Editing Indus River (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Sukkur Skyline along the shores of the River Indus.jpg|thumb|400px|Skyline of [[Sukkur]] along the shores of the Indus River]]
The Indus is the most important supplier of water resources to the [[Punjab]] and Sindh plains – it forms the backbone of agriculture and food production in Pakistan. The river is especially critical since rainfall is meagre in the lower Indus valley. [[Canal|Irrigation canals]] were first built by the people of the [[Indus Valley civilisation]], and later by the engineers of the [[Kushan Empire]] and the [[Mughal Empire]]. Modern irrigation was introduced by the [[British East India Company]] in 1850 – the construction of modern canals accompanied with the restoration of old canals. The British supervised the construction of one of the most complex irrigation networks in the world. The [[Guddu Barrage]] is {{cvt|1350|m}} long – irrigating [[Sukkur]], [[Jacobabad]], [[Larkana]] and [[Kalat District|Kalat]]. The [[Sukkur Barrage]] serves over {{cvt|20000|km2}}.

After Pakistan came into existence, a [[Indus Waters Treaty|water control treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960]] guaranteed that Pakistan would receive water from the Indus River and its two tributaries the [[Jhelum River]] and the [[Chenab River]] independently of upstream control by India.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0003769 |title=Tarabela Dam |publisher=structurae.the cat in the hat |access-date=9 July 2007 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629115912/http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0003769 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Indus Basin Project]] consisted primarily of the construction of two main dams, the [[Mangla Dam]] built on the Jhelum River and the [[Tarbela Dam]] constructed on the Indus River, together with their subsidiary dams.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-286834/Indus-Basin-project |title=Indus Basin Project |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=9 July 2007 }}</ref> The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority undertook the construction of the Chashma-Jhelum link canal – linking the waters of the Indus and Jhelum rivers – extending water supplies to the regions of [[Bahawalpur]] and [[Multan]]. Pakistan constructed the [[Tarbela Dam]] near [[Rawalpindi]] – standing {{convert|2743|m|sigfig=3}} long and {{convert|143|m|sigfig=2}} high, with an {{convert|80|km|adj=on|sigfig=2}} long reservoir. It supports the [[Chashma Barrage]] near Dera Ismail Khan for irrigation use and flood control and the [[Taunsa Barrage]] near [[Dera Ghazi Khan]] which also produces 100,000&nbsp;kilowatts of electricity. The [[Kotri Barrage]] near [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]] is {{convert|915|m|ft|sigfig=2}} long and provides additional water supplies for Karachi. The extensive linking of tributaries with the Indus has helped spread water resources to the valley of [[Peshawar]], in the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]. The extensive irrigation and dam projects provide the basis for Pakistan's large production of crops such as cotton, [[sugarcane]] and wheat. The dams also generate electricity for heavy industries and urban centres.