THE BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN WATER RESOURCES

Water Science and Technology Library

VOLUME 47

Editor-in-Chief

V. P. Singh, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, U.S.A.

Editorial Advisory Board

M. Anderson, Bristol, U.K. L. Bengtsson, Lund, Sweden

J. F. Cruise, Huntsville, U.S.A. u. C. Kothyari, Roorkee, India

S.B. Serrano, Philadelphia, U.S.A. D. Stephenson, Johannesburg, SouthAfrica

W.G. Strupczewski, Warsaw, Poland

The titles published in this series are listed at the end o/this volume.

THE BRAHMAPUTRA BASIN WATER RESOURCES

edited by

VIJAY P. SINGH Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, U.S.A.

NAYAN SHARMA Water Resources Development Training Centre,

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttaranchal, India

and

C. SHEKHARP. OJHA Department of Civil Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttaranchal, India

SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.

A c.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-90-481-6481-3 ISBN 978-94-017-0540-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-0540-0

Printed on acid-free paper

All Rights Reserved © 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Origina11y published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2004 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 2004

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording

or otherwise, without written permis sion from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered

and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.

Dedicated to

the people of

Northeast India

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication Preface Contributors

SECTION 1: PRELIMINARIES

Chapter 1: Introduction by C. S. P. Ojha and V. P. Singh

Chapter 2: Weather and Climate by M. Barthakur

Chapter 3: Hydrometeorology by B. Purkait

Chapter 4: Soils and Agriculture by N. C. Talukdar, D. Bhattacharyya and S. Hazarika

Chapter 5: An Overview of the Brahmaputra River System by J.N. Sanna

Chapter 6: Fluvial Geomorphology by A. K. Bora

Chapter 7: Hydrogeology by B. Purkait

SECTION II: HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS

Chapter 8: Hydrology by B. Datta and V. P. Singh

Chapter 9: Channel Processes by A. B. Palaniappan

Chapter 10: Spatio-Temporal Morphological Features by N. Shann~ R. Chakrabarty and C. S. P. Ojha

Vll

v xi xv

1

17

24

35

72

88

113

139

196

214

Chapter 11: Mathematical Modelling and Braid Indicators byN. Shanna

Chapter 12: Hydraulic Structures by A. K. Sarma

Chapter 13: Scour Around Spurs at Gumi Site by C. S. P. Ojha, N. Sharma and V. K. Talwar

SECTION ITI: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING CONSTRAINTS

Chapter 14: Water Resources Planning

by S.N. Phukan

Chapter 15: Brahmaputra Flooding: Problems for Administration

229

261

274

299

and Prospects 309 by K. S. Krishna

Chapter 16: Tbe Brahmaputra in Assam's Economy 321 by B. K. Bhattacharya

Chapter 17: Financial Constraint in Assam 326 by A. Sharma

Chapter 18: Society in the Brahmaputra Valley 336 by M. Hussain

Chapter 19: Ecology 351 by B. K. Talukdar

Chapter 20: Wetlands and their Role in the Geo-Ecological Environment 366 byP. Shanna

Chapter 21: Water Quality, Mineral Transport and Sediment Biogeochemistry by C.Mahanta and V. Subramanian

Chapter 22: Cropping Systems by D. N. Borthakur

376

401

SECTION 4: WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 23: Ground Water Development by B. Purkait

Vlll

411

Chapter 24: Irrigation Development 419 by P. S. Goswami, N. Shanna and C. S. P. Ojha

Chapter 25: Development of Power 436 by P.C.Sharma

Chapter 26: Navigation Development 473 by R. M. Das

Chapter 27: Transport Infrastructural Scenario 520 by S. B. Medhi

Chapter 28: Flood Management 535 by A. K. Mitra

Chapter 29: Remote Sensing and GIS In Flood Management 560 by V. Bhanu Murthy and V. Hari Prasad

Chapter 30: Seismo-Tectonic and Earthquake Design Parameters 578 by A. Sinvhal and V. Prakash

