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Role of Tributaries in Shaping the Middle Course of the Himalayan River Teesta after the 1968 Extreme Floods


Affiliations
1 Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Street address: Św. Jana 22, Postcode: 31-018 Cracow, Poland
 

Extremely high precipitation is characteristic of the frontal zone of the Himalaya. In this article we study tributaries which supply huge sediment loads to the Teesta river in the Darjeeling Himalaya, India and significantly affect transportation regime downstream the junction of the Great Rangit with the main river. The material supply is also conditioned by 70-80% deforestation of the catchment. Will the deepening of the Teesta river and its tributaries follow tectonic movements? Or will the Teesta follow smaller streams that drain the fringe of the Himalaya, and then will the huge foreland cones penetrate the mountain interiors? These questions are important, especially in the context of construction of dams and water reservoirs along the Teesta river and its tributaries.

Keywords

Dams and Reservoirs, Extreme Floods, High Precipitation, River Channels, Role of Tributaries.
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  • Role of Tributaries in Shaping the Middle Course of the Himalayan River Teesta after the 1968 Extreme Floods

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Authors

Leszek Starkel
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Street address: Św. Jana 22, Postcode: 31-018 Cracow, Poland
Łukasz Wiejaczka
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Street address: Św. Jana 22, Postcode: 31-018 Cracow, Poland
Krzysztof Kiszka
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Street address: Św. Jana 22, Postcode: 31-018 Cracow, Poland

Abstract


Extremely high precipitation is characteristic of the frontal zone of the Himalaya. In this article we study tributaries which supply huge sediment loads to the Teesta river in the Darjeeling Himalaya, India and significantly affect transportation regime downstream the junction of the Great Rangit with the main river. The material supply is also conditioned by 70-80% deforestation of the catchment. Will the deepening of the Teesta river and its tributaries follow tectonic movements? Or will the Teesta follow smaller streams that drain the fringe of the Himalaya, and then will the huge foreland cones penetrate the mountain interiors? These questions are important, especially in the context of construction of dams and water reservoirs along the Teesta river and its tributaries.

Keywords


Dams and Reservoirs, Extreme Floods, High Precipitation, River Channels, Role of Tributaries.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv112%2Fi09%2F1896-1903