India, May 5 -- The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) obligates both India and Pakistan to ensure that rivers under this treaty continue to flow unobstructed. The Indus originates from near Mount Kailash in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in China and shares its headwaters with the Brahmaputra. While the latter flows to the east along the Himalayas and empties into the Bay of Bengal, the Indus flows west, taking a sharp turn around Nanga Parbat, entering India at Demchok, reaching Leh where the Zanskar and Shyok river join. The river then enters the Pakistan occupied Kashmir, descending into the plains of Punjab after Attock, before eventually draining into the Arabian sea through the Sindh province of Pakistan.

Beginnings of a River

The Indus is...