper Himalayan region.

Jhelum River

• Originates at Verinag.
• Flows through Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir.
• Enters the Pakistani province of Punjab.
• The westernmost of the five rivers of the Punjab Region.
• A tributary of the Chenab River.
• Approximately 725 kilometers long.

Tawi River

• Flows through Jammu city.
• Principal left-bank tributary of the Chenab River.
• Considered sacred and holy, like many rivers in India.
• Originates from the Kailash Kund Spring in Bhaderwah.
• Flows through Chenani and Udhampur, then Jammu, and finally joins the Chenab near Ranbir Singh Pura, before entering Pakistan.
• Chenani hydroelectric power project, with a capacity of 23 MW.

Chenab River

• A major river flowing through both India and Pakistan.
• One of the five major rivers of the Punjab region.
• Formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers, originating in the upper Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India.
• Flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before flowing into the Indus River.

Glaciers in Jammu & Kashmir

• Jammu & Kashmir has numerous glaciers, including notable ones like Machoi, Shafat, Siachen, Batura, Khurdopin, Hispar, Biafo, Baltoro, Diamir, and Chomolungma.
• Kolahoi Glacier is the largest glacier in Jammu & Kashmir, located in the north-western Himalayan range. It is a valley glacier at approximately 4700 meters, and is a major source of water for the Lidder River, a tributary of the Jhelum.
• Baltoro Glacier, located in the Baltistan area in the Southern slopes of the Karakoram range, is the second-largest in the Himalayan region at approximately 62 km in length. It feeds water to the Shigar River, a tributary of the Indus River.
• Biafo Glacier is another significant glacier in the Baltistan area, approximately 60 km in length and feeding the Shigar River.
• Nubra Glacier, located in the Ladakh region on the Southern slopes of the Karakoram range, feeds water to the Shyok River.
• Siachen Glacier is the largest glacier in the world outside the Polar region, approximately 72 km in length, and feeds the Muztagh or Shaksgam river.