About Sutlej River

Sutlej river, earlier spelled as Satluj river is the longest of the 5 rivers of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush, and last of the central market range in Pakistan. Sutlej river is also recognized as Satadree and is addressed as Shatarudra by the Gorkhalis.

Sutlej River Quick Facts

The upper Sutlej valley, also known as LangqenZangbo in Tibet was once known as Garuda valley by the Zhangzhung, the area of ancient edification of western Tibet.
It was signed with the government of Himachal Pradesh in November 1991 on a ‘Build, Own, and Operate’ basis.
Another historical context of the Sutlej river is that it was the foremost medium of transportation for the ancient kings. In the early 18th century, it was used to haul deodar woods for the Bilaspur district, Hamirpur district and to the other places alongside Sutlej river.

Economical Aspect

The Sutlej valley project was first proposed by Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbassi’s Secretary of State in 1921. The Sutlej valley project was considered as one of the most significant contributions to the State of Bahawalpur.
This project advent from 1922 to 1938 and it was categorized into four sets. The overall earnings of the Bahawalpur state were raised by 91 lakh rupees in a time span of 21 years and it grew to 238%. This has benefitted the whole state in terms of infrastructure and economy.

River Course

Sutlej river is the longest of the other tributaries of the Indus River. It originates from the north slope of the Himalayan region in Lake La’nga in southwestern Tibet at an altitude of approximately 4600 meters. Further, the Sutlej river enters Himachal at Shipkiat at an elevation of 6,608 meters and babbles towards the southwestern direction from Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Solan, Mandi, and Bilaspur districts. The course of Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh is about 320km and it leaves Himachal Pradesh to enter the plains of Punjab at Bhakhra, the place where the world’s highest gravity dam is situated.