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PREFACE

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. Regardless of the debate about these factors, what is abundantly clear is that a sustainable development of this region cannot be achieved without the water resources development of the Brahmaputra River basin. To that end an integrated basinwide approach is needed. This approach must combine social, political, economic, administrative, cultural, and legal considerations with scientific and technological paradigms. It must involve people's participation and must strive to promote the larger interest of the region rather than the good of a few. It is these considerations which motivated the undertaking of this book project. The theme of this book is vast and no single individual has the expertise, the in­depth knowledge, or the experience of all aspects of water resources of the Brahmaputra basin. Therefore the editors solicited contributions from the people representing different disciplines bearing on the development of water resources and who are well known in their speciality areas. It is hoped that this book will stimulate further interest and development in the Brahmaputra River basin.

The subject matter of this book is divided into four sections encompassing 30 chapters. The first section, comprising seven chapters, presents preliminaries needed for planning and developing a water resources project. These relate to the atmosphere, lithology, and pedology. Introducing the theme of the book in chapter 1, the weather and climate of the Brahmaputra valley are discussed in chapter 2, followed by a short treatment of hydrometeorology in chapter 3. Soils and agriculture of the Brahmaputra basin are presented in chapter 4. The next three chapters deal with various aspects of geology of this basin. Specifically, chapter 5 presents an overview of the Brahmaputra River, chapter 6 fluvial geomorphology, and chapter 7 hydrogeology of the Brahmaputra basin.

Section 2 deals with hydrology and hydraulics that constitute the engineering

xi

foundation of any water resources project. This section comprises 6 chapters. The hydrology of the Brahmaputra basin is treated in chapter 8. The next five chapters discuss hydraulic issues. Chapter 9 provides a discussion of channel processes, followed by a discussion of spatio-temporal morphological features in chapter 10. Mathematical modelling and braid indicators are treated in chapter 11 and hydraulic structures of the Brahmaputra basin in chapter 12. The section is concluded with a discussion of scour around spurs with particular reference to the Gumi site in the basin in chapter 13.

For the planning of water resources a number of constraints must be taken into account. Section 3, encompassing 9 chapters, is devoted to a discussion of some of these constraints. Chapter 14 reflects on preliminary considerations required in water resources planning. Chapter 15 dwells on the problems arising owing to flooding in the Brahmaputra basin and the prospects for addressing them from an administrative perspective. The role of the Brahmaputra in Assam's economy is examined in chapter 16, followed by a close look at the financial constraint to development of Assam in chapter 17. The social and cultural fabric of the Brahmaputra basin is analysed in chapter 18. The remaining three chapters deal with ecological and environmental issues. The ecology of the Brahmaputra basin is discussed in chapter 19, followed by a discussion on wetlands and their role in geo-environment in chapter 20. Water quality, sediment biogeochemistry, and mineral transport are presented in chapter 21. The section is concluded with a discussion of cropping systems in the Brahmaputra basin in chapter 22.

The concluding section 4 is comprised of 8 chapters and deals with water resources development. Chapter 23 discusses groundwater development, followed by a discussion of irrigation development in chapter 24. A discussion of power development is presented in chapter 25. Water resources development may playa key role in the transport of goods. Chapter 26 discusses navigation and chapter 27 presents transport infrastructural scenarios. Flooding is an annual problem in the Brahmaputra basin. Flood management is the theme of chapter 28. For effective flood management modem tools for data acquisition, such as remote sensing, and processing of such data through geographical information systems (GIS) are needed and these are discussed in chapter 29. This section is concluded with a discussion of seismotectonic and earthquake design parameters in chapter 30, for the Brahmaputra basin is one of the most seismically active areas of the world and this information is vital for design of hydraulic structures.

