Jhelum River: Difference between revisions

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| basin_size =  
| basin_size =  
| river_system = [[Indus River]]
| river_system = [[Indus River]]
| tributaries_left = [[Poonch River]], [[Sukhnag River]]
| tributaries_left = [[Poonch River]], [[Sukhnag River]], [[Veshaw River]], [[Rambiara River]], [[Ramoshi River]], [[Doodh Ganga]],[[Ferozpur Nalla River]], [[Ningle Nalla]], [[Pohru River]]
| tributaries_right = [[Arpath River]], [[Lidder River]], [[Neelum River|Kishanganga River/Neelum River]], [[Sind River]], [[Kunhar River]], [[Pohru River]], [[Erin River]]
| tributaries_right = [[Arpath River]], [[Lidder River]], [[Neelum River|Kishanganga River/Neelum River]], [[Sind River]], [[Kunhar River]], [[Pohru River]], [[Erin River]]
}}
}}


The '''Jhelum River'''{{efn|{{IPA|ks|ʋʲatʰ dərʲjaːʋ}}; {{IPA|pa|d͡ʒéˈlɐm / véːt̪ᵊ nəˈd̪iː}}; {{IPA|skr|veˈɦət̪ dəɾˌjɑː}}; {{IPA|ur|dəɾˌjɑː.e d͡ʒeɦˈləm}}}} is a major river in [[South Asia]], flowing through [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the [[Punjab]] region. It originates at [[Verinag]] and flows through the Indian-administered territory of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, then the Pakistani province of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. It is a [[tributary]] of the [[Chenab River]] and has a total length of about {{convert|725|km|mi}}.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303711/Jhelum-River "Jhelum River"]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501063959/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303711/Jhelum-River |date=1 May 2015 }}. Retrieved on 4 October 2013.</ref>
The '''Jhelum River'''{{efn|{{IPA|ks|ʋʲatʰ dərʲjaːʋ}}; {{IPA|pa|d͡ʒéˈlɐm / véːt̪ᵊ nəˈd̪iː}}; {{IPA|skr|veˈɦət̪ dəɾˌjɑː}}; {{IPA|ur|dəɾˌjɑː.e d͡ʒeɦˈləm}}}} is a major river in [[South Asia]], flowing through [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the [[Punjab]] region. It originates at [[Verinag]] in Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], flows into Pakistan-administered [[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]], and then through the [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] province of Pakistan. It is a [[tributary]] of the [[Chenab River]] and has a total length of about {{convert|725|km|mi}}.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303711/Jhelum-River "Jhelum River"]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501063959/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303711/Jhelum-River |date=1 May 2015 }}. Retrieved on 4 October 2013.</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
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A [[Pakistanis|Pakistani]] author, Anjum Sultan Shahbaz, recorded some stories of the name Jhelum in his book ''Tareekh-e-Jhelum'':{{quote|'Many writers have different opinions about the name of Jhelum. One suggestion is that in ancient days Jhelumabad was known as Jalham. The word Jhelum is reportedly derived from the words Jal (pure water) and Ham (snow). The name thus refers to the waters of a river (flowing beside the city) which have their origins in the snow-capped [[Himalayas]].<ref>{{Cite book |author=Shahbaz, Anjum Sultan |year=2003 |title=Tārīkh-i Jihlam |language=ur |location=Main Bazar, Jhelum |publisher=Buk Kārnar [Book Corner] |oclc=60589679}}</ref>}}
A [[Pakistanis|Pakistani]] author, Anjum Sultan Shahbaz, recorded some stories of the name Jhelum in his book ''Tareekh-e-Jhelum'':{{quote|'Many writers have different opinions about the name of Jhelum. One suggestion is that in ancient days Jhelumabad was known as Jalham. The word Jhelum is reportedly derived from the words Jal (pure water) and Ham (snow). The name thus refers to the waters of a river (flowing beside the city) which have their origins in the snow-capped [[Himalayas]].<ref>{{Cite book |author=Shahbaz, Anjum Sultan |year=2003 |title=Tārīkh-i Jihlam |language=ur |location=Main Bazar, Jhelum |publisher=Buk Kārnar [Book Corner] |oclc=60589679}}</ref>}}


