Indus River · Skardu, Pakistan Pakistans Lifeline The Indus is a river of many names. In Tibet, it is known as the Lion River; between the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges, it flows from the direction of the rising sun and people call it the Eastern River; in Pashto the name is Abasin Father of Rivers. The source of the Indus River is the Tibetan plateau. Fed by glaciers on the mountains of Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush, the river runs 3000 km through hills and gigantic gorges before it reaches the flat plains of the Indus Valley in Pakistan and flows into the Arabian Sea. The Indus serves as a lifeline for the people of Pakistan. As it winds its way through the country, it nourishes temperate forests, plains and countryside. As the only major river system in one of the worlds most arid countries, it supplies water for irrigation in rural areas as well as for use in towns and cities. For years, Pakistan has used the river as part of the biggest irrigation system in the world, turning 35.7 million acres of desert plain into cultivated farmland that accounts for two-thirds of the nations jobs and 80% of its exports. Climate change, and the melting of the Tibetan glaciers, could turn the Indus into a seasonal river. Pakistan already suffers from water shortages but melting glaciers and a more irregular precipitation pattern could disrupt water supplies throughout the region. In the absence of any other source of water, this would have a devastating effect on the Pakistani ...

• published: 20 May 2009
• views: 32816
• author: Jakob Deichmann