The Swat River is a perennial river in the northern region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan.

The river commences in Kalam with the confluence of two main tributaries Usho and Gabral and runs downstream in a narrow gorge up to Baghdheri.

The name Swat is derived from an old Sanskrit term, Suvastu, which means crystal clear water, like azure in colour.

The name Sauvastu is mentioned in Rig Veda (8.19.37) as the Suvastu river, with the passage of time, it was shortened to Swat by the people.

It flows through the Kalam Valley in a narrow gorge with a rushing speed up to Madyan and lower plain areas of Swat Valley up to Chakdara for 160 km.

In the extreme south of the valley, the river enters to a narrow gorge and joins the Panjkora River, at Qalangi, and finally empties into Kabul River, near Charsadda.

The Swat river is diverted near Batkhela for irrigation and power generation purposes.

The Upper Swat Canal flows under Malakand through Benton Tunnel. Below Dargai, the upper canal is divided into two branches, supplying Charsadda and Swabi & Mardan.

The water also used for hydropower generation at Jabban and Dargai Power Stations.