China: Liu Shaochuang, a researcher with the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has challenged the origin of the river Indus. Using high-resolution, remote-sensing satellite images and a field investigation, Shaochuang claimed that the river’s originated from a valley in northeast of Kailash, the highest peak of the Gangdise Mountain, in the west region of Tibet.
“The headstream, called Banggokong by local Tibetans, is about 30 kilometres away from the place that Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, approximately 1000 years ago, believed was the source of the river,” said Shaochuang.
Shaochuang used remote-sensing images, with a resolution of up to 2.5 meters, provided by the French SPOT satellite system, to find the longest headstream of the Indus River, according to English.news.cn.
He also conducted a field investigation at the source in September to make sure it contained water, even in the dry season.
The Indus river, with a total length of around 3,000 kilometres, runs through China, India and Pakistan.
Source: Sify
