Chitral River

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title: "Chitral River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-afghanistan", "rivers-of-khyber-pakhtunkhwa", "kabul-river", "landforms-of-nuristan-province", "landforms-of-kunar-province", "landforms-of-nangarhar-province", "chitral", "upper-chitral-district", "international-rivers-of-asia", "rivers-of-pakistan"] description: "River in Pakistan and Afghanistan" topic_path: "geography/pakistan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitral_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in Pakistan and Afghanistan ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Chitral River
name_other	Kunar
name_etymology
image	Image:Kunarriver.jpg
map	Kunar (rivière).png
map_size	280px
map_caption	Course of the Chitral River
pushpin_map_caption
subdivision_type1	Countries
subdivision_name1	Pakistan and Afghanistan
subdivision_type2	Provinces
subdivision_name2	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan)
(Afghanistan)
subdivision_name5
length	480 km
discharge1_max
source1	Hindu Kush Mountains in Chitral
mouth	Kabul River
mouth_location	Jalalabad
progression
basin_size	26000 km2
tributaries_left	Shishi River
tributaries_right	Lotkoh River, Landai Sin River, Pech River
::

| name = Chitral River | native_name = | name_other = Kunar | name_etymology = | image = Image:Kunarriver.jpg | image_size = | image_caption = | map = Kunar (rivière).png | map_size = 280px | map_caption = Course of the Chitral River | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption = | subdivision_type1 = Countries | subdivision_name1 = Pakistan and Afghanistan | subdivision_type2 = Provinces | subdivision_name2 = Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) (Afghanistan) | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = | length = 480 km | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location = | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = | discharge1_max = | source1 = Hindu Kush Mountains in Chitral | source1_location = | source1_coordinates = | source1_elevation = | mouth = Kabul River | mouth_location = Jalalabad | mouth_coordinates = | mouth_elevation = | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = 26000 km2 | tributaries_left = Shishi River | tributaries_right = Lotkoh River, Landai Sin River, Pech River | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra =

The Chitral River, also known in Afghanistan as the Kunar River, is a 480 km long river in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. It originates from the Chiantar glacier, located at the border of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral in Pakistan. At Arandu it enters into Afghanistan, where it is called the Kunar River. It later merges with Kabul river in Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. The river system is fed by melting glaciers and snow of the Hindu Kush mountains. The Chitral River serves as a major tributary of the Kabul river, which is in turn a tributary of the Indus River in Pakistan.

Origin and course of flow

The river rises in the far north glaciated Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral, Pakistan, where it is referred to as Chitral river. Around 60% to 70% of annual discharge of Kunar river originates from Chitral. Downstream as far as the town of Mastuj, it is called as the Mastuj river, until its confluence with the Lotkoh river. Kunar then turns southwards into the upper Kunar Valley of Afghanistan. At the confluence in Asadabad, it meets with Pech River and finally empties into the Kabul River just to the east of the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan. The combined rivers then flow eastwards into Pakistan again, and joins the Indus River at the city of Attock. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/A_view_of_the_Kunar_River_Valley_from_a_U.S._Army_UH-60_Black_Hawk_helicopter_assigned_to_the_10th_Combat_Aviation_Brigade_flying_over_Kunar_province,_Afghanistan,_Jan._2,_2014_140102-A-MH207-960.jpg" caption="Kunar river in the Kunar valley, Afghanistan"] ::

References

References

1. Rahman, Atta-ur-. (2014). "Mountain Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction". Springer.
2. ''The Afghan War, 1838-1842: From the Journal and Correspondence of the Late Major-General Augustus Abbott'', editor [[Charles Rathbone Low]], publisher R. Bentley & Son, 1879, [https://books.google.com/books?id=mh8PAAAAYAAJ Google Books]
3. Ahmad, Mahmood. (2023-09-26). "Water Policy in Pakistan: Issues and Options". Springer Nature.
4. (2021-03-25). "Water Resources of Pakistan: Issues and Impacts". Springer Nature.
5. (2008). "Pakistan & the Karakoram". [[Lonely Planet]].

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