Brahmaputra river

Why in news?

• The proposed 18 Km-long bridge over the Brahmaputra river, connecting Assam with Meghalaya, will be constructed soon and will be the longest river bridge in India.

About the River Course:

• The Brahmaputra called Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, Siang/Dihang River in Arunachal Pradesh, is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, India and Bangladesh.
• It is the ninth largest river in the world by discharge, and the 15th longest.
• With its origin in the Manasarovar Lake region, near the Mount Kailash, it flows along southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh (India).
•  It flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna (not to be mistaken with Yamuna of India).
• In the vast Ganges Delta, it merges with the Padma, the popular name of the river Ganges in Bangladesh, and finally, after merging with Padma, it becomes the Meghna and from here, it flows as Meghna river before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
• Major Left Bank tributaries include Lhasa River, Nyang River, Parlung Zangbo, Lohit River, Dhansiri River, Kolong River
• Major right bank tributaries are: Kameng River, Manas River, Beki River, Raidak River, Jaldhaka River, Teesta River, Subansiri River

Navigation and Ecology:

• About 4,696 km long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation in the region.
• The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in the Spring when the Himalayan snow melts.
• It is a classic example of a braided river and is highly susceptible to channel migration and avulsion.
• It is also one of the few rivers in the world that exhibits a tidal bore. It is navigable for most of its length.
• National Waterway 2 (NW2) is 891 km long Sadiya-Dhubri stretch of Brahmaputra River in Assam.
• Its delta is home to 130 million people and 600 000 people live on the riverine islands (the largest of which is Majuli, the first island to be made a district in India).

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following are tributaries of River Brahmaputra?
1.Subarnarekha
2.Manas 
3.Teesta
4.Chindwin
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1 and 2 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1,2,3 only
(d)1,2,3,4

Answer to prelims question