Dras River

Last updated

Dras River
Drasvalley.JPG
Dras River
India Ladakh relief map.svg
Red pog.svg
The confluence of the Dras River with the Suru River
Location
Country India
Union Territory Ladakh
District Kargil
Physical characteristics
Source 34°16′20″N75°31′47″E / 34.272303°N 75.529832°E / 34.272303; 75.529832
  location Machoi Glacier near Zojila
  elevation4,400 m (14,400 ft)
Mouth 34°35′41″N76°07′13″E / 34.5946°N 76.1202°E / 34.5946; 76.1202
  location
Suru River at Kharul Kargil
  elevation
3,618 m (11,870 ft)
Length86 km (53 mi)
Discharge 
  average212 m3/s (7,500 cu ft/s)

The Dras River, also spelt Drass River, is a river in the Kargil district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It originates below the Zoji La pas in the Great Himalayan range and flows northeast towards Kargil, where it joins the Suru River. The Shingo River, which flows in a parallel direction in Pakistan-administered Baltistan, also joins the Dras River. The combined river is alternatively called Suru, Drass and Shingo by various local groups.

Contents

The Dras River valley is traversed by the National Highway 1D that connects Srinagar in Kashmir with Leh in Ladakh. It represents a historic trade route.

Course

The Dras River is 86 km (53 mi) long and flows entirely in the Dras Valley. Its source lies in the Machoi Glacier near Zojila Pass, the gateway to Ladakh, 26 km (16 mi) east of Sonamarg and 120 km (75 mi) east of Srinagar, the summer capital (May - October) of Jammu and Kashmir. [1] [2] The Machoi Glacier is also the source of the Sind River, which flows through the neighbouring Kashmir Valley in the opposite direction to the Dras River. [3] The Dras River flows northeast, fed by many glacial streams. NH 1D, a national highway connecting Srinagar with Ladakh (Kargil and Leh), runs parallel to the river. The river forms the Dras Valley at Dras, [2] where it is joined by two tributaries, the Mashko Nala and Gamru Nala, which originate in the glaciers of Mashko Valley. [3] In the Dras Valley, the road connecting Dras and Gurais runs parallel to the river.

The confluence of the Dras (left) and Shingo rivers Singomeetsdras.JPG
The confluence of the Dras (left) and Shingo rivers

The Shingo River joins the Dras River at Latoo near Kaksar, and doubles the flow of the river. The Shingo River originates in the Chota Deosai Plains north of Minimarg (Astore District, Gilgit-Baltistan) and flows east. [4] [2]

The combined Dras and Shingo rivers join the Suru River at Kharul, 7 km (4.3 mi) north of the town of Kargil. [2] The Suru River is a left tributary of the Indus River. [5] It originates from the Panzella glacier near Pensi La, flows northwards and merges with the Indus River at Nurla in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, 5 km (3.1 mi) north of its confluence with the Dras River. It enters the Pakistani-Administered Kashmir at Post 43 of India or Post 44 of Pakistan. [6]

Habitation

The Dras River flows through the towns of Matayan, Pandrass, Troungjen, Dras, Bhimbat, Thasgam, Shimsha, Kharbu and Kakshar. The largest settlement on its banks is Dras, which is the second-coldest inhabited place in the world after Siberia. [7] The water flow of the river increases during the late summer, due to the heavy melting of glaciers. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladakh</span> Region administered by India

Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India and China since 1959. Ladakh is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, both the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by the Indian Government as part of Ladakh, but has been under Chinese control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanskar</span> Tehsil of Kargil district, Ladakh, India

Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum. Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was briefly a part of the kingdom of Guge in Western Tibet. Zanskar lies 250 km south of Kargil town on NH301.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil district</span> District of Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Kargil district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region. It is one of the two districts comprising the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh. The district headquarters are in the city of Kargil. The district is bounded by the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the west, the Pakistani-administered administrative territory of Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, Ladakh's Leh district to the east, and the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south. Encompassing three historical regions known as Purig, Dras and Zanskar, the district lies to the northeast of the Great Himalayas and encompasses the majority of the Zanskar Range. Its population inhabits the river valleys of the Dras, Suru, Wakha Rong, and Zanskar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil</span> Town in Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

Kargil or Kargyil is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the joint capital of Ladakh, an Indian-administered union territory. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located 204 kilometres (127 mi) east of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, and 234 kilometres (145 mi) to the west of Leh. It is on the bank of the Suru River near its confluence with the Wakha Rong river, the latter providing the most accessible route to Leh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Ladakh</span>

Ladakh is an administrative territory of India that has been under its control since 1947. The geographical region of Ladakh union territory is the highest altitude plateau region in India, incorporating parts of the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River and valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun Kun</span> Mountain in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Nun Kun is a mountain massif of the greater Himalayan range, located on the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in northern India. It consists of two main peaks: Nun and Kun, separated from each other by a 4 km long snowy plateau, with a third peak of the massif, known as Pinnacle Peak, lying at its eastern end. Nun is the tallest peak of Jammu and Kashmir, while its sister peak Kun lies in Ladakh. It is about 250 km (160 mi) east of Srinagar. The Nun Kun massif is bounded to the north by the Suru valley and the Zanskar range, flanked to the east by the Pensi La (4400 m), which separates the Suru and Zanskar Valleys, while the Kishtwar National Park and the Krash Nai river lie to its south. The rocks predominantly are stratified sedimentary rocks composed of shale and sandstone. Metamorphic rocks and granite formations are also seen at places. The area is rich in minerals, especially garnets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suru River (Indus)</span> River in India and Pakistan

