Sutlej River, an important tributary of the Indus River is the longest of the five rivers. It flows through Punjab in northern India as well as Pakistan. It originates from the snow filled Mansarovar Lake in Tibet and ends in Pakistani Punjab near the port city of Karachi. Sutlej River is situated at an altitude of 20,000 feet above mean sea level. The Sutlej is the easternmost tributary of Indus River with a total length of 1550 kilometers out of which 529 kilometers is in Pakistan.

The Sutlej River joins the Beas River in Punjab, India and then continues in the southwest direction in Pakistan to join the Chenab River. This forms the Panjnad River in the south of ancient Multan.

The river water is mainly used for power generation and irrigation and many large canals draw water from it. There are many hydroelectric and irrigation projects across the river such as the Bhakra Nangal Dam, Kol Dam, Nathpa Jhakri project and Baspa hydel scheme.