Sutlej
The Satluj River (/ˈsʌtlədʒ/) is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as Satadru. It is the easternmost tributary of the Indus River. The Bhakra Dam is built around the river Sutlej to provide irrigation and other facilities to the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.
| Sutlej | |
|---|---|
View of Sutlej River | |
Path of the Sutlej | |
| Location | |
| Country | China, India, Pakistan |
| State | Tibet, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab (India), Punjab (Pakistan) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Manasarovar-Rakas Lakes |
| • location | Tibet |
| • coordinates | 30°50′39″N 81°12′17″E |
| • elevation | 4,575 m (15,010 ft) |
| Mouth | Confluence with Chenab to form the Panjnad River |
• location | Near Khairpur, Bahawalpur district, Punjab, Pakistan |
• coordinates | 29°23′23″N 71°3′42″E |
• elevation | 102 m (335 ft) |
| Length | 1,450 km (900 mi) approx. |
| Basin size | 395,000 km2 (153,000 sq mi)approx. |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Ropar |
| • average | 500 m3/s (18,000 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Panjnad, Confluence of Chenab (71 km upstream of mouth) |
| • average | 2,946.66 m3/s (104,060 cu ft/s) 63.613 km3/a (2,015.8 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Baspa |
| • right | Spiti, Beas, Chenab |
The waters of the Sutlej are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, and are mostly diverted to irrigation canals in India like the Sirhind Canal, Bhakra Main Line and the Rajasthan canal. The mean annual flow is 14 million acre feet (MAF) (roughly 1.727 × 1013 L) upstream of Ropar barrage, downstream of the Bhakra dam. It has several major hydroelectric points, including the 1,325 MW Bhakra Dam, the 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant, and the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Dam. The drainage basin in India includes the states and union territories of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Ladakh and Haryana.