Indus River and the Arabian Sea

This story is only

half of the story

What is the Geographic and Geologic

History of the Indus?

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How was it Formed?

Indus River

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Where the Indus

• One the of major rivers in Asia
• Pakistan's longest river
• measures 3,180 km (1,980 mi)
• Drainage area exceeds 1,165,000 km^2 (450,000 mi^2)

meets the sea...

Where the River Meets the Arabian Sea

A Protected Area

• Indus drainage shaped by collision b/w Indian plate with mainland Asia
• 50 MYA
• considered one of the oldest documented rivers
• 2 paralled west-flowing streams existed during Eocene
• north and south of Himalayas
• formed the Katawaz delta on western margin of Katawaz ocean (embayment of Tethys Ocean)

More changes can be seen near the mouth

since last glacial maximum (20,000 years ago)

location of main depositional lobe of delta and main channel have shifted west four times

however, cannot more further west due to uplifting ranges running north from Karachi

Jenn Mack and Ryan Brooks

main stream of Indus River has not shown much change from past

Thank You

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• Where the Indus falls into the Arabian Sea, it forms a fan-shaped delta
• 16 major creeks as well as minor creeks and mudflats
• largest area of arid climate mangroves
• 344,845 hectares of delta are declared protected forests
• under control of Sindh Forest Department

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River Flow

Indus River Valley Civilization

• Bronze Age Civilization
• 3300-1300 BCE
• resided in NE Afghanistan, Pakistan and NW India
• one of three early civilizations of the old World
• For over six centuries, Indus River has been a source of water for old and new civilizations

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• Flow of perennial Indus dominated by melt waters from Tibetan ice field
• snowfall and melt from higher elevations
• monsoonal rains

• begins in Chinese Tibet and Himalayan mountains in states of Jammu and Kashmir
• Flows from the hills through arid states of
• Punjab
• Sindh
• Converges in Pakistan
• empties into Arabian Sea- south of Karachi

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What are the changes

to the system?

Who are the effects

• 3 major storage reservoirs
• 19 barrages
• 43 major canals

Solutions?

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Anthropogenic changes in delta

of these?

Engineered Diversions

• Ban logging and agriculture on steep slopes
• Reforestation of hill slopes
• Restoration of floodplain
• Reduction in sedimentation from bank stabilization
• Left Bank Outfall construction
• Utilize remote sensing
• Conduct Environmental Impact assessments
• More efficient water use
• Environmental monitoring
• Education

• 60% of Indus water used for irrigation
• supplies water to ~80% of Pakistan's agriculture fields
• depends on irrigation for producing 90% of crops

Anthropogenic Pollution

References

• 37,000 tons of industrial waste dumped yearly in coastal environment in Karachi
• 20,000 tons of oil
• municipal sewers generate 110 million gallons/day

Poor urban planning

Removal of Water

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http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EcAibh6KpPY/TuIvgpgbLNI/AAAAAAAALyo/wNQCGHvreJU/s1600/Inid-Pak+water.jpg

http://awsassets.panda.org/img/distribution_map_indus_river_dolphin_2004_352387.gif

http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/indus.pdf

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/13-10-08_217_CONFLUENCE_OF_INDUS_RIVER_N.jpg

http://wle.cgiar.org/blogs/files/2013/05/CR10833_DSC_7911-scr.jpg

http://www.naun.org/multimedia/NAUN//geology/ijgeo-06.pdf

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http://www.virginspots.com/sites/default/files/styles/upload_photo_style/public/image-contenttype/1530_0.jpg?itok=JFUBwrGE

http://www.whoi.edu/cms/files/c16_46983.pdf

www.whoi.edu/cms/files/c16_46983.pdf

www.chowrangi.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Mangrove-Forests-in-Pakistan.jpg

upstream water and sediment blockage has resulted in shrinking of active delta and stunted growth of mangroves

Indus River Dolphin

Shrinking

Delta

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• one of the most threatened dolphins in world
• freshwater species
• functionally blind

• population near mangroves on Sindh coast ~1.2 million
• 900,000 live in Indus Delta
• 135,000 are rural and use mangroves for resources
• degradation had led to losses of 2% per year