From Beas Kund to Punjab

The Beas rises at Beas Kund near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. A Central Pollution Control Board report traces it from Kullu district to its meeting with the Sutlej at Harike Pattan in Punjab. The report lists tributaries including the Parvati and Uhal, also spelled Parbati and Uhl. The Beas is one of the five traditionally named in Punjab’s geography, although its upper catchment lies in the Himalayas. Its course connects mountain valleys and the plains with the wetland landscape at its confluence. The board gives a total course of about 470 kilometres, including roughly 245 kilometres in Himachal Pradesh; these figures describe its report, rather than a new measurement.[1]

Dams and the Beas–Sutlej link

The Bhakra Beas Management Board describes the Beas Project as including a link to the Sutlej and the Pong dam. Its account places these works in a history of irrigation and hydroelectric development in northern India. The engineered link should be distinguished from the rivers’ natural meeting near Harike: they are different connections made for different purposes. An operator’s account explains planned uses and design choices, while a fuller history also needs the experiences of communities affected by reservoirs and changes in river flow. Water projects can alter habitats as well as provide water and electricity.[2]

A home for river dolphins

The Beas is habitat for the Indus river dolphin in India. WWF describes the species as adapted to murky water and using echolocation to navigate and find prey. It also identifies barriers and accidental capture in fishing nets among threats to river dolphins. The presence of a species in the river does not mean that it can be seen reliably at any particular place or time. Conservation depends on the condition and connectivity of habitat as well as on monitoring the animals themselves. The Beas shows how a working river can also support wildlife of international significance.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Central Pollution Control Board, India. Assessment of Impact of Lockdown on Water Quality of Major Rivers ↗Government environmental report · Source date: 2020-09-23 · Locator: Printed p. 5, section 2.1: Beas origin, confluence and tributaries. Accessed 2026-11-05.The report’s title page and Beas geography passage were read through the web reader; a local ranged request returned PDF content. Its 2020 water-quality measurements are not presented as current conditions.Return to From Beas Kund to Punjab, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Bhakra Beas Management Board. Beas Project ↗Written source · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Beas Project Unit I and Unit II, indexed text. Accessed 2026-11-04.Board’s indexed project history checked for the Beas–Satluj link and Pong project; direct page timed out.Return to Dams and the Beas–Sutlej link, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. World Wildlife Fund. Indus River dolphins ↗Written source · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Species overview and threats. Accessed 2026-11-04.WWF species account checked for Beas habitat, echolocation and threats; no population survey was independently conducted.Return to A home for river dolphins, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-PLA-0186 · English edition · human review not performed