The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in
India and
Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the
Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper
Himalayas in the
Lahaul region of
Himachal Pradesh, India. The Chenab flows through the
Jammu region
The Jammu division (; ) is a revenue and administrative division within Jammu and Kashmir, a union territory of India. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most ...
of Jammu and Kashmir, India into the plains of
Punjab, Pakistan, before ultimately flowing into the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir ...
.
The waters of the Chenab were allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the
Indus Waters Treaty
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960 b ...
. India is allowed non-consumptive uses such as power generation. The Chenab River is extensively used in Pakistan for irrigation. Its waters are also transferred to the channel of the
Ravi River via numerous link canals.
[
]
Name
The Chenab river was called ' ( sa, असिक्नी) in the Rigveda (VIII.20.25, X.75.5). The name meant that it was seen to have dark-coloured waters. The term Krishana is also found in the Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
. A later form of Askikni was ' ( sa, इस्कामति) and the Greek form was grc, Ἀκεσίνης - ''Akesínes''; Latinized to ''Acesines''.
In the Mahabharata, the common name of the river was ''Chandrabhaga'' ( sa, चन्द्रभागा) because the river is formed from the confluence of the Chandra and the Bhaga rivers. This name was also known to the Ancient Greeks, who Hellenised it in various forms such as ''Sandrophagos'', ''Sandabaga'' and ''Cantabra''.
The simplification of Chandrabhaga to 'Chenab', with evident Persianate influence, probably occurred in early medieval times and is witnessed in Alberuni
Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...
.
Course
The river is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, at Tandi, southwest of Keylong, in the Lahaul and Spiti district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.[
The Bhaga river originates from Surya taal lake, which is situated a few kilometers west of the ]Bara-lacha la
Bara-lacha la also known as Bara-lacha Pass, or Bārā Lācha La, (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range of Northern-India, connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh. Rail-cum-road tunnels are being ...
pass in Himachal Pradesh. The Chandra river originates from glaciers east of the same pass (near Chandra Taal
Tso Chigma or Chandra Taal (meaning the ''Lake of the Moon''), or Chandra Tal is a lake in the spiti part of the Lahul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Chandra Taal is near the source of the Chandra River. Despite the rugged a ...
).[
][
] This pass also acts as a water-divide between these two rivers.[
] The Chandra river transverses while the Bhaga river transverses through narrow gorges before their confluence at Tandi.
The Chandra-Bhaga then flows through the Chamba district
Chamba is the northwestern district of Himachal Pradesh, in India, with its headquarters in Chamba town. The towns of Dalhousie, Khajjhiar and Churah Valley are popular hill stations and vacation spots for the people from the plains of north ...
in Himachal Pradesh before entering the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, where it flows through the Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar District in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division.
...
, Doda, Ramban
Ramban can refer to:
* Nachmanides (1194 – ), Catalan rabbi and philosopher also known as RaMBaN
* Cave of the Ramban in Jerusalem
* Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India
** Ramban district, an administrative unit in India
** Ramban (Vid ...
, Reasi
Reasi is a town and a notified area committee and tehsil in Reasi district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Situated at the bank of River Chenab, It is the headquarters of the Reasi district. In the eighth century, Reas ...
and Jammu district
Jammu district is the most populous of the districts in Jammu and Kashmir, India and is home to the winter capital (Jammu) of Jammu and Kashmir. The capital moves to Srinagar in the summer.
Administrative divisions
Jammu District has 7 Sub- ...
s. It enters Pakistan and flows through the Punjab province before emptying into the Sutlej, forming the Panjnad river
The Panjnad River ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a river at the extreme end of Bahawalpur district in Punjab, Pakistan. The name ''Panjnad'' means "five rivers", from Persian ''panj'' ("five") and Sanskrit ''nadī́'' ("river").The Panjnad River is f ...
.
History
The river was known to Indians in the Vedic period. In 325 BCE, Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
allegedly founded the town of Alexandria on the Indus
Alexandria on the Indus ( el, Ἀλεξάνδρεια ἐπὶ Ἰνδῷ, likely modern Uch, Pakistan) was a city founded by Alexander the Great at the junction of the Indus and the Acesines river. Arrian tells that colonists, mainly Thracian ...
(present day Uch Sharif or Mithankot or Chacharan in Pakistan) at the confluence of the Indus and the combined streams of Punjab rivers (currently known as the Panjnad River
The Panjnad River ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a river at the extreme end of Bahawalpur district in Punjab, Pakistan. The name ''Panjnad'' means "five rivers", from Persian ''panj'' ("five") and Sanskrit ''nadī́'' ("river").The Panjnad River is f ...
).
Dams
The river has rich power generation potential in India. There are many dams built, under construction or proposed to be built on the Chenab for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation in the country, including:
All of these are "run-of-the-river
Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...
" projects as per the Indus Water Treaty
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960 b ...
of 1960. The Treaty allocates the waters of Chenab to Pakistan. India can use its water for domestic and agricultural uses or for "non-consumptive" uses such as hydro power. India is entitled to store up to of water in its projects. The three projects completed , Salal, Baglihar and Dul Hasti, have a combined storage capacity of .
Pakistan has four headworks on the Chenab:
See also
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Chenab River in the context of Pakistan
- by Pakistan Tourism Portal
{{Authority control
Rivers of Himachal Pradesh
Rigvedic rivers
Rivers of Jammu and Kashmir
Indus basin
Punjab
International rivers of Asia
Rivers of Punjab (Pakistan)
Rivers of India
Rivers in Buddhism
Rivers of Pakistan