Overextraction of its finite groundwater resources is also a major challenge in the indus basin. In the present work, changing climate and its impact on water budget of irb is discussed. Except for the micro relief, the plain is featureless. In recent years, there has been increasing concernthat the water resources of these river systemsmay be vulnerablein the contextof global climate change ipcc, 2007. In 1993, india started constructing a hydroelectric project, baglihar dam, on one of the western river, chenab, which is an allocated river to pakistan. The major dams are capable of storing barelyamonthsworthof. Increased groundwater use in pakistan for irrigation has led to waterlogging in many. These rivers had their source in the now tibetan region.
A largely arid region with a historical mix of varying forms of agricultural and pastoral production, the indus basin became, by the second half of the twentieth century, one of the globes most heavily irrigated river basins. Background and problem statement 17 difficult years for the indus basin. Typical cross section of a river channel protected by levees 8 7. People have lived and farmed in the rivers fertile floodplain for millennia, in spite of the arid conditions that make it. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field, hence this book serves as a single, holistic source covering the whole region, not just a single country. The indus river originates near kailash range in tibet and, thereafter, it flows to the west, eventually falling into arabian sea.
Water governance and adaptation to climate change in the indus river basin 1 yichen e. Flood wave propagation in the indus river, 2010 15 8. In this region to reduce the risk of recurrent flood disasters, there is a critical need need for applied research and development of an. The upper indus basin consists of mountainous terrain, and includes parts of the hindu kush, karakorum, and himalayan mountain ranges. The indus basin was as quickly as an arid pastoral watershed, nevertheless by the second half of the 20 th century, it had grow to be one in every of many worlds most intently irrigated and populated river basins. An atmospherichydrologic forecasting scheme for the indus. Antecedent drainage they were flowing into the tethys sea. The transboundary indus river basin has a total area of 1. The indus basin, which is the watershed of the indus river system, is populated by approximately 230 million people. An atmospherichydrologic forecasting scheme for the indus river basin kristofer y. But late in 2016, a flareup between india and pakistan over the disputed kashmir region cast renewed doubt on the pact. Water cooperation, international law and the indus waters treaty dr.
The indus river basin spans four countries, pakistan, india, afghanistan, and china. Map of the indus river basin with tributaries labeled. It is surrounded with the karakoram in far east and pir. Yang 1, casey brown 2, winston yu 3, james wescoat, jr.
The complexity of water resources management in the indus river basin has grown in recent decades by the use of groundwater for irrigation briscoe and qamar, 2006. The indus basin covers an area of about 1 million km2 386,000 mi2 and touches 4 countries china, india, afghanistan, pakistan. An atmospherichydrologic forecasting scheme for the. When we say indus basin we mean all the area within which rainfall collects and drains into one river. Coloradoandthe australian murraydarling rivers can store 900 days of river runoff, dams on the south african orange river. Impact of climate change on the hydrological regime of the.
India has built a number of upstream dams on the indus river that have affected the water flow in pakistan. The impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture presents a greatly needed. The indus basin ranks among the most important river basins in the world in terms of human dependence. In south asia, pakistan and india are lower and upper riparian states, respectively, sharing the indus basin. Indus river basin a prelude the indus river is one of the most important water systems in asia. The river indus originates from mountains of the himalayas of baltistanpakistan and many of the smaller streams falls in indus. The indus river basin irb having an area of 863,510 km 2 is a major water drainage in western himalayas. The indus basin of pakistan the impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture winston yu, yichen yang, andre savitsky. Aug 27, 2018 the indus river basin irb having an area of 863,510 km 2 is a major water drainage in western himalayas. The indus basin of pakistan directions in development countries and regions yu, yang, savitsky, alford, brown, wescoat, debowicz, and robinson the world bank recent times have been volatile in pakistans indus basin. Indus waters treaty, treaty, signed on september 19, 1960, between india and pakistan and brokered by the world bank.
The indus waters treaty iwt was signed in karachi on 19 september 1960 by jawaharlal nehru and then ayub khan. Evaluation of impacts on the lower indus river basin due. The indus river basin originates in the himalayan mountains and 39% of the basin flows through india with 47% flowing through pakistan. The indus waters treaty iwt was signed in karachi on 19 september 1960 by jawaharlal nehru and then ayub khan the treaty gives control over the waters of the three eastern rivers the beas, ravi and sutlej. Yellow regions are noncontributing parts of the watershed e. The greater ganga basin the greater ganga basin ggb consists of the areas in nepal, bhutan, india and. Indus river basin irb in the western himalayas is very important for the sustainability of livelihood, food and water security of its inhabitants. The indus river basin irb has the highest annual worldwide average number of people physically exposed to floods and landslides, which occur seasonally from storm systems during the monsoon season. In pakistan, the indus river has an annual average flow of 140 maf 173 billion cubic.
The indus river locally called sindhu is one of the longest rivers in asia. Indus river supports water demands of four nations, india, pakistan, afghanistan and china figure s1, supporting information. Like the nile river valley, the indus river basin in pakistan is an ancient seat of civilization. The average gradient of the slope is no more than 1 foot per mile 1 metre per 5 km. However, because of political agreements between the two countries, india has exclusive control of the sutlej, beas, and. It has proved stable despite several complications taking place during its negotiations and implementation. Indus river basin the indus basin covers an area of about 1 million km2 386,000 mi2 and touches 4 countries china, india, afghanistan, pakistan. The indus basin was once an arid pastoral watershed, but by the second half of the twentieth century, it had become one of the worlds most heavily irrigated and populated river basins. The indus river basin stretches from the himalayan mountains in the north to the dry. Pdf the indus river basin as a garden james wescoat. These are the bhakra and nangal dams on the sutlej, the salal and baglihar on the chenab and the pandoh and pong on the beas.
