The waters of the Chenab were allocated to Pakistan under the terms of theIndus Waters Treaty. India is allowed non-consumptive uses such as power generation. The Chenab River is extensively used in Pakistan for irrigation. Its waters are also transferred to the channel of theRavi River via numerous link canals.[3][4][5]
The Chenab river was calledAsikni (Sanskrit:असिक्नी) in theRigveda (VIII.20.25, X.75.5). The name meant that it was seen to have dark-coloured waters.[6][7] The term Krishana is also found in theAtharvaveda.[8] A later form of Askikni wasIskamati (Sanskrit:इस्कामति)[citation needed] and the Greek form wasAncient Greek:Ἀκεσίνης –Akesínes; Latinized toAcesines.[6][7][9]
In theMahabharata, the common name of the river wasChandrabhaga (Sanskrit:चन्द्रभागा) because the river is formed from the confluence of the Chandra and the Bhaga rivers.[8][10] This name was also known to the Ancient Greeks, who Hellenised it in various forms such asSandrophagos,Sandabaga andCantabra.[7]
The simplification of Chandrabhaga to 'Chenab', with evident Persianate influence, probably occurred in early medieval times and is witnessed inAlberuni.[11]
The Bhaga river originates fromSurya taal lake, which is situated a few kilometers west of theBara-lacha la pass in Himachal Pradesh. The Chandra river originates from glaciers east of the same pass (nearChandra Taal).[3][12] This pass also acts as a water-divide between these two rivers.[13] The Chandra river transverses 115 km (71 mi) while the Bhaga river transverses 60 km (37 mi) through narrow gorges before their confluence at Tandi.[14]
The Chandra-Bhaga then flows through thepangi valley ofChamba district in Himachal Pradesh before entering the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, where it flows through theKishtwar,Doda,Ramban,Reasi andJammu districts. It enters Pakistan and flows through the Punjab province before emptying into the Sutlej, forming thePanjnad river.
The river was known to Indians in the Vedic period.[15][16][17] In 325 BCE,Alexander the Great allegedly founded the town ofAlexandria on the Indus (present-day Uch Sharif or Mithankot or Chacharan in Pakistan) at the confluence of the Indus and the combined streams of Punjab rivers (currently known as thePanjnad River).[18]Arrian, in theAnabasis of Alexander, quotes the eyewitnessPtolemy Lagides as writing that the river was 2 miles wide where Alexander crossed it.[19]
The Battle of Chenab was fought betweenSikhs andAfghans on the bank of the river.[20]
The river has rich power generation potential in India. There are many dams built, under construction or proposed to be built on the Chenab for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation in the country, including:
Baglihar Hydroelectric power project (900 MW) nearRamban
Salal Dam – 690 MW hydroelectric power project nearReasi
Kiru Hydroelectric Power Project (624 MW proposed) located inKishtwar district
Kishtwar Hydroelectric Power Project (540 MW proposed) located inKishtwar district
All of these are "run-of-the-river" projects as per theIndus Water Treaty of 1960. The Treaty allocates the waters of Chenab to Pakistan. India can use its water for domestic and agricultural uses or for "non-consumptive" uses such ashydropower. India is entitled to store up to 1.2 millionacre-feet (1.5 billioncubic metres) of water in its projects. The three projects completed as of 2011[update], Salal, Baglihar and Dul Hasti, have a combined storage capacity of 260 thousand acre-feet (320 million cubic metres).[21]
^Gosal, G.S. (2004)."Physical Geography of the Punjab"(PDF).Journal of Punjab Studies.11 (1). Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies, University of California: 31.ISSN0971-5223. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 8 June 2012. Retrieved6 August 2009.
_with_cities.png)
