PRESENTATION ON

BIODIVERSITY OF NORTH EASTERN INDIA

BRAHMAPUTRAHEART OF NORTH EAST

Presented By: AMIT KUMAR

SAHECE, 2ND Year

B.Tech 3rd semBranch: IE

2013

Introduction• River systems are the zone of Earth’s highest

biological diversity – and also of our most intense human activity. Freshwater biodiversity is in a state of crisis, a consequence of decades of humans exploiting rivers with large dams, water diversions and pollution. Freshwater species are even more endangered than those on land. River Brahmaputra is one of them.

• The Brahmaputra river, which is called Yarlung Tsangpo by the Tibetans and Tsan-Po by the Chinese, is the soul of India. It is the lifeline for those living in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Assam. People in this region largely depend on the river for irrigation, fishing and transportation of goods.

REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPIC

• According to media reports, on November 12, 2010 China initiated construction work along the Brahmaputra river at Medoc, Tibet, which is only 30 kilometres north of the Indian border. There are also reports that China has been using the manpower earlier involved in the Lhasa-Beijing railway for the construction of a $1.2 billion hydro-power/diversion project on the Brahmaputra. With the initiation of the diversion cum hydro-power production work on the Brahmaputra river, both India and Bangladesh have begun to face problems with respect to water-resources. Even more worrisome is the news that after 2014 China might build additional dams and divert water from all important rivers originating in the Tibetan plateau and which flow to neighbouring countries in South Asia, including Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is likely to have a disastrous effect on the environment and economy of the Northeast.

GEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION

With its origin in the Angsi Glacier, located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo River, it flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh (India) where it is known as Dihang or Siang. It flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Yamuna.About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation. The average depth of the river is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m). The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in spring when the Himalayan snows melt. The average discharge of the river is about 19,300 cubic metres per second, and floods can reach over 100,000 cubic metres per second. It is a classic example of a braided river and is highly susceptible to channel migration and avulsion.

GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

• The climate of the Brahmaputra valley varies from the harsh, cold, and dry conditions found in Tibet to the generally hot and humid conditions prevailing in Assam state and in Bangladesh. Tibetan winters are severely cold, with average temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C), while summers are mild and sunny. The river valley lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, and precipitation there is relatively light: Lhasa receives about 16 inches (400 mm) annually.

• Along the lower courses of the Ganges and Brahmaputra and along the Meghna, the land undergoes constant erosion and deposition of silt because of the shifts and changes in the active rivers.

PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE

• Along the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo) on the high Plateau of Tibet, the vegetation is mainly drought-resistant shrubs and grasses. As the river descends from Tibet, increased precipitation supports the growth of forests. Forests of sal, a valuable timber tree that yields resin, are found in Assam. At even lower elevations, tall reed jungles grow in the swamps and depressed water-filled areas (jheels) of the immense floodplains. Around towns and villages in the Assam Valley, the many fruit trees yield plantains, papayas, mangoes, and jackfruit. Bamboo thickets abound throughout Assam and Bangladesh.

• The most notable animal of the swamps in Assam is the one-horned rhinoceros, which has become extinct in other parts of the world; Kaziranga National Park (designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985) provides a refuge for the rhinoceros and for other wildlife in the valley, including elephants, tigers, leopards, wild buffalo, and deer. Numerous varieties of fish include the pabda (Omdok pabda), chital (Notopterus chitala), and mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus).

DISADVANTAGES

CONCLUSION

Biodiversity is our life. If the Biodiversity got lost at this rate then in near future, the survival of human being will be threatened. So, it is our moral duty to conserve Biodiversity as well our Environment. Long-term maintenance of species and their management requires co-operative efforts across entire landscapes. Biodiversity should be dealt with at scale of habitats or ecosystems rather than at species level.

How beautiful our earth is

when biodiversity is conserved...?

Thank you.....