The [[Sanskrit]] name for the river is ''Vitástā'', derived from an apocryphal{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} legend regarding the origin of the river in the [[Nilamata Purana]]. The name survives in the [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] name for this river, ''Vyath'' and in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] (and more commonly in [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Punjab Portal |url=https://gazetteers.punjab.gov.pk/uploads/flipbooks/khushab/2021/files/basic-html/page15.html&ved=2ahUKEwj1nIaG89SGAxWHQEEAHfCTB5wQFnoECDkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0c_Q_5BbfLvUwUJ4bTtjy- |access-date=12 June 2024 |quote=or Vehat, the latter name being more common towards the south of the district.}}</ref>) as ''Vehat''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Soofi |first=Mushtaq |date=2015-11-20 |title=Punjab Notes: Vehat: where great warriors clashed |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1220932 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> It was called the [[Battle of the Hydaspes|Hydaspes]] by the armies of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Locke |first=Ralph P. |date=2016 |title=Alexander the Great and the Indian Rajah Puru. Exoticism in a Metastasio Libretto As Set by Hasse and by Handel |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44739484 |journal=Revue de Musicologie |volume=102 |issue=2 |pages=275–317 |jstor=44739484 |issn=0035-1601 |quote=The elephants of Puru's army were overwhelmed by the Greeks' horses in 326 BC on the left bank of the Hydaspes, a river - also known as the Jhelum or Jhelam - that is located in what is today Pakistan}}</ref>
The [[Sanskrit]] name for the river is ''Vitástā'', derived from an apocryphal<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vedakumārī |title=Studies in phonetics and phonology: with special reference to Dogri |date=1991 |publisher=Ariana Publ. House |isbn=978-81-85347-20-2 |edition=1. publ |location=New Delhi |pages=45-47}}</ref> legend regarding the origin of the river in the [[Nilamata Purana]]. The name survives in the [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] name for this river, ''Vyath'' and in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] (and more commonly in [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Punjab Portal |url=https://gazetteers.punjab.gov.pk/uploads/flipbooks/khushab/2021/files/basic-html/page15.html&ved=2ahUKEwj1nIaG89SGAxWHQEEAHfCTB5wQFnoECDkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0c_Q_5BbfLvUwUJ4bTtjy- |access-date=12 June 2024 |quote=or Vehat, the latter name being more common towards the south of the district.}}</ref>) as ''Vehat''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Soofi |first=Mushtaq |date=2015-11-20 |title=Punjab Notes: Vehat: where great warriors clashed |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1220932 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> It was called the [[Battle of the Hydaspes|Hydaspes]] by the armies of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Locke |first=Ralph P. |date=2016 |title=Alexander the Great and the Indian Rajah Puru. Exoticism in a Metastasio Libretto As Set by Hasse and by Handel |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44739484 |journal=Revue de Musicologie |volume=102 |issue=2 |pages=275–317 |jstor=44739484 |issn=0035-1601 |quote=The elephants of Puru's army were overwhelmed by the Greeks' horses in 326 BC on the left bank of the Hydaspes, a river - also known as the Jhelum or Jhelam - that is located in what is today Pakistan}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
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The river Jhelum was originally recognized by the name Vitasta. The river was called ''Hydaspes'' ({{langx|el|Ὑδάσπης}}) by the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]].
The river Jhelum was originally recognized by the name Vitasta. The river was called ''Hydaspes'' ({{langx|el|Ὑδάσπης}}) by the [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]].


