The Shingo River is a tributary of 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, ...

, and flows through

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

and

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Ja ...

regions. In the Kashmiri terminology, the Shingo river joins the

Dras River The Dras River, also spelt Drass River, is a river in the Kargil district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It originates below the Zoji La pas in the Great Himalayan range and flows northeast towards Kargil, where it joins the Suru Ri ...

, which in turns joins the Suru River. In the Balti terminology, the Shingo River runs all the way to the

, and the other rivers are its tributaries.

Course

The river originates in the Chhota Deosai plains in the

Astore District Astore District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan. Its administrative headquarters are located at Eidgah in the Astore Valley. The Astore District is bounded by Gilgit District to ...

, north of

Minimarg Minimarg ( ur, ) is a village in the Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is situated on the bank of the Burzil Nala, approximately 36 km south of the Chilam Chowki checkpost. There is a road going north to Astore via the Bur ...

, and flows east. The

Shigar River Shigar River ( ur, ) is located in the mountainous Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. The Shigar River is formed from the melted water of the Baltoro Glacier and Biafo Glacier. It flows through the Shigar Valley. The river is tributary to I ...

, which originates in the Bara Deosai Plateau to the north, also flows east and joins the Shingo River before it enters the Indian-administered Kargil district near Dalunang. In the Kargil district, at the Kaksar village, Shingo is joined by the

, which originates near Zojila Pass and flows northeast. The flow of Shingo is then doubled. The two combined rivers join the Suru River flowing north at Kharul, 7 km north of

. The Suru river flows north into the

Skardu District The Skardu District ( ur, ) is one of the 10 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The Skardu District is bounded on the east by the Ghanche District, on the south by the Kharmang District, on the west by the Astore District, on ...

of Baltistan. (The Baltis continue to call the Suru River by the name Shingo.) The river joins the

Indus 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, ...

from the left near Olding. The Shingo river is clearer than other rivers in Ladakh because it is formed from melting ice. It flows through Chanigund.

Environment

The Shingo River runs north of the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serve ...

dividing the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Kashmir. Gultari is the largest city on its course. A road runs parallel to the river, which once connected Astor to Kargil. Once in the Kargil district, the valley of the Shingo–Drass river contains India's

National Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

that connects the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. After reentering Baltistan, its valley supports the Shingo River Road, which is also called the Kargil–Skardu Road.

References

External links

Shingo River marked on OpenStreet

Suru River basin on OpenStreetMap
including the Shingo and Shigar rivers {{Hydrography of Ladakh Rivers of Ladakh Indus basin Rivers of Gilgit-Baltistan Astore District Skardu District Kargil district Rivers of Pakistan Rivers of India