One of the five rivers traversing the state of Punjab is the Jhelum River. It is a tributary of the Indus River and flows for about 480 miles (772 kilometers).

Jhelum River originates from a spring at Verinag, which is at the foot of Pir Panjal in the southeastern part of Kashmir Valley. It then flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake and enters Pakistan through a deep ravine. The largest tributary of the Jhelum is the Kishenganga (Neelum) River, which joins near Muzaffarabad. Jhelum enters Punjab in the Jhelum district. The river meets Chenab at Trimmu in Jhang district where it ends its course. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Pajnad River, and ultimately surrenders to the Indus River at Mithankot.

In ancient times the Indians called Jhelum `Vitasta` and the Greeks called it `Hydaspes`. The Greeks regarded this river a god as they did to most mountains and streams. Over the years the river has become a major tourist attraction because of the Mangla Dam that is one of the largest earth fill dams. In its course this river takes the form of a stream, which is a lovely site for camping in the trekking.

Water control structures are being built across the river, as a result of the Indus Basin Project includes the Mangla Dam, completed in 1967 and it is one of the largest earth fill dams in the world, with a storage capacity of 5.9 million acre-feet. The Rasul Barrage is also constructed in 1967 across River Jhelum and has a maximum flow of 850,000 ft³/s, while the Trimmu Barrage, constructed in 1939 at the convergence point with the Chenab, has maximum discharge capacity of 645,000 ft³/s. Several canals are also constructed along the riverside. The Upper Jhelum Canal runs from Mangla to the Chenab, while the Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal runs from the Rasul barrage to the Chenab. The Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal connects the Chashma Barrage on the Indus River to the Jhelum River downstream of Rasul Barrage.