[[Alexander the Great|Alexander III of Macedon]] and his army crossed the Jhelum in BCE 326 at the [[Battle of the Hydaspes River]], where he defeated an Indian king, [[King Porus|Porus]]. According to [[Arrian]] (''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'', 29), he built a city "on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes", which he named ''[[Boukephala and Nikaia|Bukephala]]'' (or ''Bucephala'') to honour his famous horse [[Bucephalus]], buried in present-day [[Jalalpur Sharif]]. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern [[Jhelum]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} According to [[Gujrat District|Gujrat district]] historian Mansoor Behzad Butt, Bukephalus was buried in Jalalpur Sharif, but the people of [[Mandi Bahauddin]], a district close to Jehlum, believed that their [[tehsil]] [[Phalia]] was named after Alexander's dead horse, saying that the name ''Phalia'' was a distortion of ''Bucephala''.
According to Greek sources, [[Alexander the Great|Alexander III of Macedon]] and his army crossed the Jhelum River in 326 BCE and defeated the Indian King [[Porus]] at the [[Battle of the Hydaspes River|Battle of the Hydaspes]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Arrian |url=http://archive.org/details/cu31924026460752 |title=The Anabasis of Alexander; or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great. Literally translated, with a commentary, from the Greek of Arrian, the Nicomedian |date=1884 |publisher=London, Hodder and Stoughton |others=Cornell University Library |pages=280-295}}</ref> After the battle, Alexander founded two cities: [[Boukephala and Nikaia|Nikaia]], on the site where the battle was fought, and  [[Boukephala and Nikaia|Bucephala]], located at the site where he first crossed the River Hydaspes and subsequently named in honor of his recently deceased horse, [[Bucephalus|Bucephalas]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of Anabasis of Alexander, by Arrian. |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46976/46976-h/46976-h.htm#Page_295 |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref>
 
The modern-day town of [[Jalalpur Sharif]], outside Jhelum, is said to be where Bucephalus is buried.<ref>[[Michael Wood (historian)|Michael Wood]], "In the footsteps of Alexander the Great".</ref> Residents of the nearby [[Mandi Bahauddin District|Mandi Bahauddin]] district believe that their [[tehsil]], the town of [[Phalia]], is named after Alexander's horse, saying that the name ''Phalia'' was a distortion of ''Bucephala''.{{cn|date=July 2025}}


The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to [[Pakistan]] under the terms of the [[Indus Waters Treaty]]. India is working on a [[hydropower]] project on a tributary of Jhelum river to establish first-use rights on the river water over Pakistan as per the [[Indus Waters Treaty]].<ref>{{cite web |title=India fast-tracks work on Jhelum river hydroelectric power project |url=http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/25214132/India-fasttracks-work-on-Jhel.html |access-date=25 May 2010 |archive-date=3 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603211347/http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/25214132/India-fasttracks-work-on-Jhel.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to [[Pakistan]] under the terms of the [[Indus Waters Treaty]]. India is working on a [[hydropower]] project on a tributary of Jhelum river to establish first-use rights on the river water over Pakistan as per the [[Indus Waters Treaty]].<ref>{{cite web |title=India fast-tracks work on Jhelum river hydroelectric power project |url=http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/25214132/India-fasttracks-work-on-Jhel.html |access-date=25 May 2010 |archive-date=3 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603211347/http://www.livemint.com/2010/05/25214132/India-fasttracks-work-on-Jhel.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
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==Course==
==Course==
=== Present course ===
The river Jhelum rises from Verinag spring at the foot of the [[Pir Panjal]] in the southeastern Kashmir Valley administered by India. It is joined by its tributaries  
The river Jhelum rises from Verinag spring at the foot of the [[Pir Panjal]] in the southeastern Kashmir Valley administered by India. It is joined by its tributaries  
* [[Lidder River]] near village Mirgund at [[Khanabal]]  
* [[Lidder River]] near village Mirgund at [[Khanabal]]  
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Most of the villages and important cities of Kashmir valley are situated on the banks of Jhelum.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=District Survey Report On Kashmir |url=https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f4b9ec30ad9f68f89b29639786cb62ef/uploads/2018/11/2018112886.pdf |journal=District Survey Report |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214235016/https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f4b9ec30ad9f68f89b29639786cb62ef/uploads/2018/11/2018112886.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Most of the villages and important cities of Kashmir valley are situated on the banks of Jhelum.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=District Survey Report On Kashmir |url=https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f4b9ec30ad9f68f89b29639786cb62ef/uploads/2018/11/2018112886.pdf |journal=District Survey Report |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214235016/https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f4b9ec30ad9f68f89b29639786cb62ef/uploads/2018/11/2018112886.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Historical course ===
The Jhelum may have once flowed in a southeastern direction into the Chenab valley, which is the opposite of its present course.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Krishnan |first=M. S. |title=Geology of India and Burma |publisher=Higginbothams |year=1956 |edition=3rd |pages=22–25 |chapter=The Indus System}}</ref> Some evidence of this is that some of the present tributaries of the Jhelum join it in a direction opposite to the present course of the river and the greater topographical maturity of the Chenab valley compared to the Jhelum valley.<ref name=":0" />


