It comes from the Lahaul valley, at an altitude of almost 5175 meters. In the beginning, two streams, namely Batkot and Gumbar, combine to form the Warwan river. In the lower areas the Warwan river takes the name Marusudar. Marusudar flows adjoins the North-South direction. Its basin follows almost a fan shape. The high part of the river is covered by glacier at about 4700 m, which is the elevation where the snow white year-round.
This river is born from Kailash Kund glacier which is situated at Bhadarwah of Doda district (Jammu). Its total length is approximately 141 kms. Its surface area includes Jammu, Udhampur and smaller parts of Doda districts. It flows through the Chenani town of Udhampur and Jammu and then it meets with the Chenab river which is in the Sialkott district of Pakistan. Following the flow through these zones, the river drains into Pakistan. Hydroelectric power plant at Chennai is built on this river.
The earlier name of the river of Ravi is Parusni. This river runs from the Himalayas of state Bara Bhangal near Rohtang pass in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The length of the whole course is about 720 km. The river flows to the south through the Pir Panjal Mountain range and to the north through the Dhauladhar Mountain Range. It rises in the North-Western regions of India; it takes the South-West turn at the Jammu and Kashmir boundary. It lives up to approximately 80 km along the Indo-Pak border and then runs into Pakistan. The major rivers tributaries of this river are Budhil, Naior Dhona, Seul and Siawa.
Ujh River
This river starts at the Domal structure of Seojdhar ranges in the Middle Himalayas. The river is 65 km long in length in the state. It is the next important river falling after Ravi in the list of rivers of Kathua district. It is a tributary to the Rivers Ravi which originates from Ramkot in Jammu, runs through Kathua district and gets into Pakistan at the other end. Water gets used for irrigation as well as during the transportation of wood from hills to plains. The major tributaries of this river are Naaz and Bhinni Nala.
Jhelum River
The ancient name of the Jhelum river was Vitasta. It is the main waterway in Kashmir and it is locally called Vyath. Known for its chilling freshness, this river springs from the Verinag spring that lies 80 km South-East of Srinagar district. The total length of this river is 725km, length of 177km in Kashmir Valley.
This river has a number of tributaries which join in Srinagar district and therefore its waters are navigable from Khannabal to Wular Lake. Jhelum river is the heart of Srinagar city and it also divides the city into two. This river passes Baramulla district on its way through Jammu and it later exits for Pakistan where it eventually flows into Indus river. The beautiful cities of Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag can be seen on both the sides of river Jhelum.
Several hydel power projects are set up on this river, e. g. Ganderbal, Lower Jhelum, Upper Sindh, Uri-I. There are about 24 tributaries of this river. Major rivers are Sindh, Pohru, Vishow, Rambaira, Pohru and etc.
Lidder River
This river originates from Kolahoi glacier located in the North-West Himalayan range 26-kilometers north of Pahalgam in Jmmu and Kashmir. It boasts a stretch of 73 km in the Kashmir Valley. It is the second principal tributary of river Jhelum that meets it upstream from the town of Anantnag. Pahalgam is the place in the midst of Lidder valley. It has two major affluents called Lidder East and Lidder West.
Indus River
This river starts on the north slopes of the Lake Mansarovar, which is in Tibet. The whole length of it is 2900 km. It traverses through India for a detailed length of 1114 km. The river passes between the Ladakh range and the Zanskar range, which also extends to the areas of Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit. It runs through a deep, Himalayan gorge (5181 m) near Attock. Then, it takes a turn toward a southwest direction and finally enters Pakistan. This river has important tributaries such as Shyok, Suru, Zanskar, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, etc.
Kishanganga River
This river starts at Drass (Kargil) which is located in Ladakh. It is also known as the Neelum river. There are altogether approximately 245 km in its length. Its stretch covers up to 50 km within the state. The Nallah flows through the Gurez, Keran and Karnah mountain ways and mixes into the Jhelum river at Domel (Muzaffarabad). The river has Kishanganga hydro-electric project. It has a waterfall where water is icy cold, and it is famous for producing trout fish. Main affluents are Sindh and Lidder rivers.
Shyok River
This begins from Rimo Glacier situated on Siachen Glacier. It is also called as "River of Death" because it is not a passable path. Its total length is only 550 km and runs through province of Ladakh and Ghangche district of Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Newly appeared Shyok River in the South-East direction comes towards Pangong Range and then it turns towards North-Westwards. Again it keeps parallel to the starting channel. It is known as Indus river which merges with it at Skardu city (Pakistan). Major rivers that feed into this waterway are Changchenmo, Galwan snyam and Saltoro.
Suru River
The river is spawned by Penzella glacier. Its overall length is nearly about 185 km. It flows through the cities of Tongul, Suru, Gma, Goma, and Kharul. The main and major town in this river is the Kargil town which stands on its bank. The Suru river is the answer to the valley lie. It flowing at Nurla village in Leh district finally merges with the Indus river. A vital tributary of the Shafat Nala is another name of the river.
