BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

The 'Brahmaputra'^[1] is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia.
From its origin in southwestern Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo River, it flows across southern Tibet where it is known as Dihang to break through the Himalayas in great gorges. It flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna. There it merges with the Ganga to form a vast delta. About 1,800 mi (2,900 km) long, the river is an important source for irrigation and transportation. Its upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884-86. This river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river.
While most Indian and Bangladeshi rivers bear female names, this river has a rare male name, as it means "son of Brahma" in Sanskrit.
The Brahmaputra is navigable for most of its length. The lower reaches are sacred to Hindus. The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in spring when the Himalayan snows melt. It is also one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore.

Contents

River course

Tibet

India

Bangladesh

Transportation and navigation

See also

Notes and references

Further reading

River course

Tibet

The river Yarlung Tsangpo originates in the ''Jima Yangzong'' glacier^[2] near Mount Kailash in the northern Himalayas. It then flows east for about 1700 km, at an average height of 4000 m, and is thus the highest of the major rivers in the world. At its easternmost point, it bends around Mt. Namcha Barwa, and forms the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon which is considered the deepest in the world.^[3]

India

As the river enters Arunachal Pradesh, it is called ''Siang'' and makes a very rapid descend from its original height in Tibet, and finally appears in the plains, where it is called ''Dihang''. It flows for about 35 km and is joined by two other major rivers: ''Dibang'' and Lohit. From this point of confluence, the river becomes very wide and is called Brahmaputra.
As Brahmaputra, it flows through the entire stretch of Assam. In Assam the river is sometimes as wide as 10 km. Between the Dibrugarh and the Lakhimpur districts the river bifurcates into two channels---the northern ''Kherkutia'' channel and the southern Brahmaputra channel. The two channels join again about 100 km downstream forming the Majuli island. At Guwahati near the ancient pilgrimage centre of Hajo, the Brahmaputra cuts through the rocks of the Shillong Plateau, and is at its narrowest at 1 km bank-to-bank. Because the Brahmaputra is the narrowest at this point the Battle of Saraighat was fought here. The first rail-cum-road bridge across the Brahmaputra was opened to traffic in April 1962 at Saraighat.

The old Sanskrit name for the river is '' and the local name in Assam is ''.
The native inhabitants, i.e., the Bodos called the river '', which means 'making a gurgling sound', later Sanskritized into ''.
When compared to the other major rivers in India, the Brahmaputra is less polluted but it has its own problems: petroleum refining units contribute most of the industrial pollution load into the basin along with other medium and small industries. The main problem facing the river basin is that of constant flooding. Floods have been occurring more often in recent years with deforestation, and other human activities being the major causes.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra splits into two branches: the much larger branch continues due south as the Jamuna ('') and flows into the Lower Ganges, locally called Padma (''), while the older branch curves southeast as the lower Brahmaputra ('') and flows into the Meghna. Both paths eventually reconverge near Chandpur in Bangladesh and flow out into the Bay of Bengal. However, the actual Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh passes through the Jamalpur and Mymensingh district. Fed by the waters of the Ganges and Brahmaputra, this river system forms the Ganges Delta, the largest river delta in the world.

Transportation and navigation

Until Indian independence in 1947, the Brahmaputra was used as a major waterway. In the 1990s, the stretch between Sadiya and Dhubri in India was declared as National Waterway No.2., and it provides facilities for goods transportation. Recent years have seen a modest spurt in the growth of river cruises with the introduction of the cruise ship, "Charaidew", by Assam Bengal Navigation.

See also

★ List of rivers in Bangladesh

★ List of rivers in China

★ List of rivers in India

Notes and references

1. The Brahmaputra as it is called in various languages: ''; ''; , ; Yarlung Tsangpo
2. ''The New Largest Canyon in the World'' from 100gogo.com''
3. ''Canyonlands of Tibet and Central Asia'', from canyonsworldwide.com.


★

Further reading

★ Banglapedia:Brahmaputra River

★ Banglapedia:Old Brahmaputra River

★ Banglapedia:Brahmaputra-Jamuna River System

★ Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See ''Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers'' section.

★ Rivers of Dhemaji and Dhakuakhana

★ Background to Brahmaputra Flood Scenario