==Lakes==
==Lakes==

Latest revision as of 01:53, 10 November 2025

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The Jhelum RiverTemplate:Efn is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, flows into Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and then through the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of about Script error: No such module "convert"..[1]

Etymology

File:Vitasta at Verinag.jpg
Verinag Spring is a major source of Jhelum River

A Pakistani author, Anjum Sultan Shahbaz, recorded some stories of the name Jhelum in his book Tareekh-e-Jhelum:Template:Quote

The Sanskrit name for the river is Vitástā, derived from an apocryphal[2] legend regarding the origin of the river in the Nilamata Purana. The name survives in the Kashmiri name for this river, Vyath and in Punjabi (and more commonly in Saraiki[3]) as Vehat.[4] It was called the Hydaspes by the armies of Alexander the Great.[5]

History

File:Picjhelum.jpg
A passenger traversing the river precariously seated in a small suspended cradle Circa 1900

The river Jhelum was originally recognized by the name Vitasta. The river was called Hydaspes (Template:Langx) by the ancient Greeks.

According to Greek sources, Alexander III of Macedon and his army crossed the Jhelum River in 326 BCE and defeated the Indian King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes.[6] After the battle, Alexander founded two cities: Nikaia, on the site where the battle was fought, and Bucephala, located at the site where he first crossed the River Hydaspes and subsequently named in honor of his recently deceased horse, Bucephalas.[7]

The modern-day town of Jalalpur Sharif, outside Jhelum, is said to be where Bucephalus is buried.[8] Residents of the nearby Mandi Bahauddin district believe that their tehsil, the town of Phalia, is named after Alexander's horse, saying that the name Phalia was a distortion of Bucephala.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. India is working on a hydropower project on a tributary of Jhelum river to establish first-use rights on the river water over Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty.[9]

Legends

File:Art captioned “Hindoo (Hindu) picture emblematic of the creation of the river Jhelum or Vetasta”, ca.1882.webp
The creation of the Jhelum river according to Hindu theology

According to Hindu puranas, the goddess Parvati was requested by the sage Kashyapa to come to Kashmir to purify the land from the evil practices and impurities of the pishachas living there. Parvati assumed the form of a river in the netherworld. Her consort Shiva struck with his spear near the abode of Nila, (Verinag spring). With this stroke of the spear, Parvati emerged from the netherworld. He excavated a ditch measuring one vitasti using the spear,[10] through which the river, originating from the netherworld, came out, and so he gave her the name Vitástā.[11]

The ancient Greeks also regarded the river as a god, as they did most mountains and streams. The poet Nonnus in the Dionysiaca[12] calls the Hydaspes a titan-descended god, the son of the sea-god Thaumas and the cloud-goddess Elektra, the brother of Iris, goddess of the rainbow, and half-brother to the harpies, the snatching winds. Since the river is in a foreign country, it is not clear whether they named the river after the god, or whether the god Hydaspes was named after the river.

