Brahmaputra River

For other uses, see Brahmaputra (disambiguation).

Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra in Guwahati, Assam, India
Path of the Brahmaputra River
EtymologyFrom Sanskrit ब्रह्मपुत्र (brahmaputra, "son of Brahma"), from ब्रह्मा (brahmā, "Brahma") + पुत्र (putra, "son").
Location
Countries
Autonomous RegionTibet
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceChemayungdung glacier, Manasarovar
 • locationHimalayas
 • coordinates30°19′N 82°08′E / 30.317°N 82.133°E / 30.317; 82.133
 • elevation5,210 m (17,090 ft)[1]
MouthGanges
 • location
Ganges Delta
 • coordinates
23°47′46.7376″N 89°45′45.774″E / 23.796316000°N 89.76271500°E / 23.796316000; 89.76271500
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length2,880 km (1,790 mi)[2] 3,080 km (1,910 mi)[1][n 1]
Basin size625,726.9 km2 (241,594.5 sq mi)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationConfluence of the Ganges
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)21,319.2 m3/s (752,880 cu ft/s)[4][5] Brahmaputra (Jamuna)–Old Brahmaputra–Upper Meghna → 26,941.1 m3/s (951,420 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationBahadurabad
 • average(Period: 1980–2012)24,027 m3/s (848,500 cu ft/s)[6] (Period: 2000–2015)21,993 m3/s (776,700 cu ft/s)[2]
 • minimum3,280 m3/s (116,000 cu ft/s)[2]
 • maximum102,585 m3/s (3,622,800 cu ft/s)[2]
Discharge 
 • locationGuwahati
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)18,850.4 m3/s (665,700 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationDibrugarh
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)8,722.3 m3/s (308,030 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationPasighat
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)5,016.3 m3/s (177,150 cu ft/s)[4]
Basin features
ProgressionPadma → Meghna → Bay of Bengal
River systemGanges River
Tributaries 
 • leftLhasa, Nyang, Parlung Zangbo, Lohit, Nao Dihing, Buri Dihing, Dangori, Disang, Dikhow, Jhanji, Dhansiri, Kolong, Kopili, Bhorolu, Kulsi, Krishnai, Upper Meghna
 • rightKameng, Jia Bhoroli, Manas, Beki, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Teesta, Subansiri, Jia dhol, Simen, Pagladia, Sonkosh, Gadadhar
Map

The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, and Jamuna River in Bengali. By itself, it is the 9th largest river in the world by discharge, and the 15th longest.

It originates in the Manasarovar Lake region, near Mount Kailash, on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet where it is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River.[3] The Brahmaputra flows along southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges (including the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon) and into Arunachal Pradesh.[7] It enters India near the village of Gelling in Arunachal Pradesh and flows southwest through the Assam Valley as the Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna (not to be confused with the Yamuna of India). In the vast Ganges Delta, it merges with the Ganges, popularly known as the Padma in Bangladesh, and becomes the Meghna and ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal.[8]

At 3,000 km (1,900 mi) long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation in the region.[2][1][3] The average depth of the river is 30 m (100 ft) and its maximum depth is 135 m (440 ft) (at Sadiya).[9] The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in the spring when the Himalayan snow melts. The average discharge of the Brahmaputra is about ~22,000 m3/s (780,000 cu ft/s),[2][7] and floods reach about 103,000 m3/s (3,600,000 cu ft/s).[2][10] It is a classic example of a braided river and is highly susceptible to channel migration and avulsion.[11] It is also one of the few rivers in the world that exhibits a tidal bore. It is navigable for most of its length.

The Brahmaputra drains the Himalayas east of the Indo-Nepal border, south-central portion of the Tibetan plateau above the Ganga basin, south-eastern portion of Tibet, the Patkai hills, the northern slopes of the Meghalaya hills, the Assam plains, and northern Bangladesh. The basin, especially south of Tibet, is characterized by high levels of rainfall. Kangchenjunga (8,586 m) is the only peak above 8,000 m and hence is the highest point within the Brahmaputra basin.

The Brahmaputra's upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884–86. The river is often called the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river.[citation needed]

The lower reaches are sacred to Hindus. While most rivers on the Indian subcontinent have female names, this river has a rare male name. Brahmaputra means "son of Brahma" in Sanskrit.[12]

  1. ^ a b c "YARLUNG TSANGPO (BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER) IN TIBET".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Biswa, Bhattacharya; Maurizio, Mazzoleni; Reyne, Ugay (2019). "Flood Inundation Mapping of the Sparsely Gauged Large-Scale Brahmaputra Basin Using Remote Sensing Products". Remote Sensing. 11 (5): 501. Bibcode:2019RemS...11..501B. doi:10.3390/rs11050501.
  3. ^ a b c "Scientists pinpoint sources of four major international rivers". Xinhua News Agency. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Ganga (Ganges)-Brahmaputra".
  5. ^ Webersik, Christian (2010). Climate Change and Security: A Gathering Storm of Global Challenges. ABC-CLIO. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-313-38007-5. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. ^ Anne, Gädeke; Michel, Wortmann; Christoph, Menz; Saiful, Islam; Muhammad, Masood; Valentina, Krysanova; Stefan, Lange; Fred, Fokko Hattermann (2022). "Climate impact emergence and flood peak synchronization projections in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna basins under CMIP5 and CMIP6 scenarios". Environmental Research Letters. 17 (9). Bibcode:2022ERL....17i4036G. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac8ca1.
  7. ^ a b "Brahmaputra River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Brahmaputra River Flowing Down From Himalayas Towards Bay of Bengal". Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  9. ^ Singh, Vijay; Sharma, Nayan; Ojha, C. Shekhar P. (29 February 2004). The Brahmaputra Basin Water Resources. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 120. ISBN 9789048164813. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Water Resources of Bangladesh". FAO. Archived from the original on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  11. ^ Catling, David (1992). Rice in deep water. International Rice Research Institute. p. 177. ISBN 978-971-22-0005-2. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  12. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 80.


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