IndusGangesBrahmaputra

The IndusGangesBrahmaputra river system is a transboundary hydrological network in South Asia that comprises three major rivers—Indus, Ganges (Ganga), and Brahmaputra—and their extensive tributaries. The basin spans parts of the Tibetan Plateau (China), India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, supporting hundreds of millions of people through irrigation, water supply, and energy generation.

Geography: The Indus rises on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar and flows through the Indian subcontinent into Pakistan, with major tributaries including Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The Ganges originates in the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian Himalayas and travels across northern India before entering Bangladesh, where it is known as the Padma. The Brahmaputra originates in the Angsi glacier in Tibet (often called the Yarlung Tsangpo) and courses east through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before entering Bangladesh as the Jamuna. In Bangladesh, the Jamuna and Padma contribute to the Meghna River, which drains into the Bay of Bengal.

Hydrology and uses: The Indus system underpins irrigation and hydropower in Pakistan, while the eastern rivers support irrigation in India and Bangladesh. The Indus Waters Treaty (1960) between India and Pakistan allocates the Indus and its western tributaries to Pakistan, and the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. The Ganges–Bangladesh sector is governed in part by the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty (1996) between India and Bangladesh.

Challenges and significance: The basin sustains agriculture, transport, and energy, but faces floods, droughts, sedimentation, and climate-driven changes in glacier melt and monsoon patterns. Transboundary management, water security, and disaster risk reduction remain central concerns for the region.