Course

Present course

The river Jhelum rises from Verinag spring at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the southeastern Kashmir Valley administered by India. It is joined by its tributaries

It flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake before entering Pakistan-administered Kashmir through a deep narrow gorge. The Kishanganga River/Neelum River, the largest tributary of the Jhelum, joins it at Domel, Muzaffarabad, as does the next largest, the Kunhar River of Kaghan Valley. It is then joined by the Poonch River, and flows into the Mangla Dam reservoir in the Mirpur District. The Jhelum enters Pakistani Punjab in the Jhelum District. From there, it flows through the plains of Pakistan's Punjab, forming the boundary between the Jech and Sindh Sagar Doabs. It ends in a confluence with the Chenab River at Trimmu in the Jhang District. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Panjnad River, which joins the Indus River at Mithankot.

Most of the villages and important cities of Kashmir valley are situated on the banks of Jhelum.[13]

Historical course

The Jhelum may have once flowed in a southeastern direction into the Chenab valley, which is the opposite of its present course.[14] Some evidence of this is that some of the present tributaries of the Jhelum join it in a direction opposite to the present course of the river and the greater topographical maturity of the Chenab valley compared to the Jhelum valley.[14]

Lakes

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Infrastructure

Bridges

  • Victoria Bridge, Haranpur, constructed in 1973, approximate 5 km from Malakwal near Chak Nizam village. Its length is 1 km, mainly used by Pakistan Railways, but there is a passage for light vehicles, motorcycles, cycles and pedestrians on one side.

Dams

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Listed in the order of upstream to downstream.

India

The river has rich power generation potential in India. Water control structures are being built as a result of the Indus Basin Project, including the following:

  • On tributaries of Jhelum
    • Owari Nag Nallah
      • Karnah Hydroelectric Power Project, 12 MW, at village Haridal (Pingla Haridal) in the Kupwara district. 53% complete in October 2023.[20]
      • Lower Sind Hydroelectric Power project at Ganderbal in Ganderbal district, 15 MW (produced only 2MW due to reduced flow), completed in 1955.[25][26]

Pakistan

  • Mangla Dam, 1070 MW, 7278 MCM, completed in 1967, is one of the largest earth-fill dams in the world.
  • Rasul Barrage, 22 MW, constructed in 1967, has a maximum flow of 850,000 ft³/s (24,000 m³/s).
  • Trimmu Barrage, 1263 MW, constructed in 1939 20 km from Jhang city at the confluence with the Chenab, has maximum discharge capacity of 645,000 ft³/s (18,000 m³/s).

Canals

Gallery

See also

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Notes

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Template:Notelist

References

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  1. "Jhelum River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Template:Webarchive. Retrieved on 4 October 2013.
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  8. Michael Wood, "In the footsteps of Alexander the Great".
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  10. (a particular measure of length defined either as a long span between the extended thumb and little finger, or as the distance between the wrist and the tip of the fingers, and said to be about 9 inches
  11. Nilamata Purana English Translation by Dr. Ved Kumari Ghai, verses 247–261.
  12. section 26, line 350
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  16. सिंधु जल संधि का क्‍या हश्र करने जा रही है मोदी सरकार? किसानों से संवाद में इरादे का खुलासा, MSN.com, 20 May 2025.
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  19. पानी को लेकर गिड़गिड़ा रहा पाक, इधर भारत ने बना लिया खास प्लान; नए प्रोजेक्ट्स में स्टोरेज पर फोकस, MSN, 11 June 2025.
  20. Energy deficit in J&K down from 17.8% during 2018-19 to 1.5% up to November 2023 during 2023-24: Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, PIB, 9 Dec 2023.
  21. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. Indus Waters Treaty Suspended: Modi Government Fast-Tracks Five Major Hydropower Projects in Jammu & Kashmir - Details Here, timesnownews.com, 28 Apr 2025.
  23. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  25. Genderbal district, ganderbal.nic.in, accessed 18 May 2025.
  26. Ganderbal’s 15 MW hydel plant now producing just 2 MW, greaterkashmir.com, 27 Dec 2024.
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External links

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Template:PunjabGeography Template:Kashmir Valley Template:Five rivers of the Punjab Template:Hydrography of Jammu and Kashmir Template:Waters of India Template:Waters of Pakistan Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Authority control

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