The indus waters treaty is a waterdistribution treaty between india and pakistan, brokered by the world bank, to use the water available in the indus system of rivers. The indus river basin stretches from the himalayan mountains in the north to the dry alluvial plains of sindh. Indus water is the lifeblood of the billions of people who live in the river basin shared between india 29%, pakistan 63%, china and afghaistan 8% and supports multitude of ecosystem. For centuries, control of the indus river basins waters has been a point of contention among the regions inhabitants.
From its source in the tibetan plateau the indus river initially flows north west before bending south to flow south west through pakistan to the arabian sea. Pdf water governance and adaptation to climate change in. Since 1960, the indus waters treaty has governed use of the regions water between india and pakistan. The paper demonstrates the hydrology of the upper indus basin at northern areas of pakistan in order to know the flow trend, long term flow trend in river, catchments properties, and changing in the flow and water. The himalayan rivers existed even before the formation of himalayas i. Toma school of earth and atmospheric sciences, georgia institute of technology, atlanta, georgia manuscript received 2 april 20, in. Indus basin floods mechanisms, impacts, and management environment, natural resources, and agriculture pakistan 20 printed in the philippines indus basin floods. Water security and sustainability provides a comprehensive treatment of waterrelated issues within the indus river basin. May 17, 2010 in indus river basin, two issues, irrigation and domestic water supply, dominated during the entire negotiation process. Several months later in january 2017, at an election rally in indias.
Map 5 indus basin map 6 indus basin map 7 maps 5 and 6 show clearly the extent of the indus basin. Application of integrated water resources management ammad hafiz mohammad department of urban and rural development masters thesis, 30 hec. In the nanga parbat region, the massive amounts of erosion due to the indus river following the capture and rerouting through that area is thought to bring middle and lower crustal rocks to the surface. The indus river plain is a vast expanse of fertile land, covering about 200,000 square miles 518,000 square km, with a gentle slope from the himalayan piedmont in the north to the arabian sea in the south. Pdf indus water is the lifeblood of the billions of people who live in the river basin shared between india 29%, pakistan 63%, china and. The indus river basin stretches from the himalayan. Waseem ahmad qureshi water cooperation is essential for riparian states to equitably distribute and utilize their transboundary water resources. The indus river is 3,180 kilometers 1,976 miles long and it is also the longest river in pakistan. India and pakistan have to an increasing extent faced problems of water scarcity and poor water management in the indus basin since the 1990s. Projected changes in climate over the indus river basin. The indus river basin in pakistan was selected as the prime research focus area. Launched under british colonial rule in the nineteenth century, this irrigation project spurred political, social, and environmental transformations that continued after the 1947 creation of the new states of. The indus waters treaty, which arranges the use of the river indus water between india and pakistan, is praised as one of the most sophisticated international water agreements. Due to upstream storage and diversion activities in the upper basin, there has been a steady decline of the water outflow to the lower basin, the indus delta, and to the arabian sea.
Just above mithankot, the indus receives from panjnad panchnad, the accumulated waters of the five eastern tributariesthe jhelum, the chenab, the ravi, the beas and the satluj. Chapter 1 two years in the life of the indus river basin 17. Drainage the indus river features a total catchment basin of more than 1,165,000 square km. Launched under british colonial rule in the nineteenth century, this irrigation project spurred political, social, and environmental transformations that continued after the 1947. The delta of this proto indus river has subsequently been found in the katawaz basin, on the afghanpakistan border.
In broad terms, this thesis examines indias management of the indus river system. Blood and water the indus river basin in modern history. Framework for a contemporary flood management approach 33 10. The treaty fixed and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the indus river system.
Indus basin pakistan the indus river locally referred to as sindhu is one of the longest rivers in asia, originating in the tibetan plateau in the vicinity of lake manasarovar and flowing through pakistan until it enters the arabian sea. It is a work in intellectual history which analyses the writings of indian water experts within the context of indus basin hydropolitics during the decade long. Indus river basin geography, population and climate the transboundary indus river basin has a total area of 1. Exploring new knowledge frontiers for development and resilience, 46 july, 2017, colombo, sri lanka. Indus river basin food and agriculture organization. Evolution of water institutions in the indus river basin. The river empties into the arabian sea south of karachi after forming a huge delta. Kabul river basin geodatabase the indus basin gender profile mapper the indus basin knowledge forum. Projected changes in climate over the indus river basin using. The indus river is a major river which flows through the full length its length is about 2900 km, and its area is 1 165 500 km2 of pakistan. Originating in the tibetan plateau in the vicinity of lake manasarovar, the river runs a course through the ladakh, a union territory of india, towards the gilgitbaltistan region hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of pakistan to merge into the arabian sea near the port. Changes in structures for controlling water transformed the indus basin in the century and a half from 1850 to 2000. Theareaissubject to seasonal monsoons, which dump rainfall during the months of july and. The indus basin is therefore the area where all rainfall eventually flows into indus river and finally drains out to the arabian sea.
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