|Basin size||1,081,718 Km2|
|Population density||165 people/ Km2|
|Key economic activity||Agriculture|
|Threats||Climate change, water extraction, agricultural pollution, water infrastructure, 6 proposed large dams|
The Indus River is critical for Pakistan’s 160 million people, and irrigates 80% of its 21.5 million ha of agricultural land. The watershed is also an area of rich biodiversity, particularly where it opens to the Arabian Sea. The Indus river delta is a highly productive area for freshwater fauna and an important region for water birds.
The Indus river basin spans parts of 4 countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China) in an area that is more than 30% arid, and much drier than the nearby Ganges river basin.
The Indus is home to 25 amphibian species and 147 fish species of which 22 are found nowhere else in the world. It harbors the endangered Indus River Dolphin, one of the world's rarest mammals, with a population of no more than 1,100 individuals. Due to reduced river inflows, the delta has lost significant portions of its mangroves.