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River
Bramhaputra : The origin of the mighty Brahmaputra is in southern Tibet. She flows southwest through the Assam Valley and its known as Brahmaputra in Assam 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. Brahmaputa means “son of Lord 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. River courseAs 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 Lauhitya and the local name in Assam is Luit. The native inhabitants, i.e., the Bodos called the river Bhullam-buthur, which means 'making a gurgling sound'. 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. In Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra splits into two branches: the much larger branch continues due south as the Jamuna (Jomuna) and flows into the Lower Ganges, locally called Padma (Pôdda), while the older branch curves southeast as the lower Brahmaputra (Bromhoputro) 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. The Brahmaputra is not mearly a river for the people of Assam-It is the life line for their economic, social & Emotional sustenance.
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