The book will be useful to engineers, agricultural scientists, environmentalists, economists, planners, managers, politicians, and administrators who are concerned with development of water resources in the Brahmaputra basin. The people of the northeast are the best symbol of the current state of development of their region in general and what this mighty river has done and can do for them. The book is, therefore, dedicated to them. The editors would like to take this opportunity to express their deep gratitude to the contributors who took time from their busy schedules to write their contributions. The book symbolizes their hard work. Dr. S. Jain, National Institute of Hydrology, provided invaluable assistance with the final preparation of the book manuscript. His

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assistance is most gratefully acknowledged. Our families were supportive of this book project from the beginning and without their support the book would not have come to fruition.

V.P. Singh Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U. S. A.

N. Sharma and C.S.P. Ojha Roorkee, India

xiii

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. D.N. Barthakur Swapnalaya Apartments, Guwahati 781 024, Assam, India

Dr. M. Barthakur White House, National Highway No. 37 P.O. Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India

Dr. D. Bhattacharya Depatment of Soil Science Assam Agricultural University Barbheta, Jorhat 785013, Assam, India

Mr. B. K. Bhattacharyya Step By Step English Medium School, Housing Road, Hengra Bari, Guwahati 781006, Assam, India

Dr. A. K. Bora Department of Geography Gauhati University Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India

Mr. R. Chakraborty Public Works Department Nijarapar, P. O. Chandmari Guwahati 781003, Assam, India

Mr. R.M. Das Inland Water Transport Department Assam Ulubari, Guwahati 781 007 Assam, India

Mr. B. Datta "Upendralaya" Professor Para, K.B. Road, Guwahati 781 008 Assam, India

Dr. P. S. Goswami Department of Economics

xv

Cotton College, Panbazar, Guwahati 781001 Assam, India

Dr. A. K. Sarma Civil Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology (lIT) North Guwahati, Guwahati Assam, India

Dr. S. Hazarika Department of Soil Science Assam Agricultural University Barbheta, lorhat 785013 Assam, India

Dr. M. Hussain Department of Political Science Gauhati University P.O. Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam, India

Mr. S. Krishna Assam Sachivalaya, Govt. of Assam Dispur, Guwahati 781 006 Assam, India

Dr. Chandan Mahanta Civil Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T.) P. O. North Guwahati Guwahati, Assam, India

Mr. S. B. Medhi Special RAPP National Human Rights Commission West ofNabgraha Temple P. O. Kharguli Huwahati 781004, Assam, India

Mr. A. K. Mitra Flood Control Department, Assam Chandmari, Guwahati 781 003

Assam, India

Dr. C. S. P. Ojha Civil Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247667, Uttaranchal, India

Late Dr. A. B. Palaniappan Nnational Institute of Hydrology Jal Vigyan Bhawan Roorkee 247667, Uttaranchal, India.

Mr. S.N. Phukan B-304, Swapnalaya Apartments Narikalbari, Zoo Narengi Road Guwahati 781024, Assam, India

Dr. V. Prakash Earthquake Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247 667, Uttaranchal, India

Dr. B. Purkait Petrology Division, Marine Wing Geological Survey of India 63, N. S. C. Bose Road, Calcutta 700040, India

Dr. A. Sharma NEDFI IDB! Building, G.S. Road Guwahati 781005, Assam, India

Dr. N. Sharma Water Resources Development Training Centre Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttaranchal24 7 667 India

Dr. P. Sarma Department of Geography, Cotton College, Panbazar, Guwahati - 781 001 Assam, India

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Professor V. P. Singh Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6405 U. S.A.

Dr. A. Sinvhal Earthquake Engineering Department Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 247 667, Uttaranchal, Indi

Dr. V. Subramaniam Asstt. Professor Deptt. of Civil Engineering Indian Institute of Technology P. O. North Guwahati Guwahati, Assam, India

Mr. V. K. Talwar Director, Gates (E & NE) Directorate Sewa Bhawan, C.W.C, R. K. Puram New Delhi 110066, India.

Dr. B. K. Talukdar "EVER GREEN" Samanwoy Path (Survey) PO: Beltola, Guwahati 781 028 Assam, INDIA

Dr. N. C. Talukdar Department of Soil Science Assam Agricultural University Barbheta, Jorhat ?785 013 Assam India