longest of the rivers that give Punjab (meaning “Five Rivers”) its name, rising in Lan-ka Ts'o (lake) in southwestern Tibet, at an elevation of more than 15,000 ft (4,600 m). Flowing northwest and west-southwest through Himalayan gorges, it crosses Himāchal Pradesh state (India) and enters the Punjab plain in Hoshiārpur district, Punjab state. Continuing southwest in a broad channel, it receives the Beās River and forms 65 mi (105 km) of the Indo-Pakistani border before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenāb River west of Bahāwalpur. The combined rivers then form the Panjnad, the link between the Five Rivers and the Indus.

The 900-mi- (1,450-km-) long Sutlej is used extensively for irrigation, and its exploitation was a source of constant dispute between India and Pakistan until agreement was reached in 1960. Major irrigation works include the Bhakra-Nangal Project, the Sirhind Canal, and the Sutlej Valley Project in both India and Pakistan.