Drass River
This is a river which forms at Macchhoi Glacier that is also at Zoji La Pass. Its total length is around 86 km and passes only in Kargil district of Ladakh. It runs the city routes of Matayan, Kharbu and Kakshar. At the confluence, Shingo joins Drass river and similarly both rivers are joined by Suru river at Kharul. It is the Drass river that resulted in the creation of a Drass valley, through which this river together with its two tributaries Mashko river and Gomru Nala flow.
Nubra River
This river is Siachen glacier melt. It is the largest tributary of Shyok river. It flows through the Nubra valley in the Northern part of the Water passes through the Ladakh region and Skardu in Pakistan. Afterwards, the Indus flows to the South-East into Shyok.
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Important Lakes of Jammu and Kashmir
State of Jammu and Kashmir hosts many lakes with most of them are of glacial origin. Lakes form three different areas i. e. Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.
Mansar Lake
This lake lies at a distance of 55 km from Jammu eastwards at a height of 666 meters in Shiwalik range. It is a lake that covers with freshwater. Mansar lake is a very smaller lake which is only 1204 m in the length and 645 m in the breadth. The Sheshnag Shrine is nestled at its Eastern bank. People go on a holy bath in it on special occasions.
Surinsar Lake
The lake is set very near to the northern fringes of Jammu city (about 40 km to the north-east of it), in the Western Shiwaliks, a part of the Himalayan foothills, at a height of 605 m. above sea level. This is a freshwater lake. It measures 888 m in length and 444 m in width. It is a place of love and greenness, the most popular tourist spot in Jammu region. Lakes of Kashmir Region
Anchar Lake
This lake is established in the center of Srinagar city. It is 8 km in length and 3 km in width approximately. The lake is situated at the altitude of 1585 m a. m. s. l. Some 50% of its acreage became a marsh. The Sind Nala is the water source of this lake. And to the North-West of the town is where Ganderbal lies.
Dal Lake
It is east of Srinagar city. This lake has an area of 18 sq km making it the second biggest in the state. The Lake of this area is considered to be the most beautiful lake of the whole country and has a great ecological and socio-economic importance in the Kashmir region. It draws both domestic and inbound tourists. It is about 8 km in size by 6 km throughout. 4 km in width. It is tagged as ‘Jewel of Kashmir’ and ‘Srinagar’s Jewel’ both. A lake surrounding Mughal Garden is located here. The lake features floated gardens where different varieties of vegetables are cultivated.
Gangabal Lake
This lake is placed on the North–East slopes of the Harmukh mountains at an altitude 3600 m above the mean sea level approximately. The lake is found 45 kilometers north of Srinagar.
Hokersar Lake
This lake lies 13 km to the south of Srinagar. It is about 5 km in extent and 2 km in width. 5 km in width. It serves as a haven for season migrating birds, especially those who come when winter comes in like waterfowls, shorebirds, and trans-Himalayan species. Hence, the lake has been declared a Conservation Reserve, under the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978, due to its ecological importance. The year 2005 has been declared as the Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention.
Konsarnag Lake
This lake is found in between peaks of Pir Panjal range, Southwest end of Kashmir valley. It is located on 400 m above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The lake has a length of 5 km and width of 3 km.
Manasbal Lake
This lake is positioned 29 km far from Srinagar. It is 2 square kilometers of water. 81 km within the state. Its length is 5 km while is its width is 1 km. There is a canal which connects this lake to the Jhelum river near Sumbal.
Sheshnag Lake
This lake is positioned above the northern direction of Dachnipora town of Anantnag district of the Kashmir valley. The settlement is located at an elevation of approximately 3600 m above mean sea level. The aforementioned lake is 2 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide.
Wular Lake
This lake is found in the North of the valley and 32 km North-West of Srinagar. The lake is the largest freshwater lake of India that has an area of around 189 sq km. It is about 16 km long and 9 km wide. 6 km wide. It is the source of river Jhelum. The south-west town of Sopore and the 15th century ruins which are located on north-eastern side of the island are the attributes of these geographical features.
Pangong Lake
This lake is located around 160 km to the west of the Leh district. It is situated on Changtang plateau which is the eastern part of Ladakh at a height of 4350m above mean sea level. This reservoir covers total area of 604 sq km. The reservoir is around 134 km long and 5-6 km wide. It is a briny lake and is also known as a Cesspool. Tso
Moriri Lake
It is in the Changtang area. The lake is 28 kilometers in length, about 4-6 kilometers wide, and 248 feet deep. It is also a Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. The water of this lake is not that brackish as compared that of Pangong lake, it is able to sustain more bird life.