The Suru River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows largely through the Kargil district of Ladakh, India into Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. The Suru Valley is coextensive with the Kargil tehsil, with the town of Kargil situated on its banks. The river enters the Kharmang District of Gilgit-Baltistan, coursing a brief length before joining the Indus near Marol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shingo River</span> River in Pakistan and India

The Shingo River is a tributary of the Indus River, and flows through Gilgit-Baltistan and Kargil regions. The river originates in Pakistan's Gilgit-Batistan region and flows into the Kargil district where it joins the Dras River. The combined river receives the waters of the Suru River and flows into Baltistan again, joining the Indus River river near Marol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drang-Drung Glacier</span> Glacier in India

The Drang-Drung Glacier is a mountain glacier near the Pensi La pass on the Kargil-Zanskar Road in the Kargil district of Ladakh in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyok River</span> River in India and Pakistan

The Shyok River is a tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan, in Pakistan, spanning some 550 km (340 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dras</span> Town in Ladakh, India

Dras, also known locally in Shina as Himababs, Hembabs, or Humas, is a town and hill station, near Kargil in the Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is on the NH 1 between Zoji La pass and Kargil. A tourist hub for its high-altitude trekking routes and tourist sites, it is often called "The Gateway to Ladakh". The government's official spelling of the town's name is "Drass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doda River</span> River in India

The Doda River or the Stod River is a river 79 kilometres (49 mi) long, which forms the Stod Valley in the Zanskar valley of the Leh district in the Union Territory of Ladakh in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsarap River</span> River in Ladakh, India

Tsarap River, also known as Tsarap Chu, forms the eastern part of the Zanskar valley, in the Ladakh union territory of India. The 182 km (113 mi) long river is used for irrigation in riparian villages, and for adventure sports by tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoji La</span> Himalayan mountain pass in Ladakh, India

Zoji La is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is in the Kargil district, Indian Union territory of Ladakh. Located in the Dras subdivision, the pass connects the Kashmir Valley to its west with the Dras and Suru valleys to its northeast and the Indus valley further east. National Highway #1 between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range, traverses the pass. As of late 2022, an all-weather Zoji-la Tunnel is under construction to mitigate seasonal road blockages due to heavy snowfall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machoi Peak</span>


Mechoi Peak is a mountain with a peak elevation of 17,694 ft, in Drass region of Ladakh,India. Mechoi Peak is part of the Himalaya Range, and is located between Amarnath cave and Zojila. It lies 105 km north east from Srinagar, 25 km from Sonamarg in the east and 30 km from Drass. It rises from the glacier of its name Mechoi Glacier and is the source of Dras River in Drass, Ladakh. Mechoi Peak rises from the Mechoi glacier and is a pyramid-shaped peak with ice falls and ice fields at its bottom and ridges.

The Machoi Glacier is a 9 kilometer long glacier in the Himalayan Range in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, India.

The Shafat GlacierParkachik Glacier is a 14 kilometres (9 mi) long glacier in the Himalayan Range in Ladakh, India.

Olding, originally Olthingthang or Olthing Thang, is a village in the Dras River valley in the Kharmang District of Baltistan, Pakistan. The village is 8,676 feet (2,644 m) above the sea level. It is close to the India-Pakistan border (LOC), and lies on the traditional trade route between Baltistan and Ladakh via Kargil.

Hardas is a village in Kargil district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh, close to the India–Pakistan border (LOC). The village is located 10 kilometres north of Kargil, the district headquarters, on the left of the Dras River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road</span> Road in India

Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road (NPDR) or Zanskar Highway is a road between the Indian union territory of Ladakh and the state of Himachal Pradesh, passing through the region of Zanskar. It connects Nimmu in the Indus Valley to Padum, the capital of Zanskar, and to Darcha village in Lahul and Spiti. It provides an alternative to the Leh–Manali Highway in linking Ladakh with the rest of India. It was built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) of the Indian Army. The construction of road was completed in March 2024. The already completed Atal tunnel, and the proposed unidirectional-twin-tube total-4-lane Shingo La Tunnel, which is expected to be completed by 2025 will provide all weather connectivity and reduce the distance from Manali to Kargil by 522 km.

References

  1. "Kargil the Suru valley". gaffarkashmir.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Omacanda Hāṇḍā (2001). Buddhist Western Himalaya: A politico-religious history. Indus Publishing, 2001. p. -67. ISBN   9788173871245 . Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 Harish Kapadia (1999). Across Peaks & Passes in Ladakh, Zanskar & East Karakoram. Indus Publishing, 1999. p. -226. ISBN   9788173871009 . Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  4. Kapadia, Harish (1999), Across Peaks & Passes in Ladakh, Zanskar & East Karakoram, Indus Publishing, pp. 226–, ISBN   978-81-7387-100-9
  5. S. S. Negi (2002). Cold Deserts of India. Indus Publishing, 2002. p. -13. ISBN   9788173871276 . Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  6. "Rivers of Ladakh". ladakh.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  7. M.S. Kohli (2004). Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure, Pilgrimage. Indus Publishing, 2004. p. -124. ISBN   9788173871351 . Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  8. Sharad Singh Negi (1991). Himalayan Rivers, Lakes, and Glaciers Informative books on the himalayas-forestry-environment. Indus Publishing, 1991. p. -61. ISBN   9788185182612 . Retrieved 27 August 2012.

Further reading