Rivers, Lakes and Glaciers
The main rivers that flow through the Jammu and Kashmir region are Jhelum, Chenab and Indus. These rivers are of Himalayan origin. The river Indus originates at the Mansarovar lake in Tibet. Some of the lakes in the Jammu and Kashmir region are Manasbal lake, Dal lake and the Wular lake. Rising from a deep spring at Verinag, the Jhelum meanders North-West from the Northern slope of the Pir Panjal range through the valley of Kashmir to the Wular lake.
Important Rivers
The main rivers that flow through the Jammu and Kashmir region are
Jhelum :-The Jhelum is the main waterway of the Valley of Kashmir. It rises from a spring called Verinag, from where a number of tributaries join the Jhelum and make it navigable from Khannabal to Wular lake. Its total length in the valley is 177 km.
Ravi :- The Ravi river leaves the Himalayas at Basoli and passes close to Kathua near Madhopur, where it enters the plain of the Punjab.
Tawi :- The Tawi river, draining the outer hill region, flows around the city of Jammu after collecting drainage to the North-East of Jammu in the interior mountains.
Chenab :-The Chenab river rises in the Himalayan contour of Lahaul and Spiti. Two streams, more or less parallel, the Chandra and the Bhaga form the Chandrabhaga, or the Chenab. It drains the Eastern section of the Southern slope of Pir Panjal.
Indus :- The Indus is another important river, which originates in Tibet near Kashmir border. A considerable portion of this river flows through our neighbouring nations.
Zanskar :- The Zanskar river, a North flowing tributary of the Indus river, has two main branches in its upper reaches. First of these, the Doda originates near Pensi La (4400 m) mountain pass and flows through the main Zanskar valley. The second branch is formed by two main tributaries, the Kargyag river with its source near the Shingo La (5091 m) and Tsarap river with its source near the Baralacha La.
The river Jhelum’s ancient name, Vitasta transformed into Veth in Kashmiri Parlence.
Shyok :- The Shyok river, a tributary of the Indus river, traverses through the Ladakh of India and the Northern areas of Pakistan for a distance of about 550 km. It originates from the Rimo glacier, one of the tongues of Siachen glacier. The river widens at the confluence with the Nubra river.
Kishanganga :- The Kishanganga or the Neelam river flows through the Kashmir region and enters Pakistan in the Gurais sector of the Line of Control (LoC). It meets the Jhelum river North of Muzzafarabad. The controversial Kishanganga Power Project is being constructed on it.
Doda :- The Doda river originates from the Drang Drung glacier of the Pensi La and flows through the region of Ladakh. The river flows into the Padum valley, and joins with the Tsarap river to form the larger river Zanskar.
Dras :- The Dras river, a tributary of the Suru river, originates in the Machoi glacier near the Zoji La pass.
Nubra :- The Nubra river is a tributary of the Shyok river and flows in Ladakh region. It originates from the Siachen glacier.
24 Rivers, Lakes and Glaciers
Important Lakes
A number of lakes are found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Most of them are of glacial origin. Some of the important lakes of the state are as follows
Wular :-The Wular lake in Kashmir is the largest freshwater lake in India. It is about 16 km long, 9.6 km wide with ill-defined shores. This lake lies between Bandipore and Sopore at a distance of 75 km.
Dal :- The Dal lake is a beautiful lake near Srinagar. It is 8 km long and 6.4 km wide. It is the floodlung of the Jhelum. The famous Mughal gardens are situated around it. Floating gardens, found in this lake, grow a large variety of vegetables.
Nagin :- The Nagin lake is located at a few distance from the Dal lake. Both the lakes are interconnected by a small water channel. Like Dal lake, it also freezes in the winter.
Anchar :- The Anchar lake is swampy area. The Sind Nollah enters this lake from one side and flows out from the other. It is about 8 km long and 3 km wide. Ganderbal is a famous township on its North-West bank.
Mansbal :- The Mansbal lake is at a distance of 29 km from Srinagar and is situated at Sopore. It is 5 km long and 1 km wide. It is connected with Jhelum by a canal near Sumbal.
Mansar :- The Mansar lake, 62 km from Jammu, is over a mile in length and half-a-mile in width. Besides being a popular excursion destination, it is also a holy site, sharing the legend and sanctity of lake Mansarovar. On its Eastern bank lies the shrine of mythological Sheshnag.People take a holy dip in it on festive occasions.
Harwan :- The Harwan lake is situated at a distance of 21 km from Srinagar. It is 278 m long, 137 m wide and 18 m deep This lake is a source of water supply to Srinagar city.
Hokarsar :- The Hokarsar lake lies on the Baramulla road about 13 km from Srinagar. It is about 5 km long and 15 km wide. Willow trees are grown in abundance around its banks.
Vishno Pad The Konsurnag or Vishno Pad:- lake is situated in the Pir Panjal range at a height of 13124 ft (4000) above sea level to the South of Shopian. It is about 5 km long and 3 km wide and is the source of the river Vishav It is at a distance of 34 km from Shopian.
Gangabal :- The Gangabal lake is situated at a height of 11713 ft (3570 m) on the peak of Harmukh mountain.
Sheshnag :- The Sheshnag lake is situated near Vavjan enroute to Shri Amarnath cave. It is at a distance of 28 km from Pahalgam.
Neelang :- The Neelang lake is situated in tehsil Badgam at a distance of 10 km from Nagam. It is bounded by dense forest. There are two more lakes, Tarsar and Marsar, lie on the Northern slope of the Harmukh mountain.
Important Springs
Kashmir valley abounds in numerous springs of which Verinag (the source of Jhelum), Martand (Anantnag Achnabal (Anantnag), Kokernag (Anantnag). Chashma shahi (famous for its fresh and digestive water, situated near Srinagar on one side of Boulevard road), Tullamulla or Khirbhawani (a sacred spring), Vicharanag. Sukhnag Vishnosar and Harmukat Ganga in Srinagar area and Chirnagad Vasaknag in Anantnag are very famous.
Glaciers
Glaciers are the slowly moving masses of ice formed by the accumulation of snow on mountains or near the poles. Some of the glaciers of the state are as follows
Siachen
Siachen glacier lies in the extreme North-Central part of Jammu and Kashmir near the border of India and Tibet. With a length of about 72 km, Siachen is known as the largest glacier in the world outside the Polar regions. Located on the North facing slopes of the Karakoram range, Siachen feeds the Mutzgah or Shaksgam river that flows parallel to the Karakoram range before entering into Tibet. Large tributary glaciers like the Shelkar, Chorten and Mamostang open into the main glacier from both sides of its trough. The trunk glacier and its tributaries are in the form of a vast ice-field, particularly during the winter seasons when there is continuous snowfall for several weeks at stretch.
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