Ebook: The Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources

The Brahmaputra River is a precious gift of Nature to India and especially to its northeast region. The meaning of this gift becomes evident immediately when one considers the vastness of water resources which the Brahmaputra River basin possesses. Nearly 30% of India's water resources potential and 41% of the country's total hydropower potential are found in this basin. In terms of the average discharge, the Brahmaputra River is the fifth largest river in the world. Traversing a distance of about 2,900 kilometers from Tibet at an elevation of 5,150 meters to the Bay of Bengal and draining an area of nearly 1. 6 million square kilometres shared by Tibet, India and Bangladesh, it has shaped the social, economic, cultural, religious, political, and linguistic fabric of the northeast region of India from time immemorial. Its majestic disposition is nothing short of poetic. The northeast region has a colourful ethnic and non-ethnic population and represents almost a miniature India. Its biodiversity of flora and fauna and other natural ecosystems is unsurpassable. The northeast region of India is endowed with enormous natural resources and the huge potential of the Brahmaputra River basin. These resources notwithstanding, this part of India remains woefully underdeveloped. The current state of low development of the northeast region can arguably be attributed to a multitude of factors.

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The Brahmaputra River basin is considered the lifeline of India. Lying in the northeast region of India, it represents nearly 30% of India's water resources potential and 41% of its total hydropower. In terms of the average discharge, it is the fifth largest river in the world. These resources notwithstanding, the northeast region remains woefully underdeveloped. A sustainable development of this region cannot be achieved without water resources development of the Brahmaputra River basin. To that end, an integrated basin-wide approach is needed, combining social, political, economic, administrative, cultural, and legal considerations with scientific and technological paradigms. It must involve people's participation. This book pools together the expertise, the in-depth knowledge and the experience of the people representing different disciplines bearing on the development of water resources. All the contributors have been connected closely with the Brahmaputra basin for many years.

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The Brahmaputra River basin is considered the lifeline of India. Lying in the northeast region of India, it represents nearly 30% of India's water resources potential and 41% of its total hydropower. In terms of the average discharge, it is the fifth largest river in the world. These resources notwithstanding, the northeast region remains woefully underdeveloped. A sustainable development of this region cannot be achieved without water resources development of the Brahmaputra River basin. To that end, an integrated basin-wide approach is needed, combining social, political, economic, administrative, cultural, and legal considerations with scientific and technological paradigms. It must involve people's participation. This book pools together the expertise, the in-depth knowledge and the experience of the people representing different disciplines bearing on the development of water resources. All the contributors have been connected closely with the Brahmaputra basin for many years.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvi
Introduction....Pages 1-16
Weather and Climate....Pages 17-23
Hydrometeorology....Pages 24-34
Soils and Agriculture....Pages 35-71
An Overview of the Brahmaputra River System....Pages 72-87
Fluvial Geomorphology....Pages 88-112
Hydrogeology....Pages 113-138
Hydrology....Pages 139-195
Channel Processes....Pages 196-213
Spatio-Temporal Morphological Features....Pages 214-228
Mathematical Modelling and Braid Indicators....Pages 229-260
Hydraulic Structures....Pages 261-273
Scour around Spurs at Gumi Site....Pages 274-298
Water Resources Planning....Pages 299-308
Brahmaputra Flooding: Problems for Administration and Prospects....Pages 309-320
The Brahmaputra in Assam’s Economy....Pages 321-325
Financial Constraint in Assam....Pages 326-335
Society in the Brahmaputra Valley....Pages 336-350
Ecology....Pages 351-365
Wetlands and Their Role in Geoecological Environment....Pages 366-375
Water Quality, Mineral Transport and Sediment Biogeochemistry....Pages 376-400
Cropping Systems....Pages 401-410
Ground Water Development....Pages 411-418
Irrigation Development....Pages 419-435
Development of Power....Pages 436-472
Navigation Development....Pages 473-519
Transport Infrastructural Scenario....Pages 520-534
Flood Management....Pages 535-558
Remote Sensing and GIS in Flood Management....Pages 559-577
Seismo-Tectonics and Earthquake Design Parameters....Pages 578-610
Back Matter....Pages 611-613