{"id":13685,"date":"2026-06-18T17:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/?post_type=academic_content&#038;p=13685"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:28:28","slug":"beas-river","status":"publish","type":"academic_content","link":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/beas-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Beas River: Origin, Source, Length, Tributaries, and Dams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Beas River is one of the six major rivers of the Indus River System and is the only tributary river of the Indus which flows completely in India. The river&#8217;s source is Beas Kund, a glacial lake near Rohtang Pass in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh at about 4,361 metres above sea level. It is the Beas that flows for about 470 km through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to meet the Sutlej River at Harike in Punjab. The river, which is fed by snowmelt and monsoon rainfall, supports irrigation, hydropower generation and water supply through major projects including the Pandoh Dam and non-sustainable Pong Dam.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beas River Origin &amp; Source<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Beas River is one of six major rivers of the Indus River System and is the only major Indus tributary to flow wholly within India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As per official data from the river basin, the river starts at Beas Kund, at an altitude of around 3,800 meters above sea level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Its source begins near the Rohtang Pass in the Western Himalaya&#8217;s northern Pir Panjal Range.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The source of the river is at a height of about 4,361 metres (14,308 ft) above sea level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Originating from the snow-fed, perennial Beas, it gets supply from three sources: glacier water, snowmelt and monsoon rainfall.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It originates in the Kullu Valley after flowing southwards. From this valley, it enters the Punjab plains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Beas flows for around 470 km before it meets the Sutlej River in Harike in Punjab<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major Tributaries of Beas River System<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Tributary<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Bank of Confluence<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Origin<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>State\/Region<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Key Features<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parbati River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Right Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parbati Glacier, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the largest tributaries; joins the Beas at Bhuntar and supports major hydropower projects.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Uhl River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Important tributary known for the Uhl Hydroelectric Project.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Binwa River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drains the southern slopes of the Dhauladhar Range.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Neugal Khad<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seasonal stream contributing monsoon flows to the Beas.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Banganga River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Important tributary flowing through the Kangra Valley.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luni River (Himachal Pradesh)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Right Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Great Himalayan Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mountain stream contributing to the upper Beas basin.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Manuni Khad<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seasonal tributary supporting local irrigation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gaj Khad<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dhauladhar Range, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joins the Beas in the lower Kangra Valley.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chakki River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left Bank<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Siwalik Hills<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Himachal Pradesh and Punjab<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major tributary in the lower Beas basin; contributes significant monsoon runoff.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Important Dams &amp; Hydropower Projects on Beas River System<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Project\/Dam<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>River\/Tributary<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Location<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Type<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Installed Capacity<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Key Features<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pong Dam (Maharana Pratap Sagar)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beas River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multipurpose dam<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>396 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of India&#8217;s highest earth-fill dams; provides irrigation, flood control, fisheries, and hydropower generation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pandoh Dam<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beas River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diversion dam<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>990 MW*<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diverts Beas waters to the Sutlej River through the Beas\u2013Sutlej Link Project for power generation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dehar Power House<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beas\u2013Sutlej Link<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydropower project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>990 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Utilises water diverted from the Beas to generate electricity under the Beas Project.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Larji Hydroelectric Project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beas River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Run-of-the-river project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>126 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Generates power using the flow of the upper Beas River.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parbati River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Run-of-the-river project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>800 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major NHPC project on the largest tributary of the Beas.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Uhl Stage-III Hydroelectric Project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Uhl River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydropower project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>100 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Important project on the Uhl, a major tributary of the Beas.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Binwa Hydroelectric Project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Binwa River<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small hydropower project<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>6 MW<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Utilises the waters of the Binwa tributary for local power generation.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Also Read<\/h2>\n<table style=\"width: 100%;border-collapse: collapse;text-align: center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/yamuna-river-system-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yamuna River System<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/son-river-origin-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Son River<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/ganga-river-system-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ganga River System<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/jhelum-river\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jhelum River System<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/indus-river\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indus River System<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/godavari-river-system-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Godavari River System<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/brahmaputra-river-system-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brahmaputra River System<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 12px;border: 1px solid #000\"><a style=\"color: #393fd7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/indian-river-systems-upsc-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indian River Systems<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Importance of the Beas River<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The river is one of the five major eastern tributaries of the Indus River System and flows entirely in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It supplies irrigation water for agricultural land in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan through the Beas\u2013Sutlej link system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These include extensive hydropower projects like the Pong Dam, Pandoh Dam and Dehar Power House.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The waters of the Beas are given to India under the Indus Waters Treaty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It serves the purpose of flood control, drinking water supply and groundwater recharge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It supports fisheries, wetlands and biodiversity, including the Maharana Pratap Sagar wetland ecosystem.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Beas River is crucial for regional economic development, tourism and energy security throughout northern India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">FAQs on the Beas River<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"cfaq-wrapper\" data-multiple=\"0\"><div class=\"cfaq-item cfaq-open\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"true\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">1. Where does the Beas River originate?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\"><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The Beas River originates from Beas Kund, a glacial lake near Rohtang Pass in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, at an elevation of about 4,361 metres above sea level.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">2. What is the total length of the Beas River?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The Beas River has a total length of approximately 470 km, flowing entirely within India.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">3. Which states does the Beas River flow through?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The Beas River flows through the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab before merging with the Sutlej River.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">4. What are the major tributaries of the Beas River?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">Major tributaries of the Beas River include the Parbati, Uhl, Binwa, Banganga, Neugal, Gaj, Manuni, and Chakki rivers.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">5. Which are the important dams and hydropower projects on the Beas River?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">Key projects on the Beas River system include the Pong Dam (Maharana Pratap Sagar), Pandoh Dam, Dehar Power House, Larji Hydroelectric Project, and Parbati Hydroelectric Projects.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Beas River is one of the six major rivers of the Indus River System and is the only tributary river of the Indus which flows completely in India. The river&#8217;s source is Beas Kund, a glacial lake near Rohtang Pass in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh at about 4,361 metres above sea level. 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