THE NORTHEAST RIVERS OF INDIA

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BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER


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The entire northeast India is drained by a mighty river-

THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

1. In the Tibet and Himalayan region, Brahmaputra flows at an average height of400 meters for 13000 kms. This highest for any major river in the world.

2. The mighty Brahmaputra is supposed to be on of the most powerful rivers in theworld. Based upon the flow rate, Brahmaputra is the fifth strongest river in theworld.

3. The Brahmaputra is one of those very few major rivers in the world which exhibit'tidal bore'. It means incoming tides form waves that travel up the river against thedirection of the current. This is called a true 'tidal wave' in geography. This is one ofthe reason behind Brahmaputra's enormous strength.

4. 'Majuli', the largest island created by a river also resides in the Brahmaputra. This

river island is situated in Assam and around 100 km in length.

5. The Brahmaputra along with Ganges create the largest delta in the world,Sundarbans in Bangladesh.

6. The average width of Brahmaputra is close to 10 km in plains which is one of thewidest in the world.


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It has usually been assumed that the change in the course of the mainwaters of the Brahmaputra took place suddenly in 1787, the year of the

heavy flooding of the river Tista.

The great Tibetan river Tsangpo joined the Brahmaputra about 1780 wasthe main factor for the Brahmaputra to take a shorter way to the sea.

This river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river. Until 1947, the

Brahmaputra was used as a major waterway in India. In the 1990s, thestretch between Sadiya and Dhubri was declared as National WaterwayNo.2.

HISTORY IN BRIEF


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1. The lower reaches in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam are sacred toHindus. Every few yards there is a ruin or a site that brings

legendary associations with it. One site, which is considered veryholy, is the Kamakhya temple, about 2 km from the banks of theBrahmaputra, near Guwahati. It is believed that if one does not goup the steps leading to this temple of feminine power, Shakti, or theother half of Shiva, he will be made to cross the Brahmaputra seventimes.

2. Bihu is a series of three prominent festivals of Assam. Primarily afestival celebrated to mark the seasons and the significant points ofa cultivator's life over a yearly cycle, in recent times the form andnature of celebration has changed with the growth of urban centers.A non-religious festival, all communities---religious or ethnic---take

part in it. Three Bihus are celebrated: rongali, celebrated with thecoming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season; kongali,the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty;and the bhogali, the thanksgiving when the crops have beenharvested and the barns are full.


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1. 1. About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the Brahmaputra is an importantriver for irrigation and transportation.

2. During the monsoon season (JuneOctober), floods are a commonoccurrence. Periodic flooding is a natural phenomenon which isecologically important because it helps maintain the lowlandgrasslands and associated wildlife. Periodic floods also deposit freshalluvium replenishing the fertile soil of the Brahmaputra River Valley.

3. This 2,057km long river drains an area of 240,000 sq.km and providesirrigation for some of Tibet's major agricultural regions. Tibetans callit MOTHERRIVER.

4. The countries India and Bangladesh, depend heavily on the waters

from the Brahmaputra river.Thus, the dwindling supply of water in the dry season has becomeone of the key issues between India and Bangladesh. The situation isparticularly critical for Bangladesh, as about 80% of its annualfreshwater supply comes as trans- boundary inflows.

RIVER AS A RESOURCE


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1. In comparison with the other major rivers in India, theBrahmaputra river is less polluted but it has its ownproblems: petroleum refining units contribute most of theindustrial pollution load into the basin along with othermedium and small industries.

2. The effluents had caused serious damage to the aquaticlife in the river. Fish, river dolphin and other aquatic

creatures have been badly affected. Dolphins in fact havealready disappeared from the river, and only a few are seenfar away from the city.

3. The Brahmaputra is the least polluted of all other major

rivers of India. Most of the pollutions are created by OilIndustries of Assam and wastes of cities like Guwahati. Thepollution concern around Guwahati is increasing day byday, and it's high time to stop it now or we will have to pay

the consequences soon!

POLLUTION CONCERNS


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Most of the tributaries of Brahmaputra arereported to be grossly polluted due to

discharge of untreated sewage disposal andindustrial effluents directly into the rivers.These wastes usually contain a wide variety oforganic and inorganic pollutants includingsolvents, oils, grease, plastics, plasticizers,phenols, heavy metals, pesticides andsuspended solids. The indiscriminatedumping and release of wastes containing theabove mentioned hazardous substances into

the river might lead to environmentaldisturbance which could be considered as apotential source of stress to bioticcommunity, as the Brahmaputra drains a

major part of Kaziranga National Park.

SOURCES OF POLLUTION


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TEESTA RIVER


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THE OTHER MAJOR RIVER IN THE BRAHMAPUTRA DRAINAGEBASIN IS THE NORTH-SOUTH FLOWING TEESTA CROSSING THE

STATE OF SIKKIM.

1. River Teesta or Tistaissaid to be the lifeline of the Indian state ofSikkim, flowing for almost the entire length of the state andcarving out verdant Himalayan temperate and tropical river

valleys.

2. The emerald-coloured river then forms the border betweenSikkim and West Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra as atributary in Bangladesh.

3. The total length of the river is 315 kilometres.

TEESTA


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1. It is well known that the Tista has always been awandering river.

2. Tista, sometimes joined the Ganges and was sometimesshifted westwards by the superior strength of that riverand forced to join the Brahmaputra.

3. The submergence of the river tsangpo into the river

teesta led to increase in the hydraulic force of the riverBrahmaputra.Thus, it drained into the sea using ashorter route, rapidly overcoming all obstacles in its wayrather than meandering along the route.

HISTORY OF THE RIVER


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1. . It nourishes rich Lepcha culture and Buddhistcivilization, Sherpas, Bhutias, Tamangs and other Nepali

origin demographic groups in the Darjeeling Hills and inthe foothills, and Bengali and indigenous Koch Rajbanshiculture in the Doars of Jalpaiguri district.

2. The festivals associated with agricultural practices of theregion are celebrated by all communities. Hindu festivalslike,Makar Sankranti etc. and the Lepcha and Bhutiafestival Lossong are celebrated by all. Chaam dancings

are held at the monasteries, at Palace (Tsuklakhang),Phodong and Rumtek, archery competitions and otherfestivities mark the occasion.

CULTURAL TRADITIONS


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1. The Teesta River Floodplain(TRF), which includes thestate of Sikkim, part of WestBengal and extremenorthwest region ofBangladesh, supports

irrigation to total croppedarea in the region , indicatinga direct association betweenirrigation water availability

and agricultural land use.

2. The tributaries and the rivermeet the entire drinkingwater needs of the state of

Sikkim.

RIVER AS A RESOURCE


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1. In the state of Sikkim 22 new dams

have been proposed along the entireTeesta river course.

2.Many of the dams are being

constructed in North Sikkim withinKanchenjunga National Park.

3. High siltation along with sewage

disposal in the river is causingconsiderable pollution in the river.

SOURCES OF POLLUTION


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1. Teesta river is sacred to the ethnic communities- Lepchas and

Bhutias. Damming the river is hurting the sentiments of these

communities.

2. Settlement of emigrant labourers of these hydel projects is

diluting the ethnic customs and distraughting the culture of this

region.

3. The change in the hydrologic profile has brought about change in

the land use pattern of the region. Drying up of springs and

creation of lakes has altered the agricultural pattern.

4. Waste disposal into the river is poisoning the main source

of potable water for the locals.

5.The biodiversity within the Kanchenjunga National Park is

under threat due to the building up of dams

POLLUTION CONCERNS


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THE NORTHEAST RIVERS OF INDIA

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