UPSC Prelims 2021 Q53: Indus Tributaries and the Panjnad — Explained

With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct?

  1. Chenab
  2. Jhelum
  3. Ravi
  4. Sutlej

Answer: (d) Sutlej

Statement-wise explanation

  • a: incorrect — The Chenab is the largest tributary of the Indus. It receives the Jhelum near Trimmu and the Ravi further south in Pakistan's Punjab. It then meets the Sutlej just above Uch, and below that point the joint stream is called the Panjnad. The official key treats this as the Chenab pouring into the Sutlej system, not as the river that reaches the Indus itself.
  • b: incorrect — The Jhelum rises at Verinag in Kashmir and flows through Wular Lake and Srinagar into Pakistan. It ends in the Chenab near Trimmu (Jhang district). It never touches the Indus directly, so it is one of the three rivers that pour into another.
  • c: incorrect — The Ravi rises in the Kullu hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows past Lahore. It joins the Chenab in Pakistan's Punjab. Like the Jhelum, it reaches the Indus only through another river.
  • d: correct — The Sutlej rises at Rakas Tal near Mansarovar in Tibet and receives the Beas at Harike in Punjab. Above Uch it receives the Chenab, which by then carries the Jhelum and Ravi. Britannica describes the result as the Panjnad, which runs about 71 km southwest to the Indus near Mithankot. The official key reads this lower stretch as the Sutlej's own course, so the Sutlej is the river that joins the Indus directly.

How to eliminate

Basic map knowledge removes two options. The Jhelum and the Ravi both end in the Chenab, so neither can be the river that joins the Indus directly. That leaves the Chenab and the Sutlej, and logic alone cannot pick between them. You need to know the order of the confluences. Jhelum and Ravi flow into the Chenab, the Chenab meets the Sutlej, and that combined stream (the Panjnad) enters the Indus near Mithankot. The question says three rivers pour into one. Only the Sutlej fits, because it is the one river that receives the other three. The question is debatable because the Chenab is larger, and some sources describe the two as meeting each other to form the Panjnad. Fact to remember: Jhelum → Chenab, Ravi → Chenab, Chenab → Sutlej, Sutlej (as the Panjnad) → Indus at Mithankot. The Beas has already joined the Sutlej at Harike.

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The Indus river system: who joins whom

The Indus rises near Mansarovar in Tibet and flows through Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan into Pakistan. It ends in the Arabian Sea near Karachi.

Right-bank tributaries (they enter from the north and west): the Shyok, Gilgit, Hunza, Kabul, Kurram, Tochi, Gomal and Zhob.

Left-bank (Punjab) tributaries: these five rivers give Punjab its name. They join one another first, and only one combined channel reaches the Indus.

River Source Ends in
Jhelum Verinag spring, Kashmir Chenab, near Trimmu (Jhang)
Ravi Kullu hills, Himachal Chenab, in Pakistan's Punjab
Beas Beas Kund near Rohtang Pass Sutlej, at Harike (Punjab, India)
Chenab Chandra + Bhaga meet at Tandi, Lahaul Sutlej, above Uch
Sutlej Rakas Tal near Mansarovar, Tibet Indus near Mithankot, as the Panjnad

The joint channel below the Chenab–Sutlej junction is the Panjnad ("five rivers"). It is about 71 km long and meets the Indus near Mithankot.

Related facts UPSC tests:

  • The Sutlej crosses the Himalaya at Shipki La and feeds the Bhakra Nangal project.
  • The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 gives the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India for unrestricted use. It gives the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) mainly to Pakistan, with limited Indian uses such as run-of-the-river hydropower.
  • The Chenab is the largest Punjab tributary by volume. The Sutlej is the longest.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Panjnad: The question turns on how the five Punjab rivers combine into one stream before reaching the Indus.
  • Chenab river: The Chenab's size and the rivers it receives are central to deciding which river reaches the Indus.
  • Jhelum river: The Jhelum is one of the four options. Knowing where it ends settles its place in the system.
  • Indus river: The question is about which tributary reaches this main river directly, at Mithankot.
  • Indus Waters Treaty: The treaty splits the same six rivers into eastern and western groups, a split often tested with this question.

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