Brahamputra River System

Brahmaputra originates on the Angsi Glacier located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo River and flows southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges. Tsangpo enters India after taking a U turn at Namcha Barwa and flows in Arunachal Pradesh and here we call it Dihang River or Siang River. This U turn marks the starting point of the Grand Canyon, known as Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, which has been confirmed as the largest in the world. It is 496.3 kilometers long, 56.3 kilometers longer than the Colorado Grand Canyon, previously considered the world’s longest. It is 5,382 meters deep, much deeper than the 3,200 meters of Peru’s Colca Canyon, previously known as the world’s deepest canyon.

After taking this U -turn, Dihang meets Dibang River and the Lohit River at the head of the Assam Valley and then flows southwest through the Assam Valley, where it is known as Brahmaputra. In Assam it becomes a wide stream. Then its enters Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra is joined by the Teesta River, one of its largest tributaries. Below the Teesta, the Brahmaputra splits into two distributary branches. The western branch, which contains the majority of the river’s flow, continues due south as the Jamuna to merge with the lower Ganges, called the Padma River. The eastern branch is called the lower or old Brahmaputra . It curves southeast to join the Meghna River near Dhaka. The Padma and Meghna converge near Chandpur and flow out into the Bay of Bengal.  Brahmaputra is 3,848 km long, and its drainage area is 712,035 km².

The waters of the River Brahmaputra are shared by China, India, and Bangladesh. In the 1990s and 2000s, there was repeated speculation about China building a dam at the Great Bend, with a view to divert the waters to the north of the country. This was denied by the Chinese government, later on.

Important Tributaries of Brahmaputra

Teesta River

• Teesta River is lifeline of Sikkim and makes a border between Sikkim and West Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra as a tributary in Bangladesh. The total length of the river is 315 kilometres .
• It originates at Tso Lhamo Lake in North Sikkim and is formed by the melting of the Tista Khantse glacier.
• Just before the Teesta Bridge, which joins Kalimpong with Darjeeling, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet River.
• At this point, it changes course southwards flowing into West Bengal. The river hits the plains at Sevoke, at a distance of 22 Km from Siliguri, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge which links the north-east states to the rest of India.
• The river then courses its way to Jalpaiguri and then to Rangpur District of Bangladesh, before finally merging with the mighty Brahmaputra at Fulchori.

Manas River

• Manas River folows in India and Bhutan and is the largest river system of Bhutan. Three other river systems of Bhutan are Amo Chu or Torsa, Wong Chu or Raidak, Mo Chu or Sankosh. It is met by three other major streams before it again debouches into India in western Assam.
• After flowing a total of 376 kilometers, it meets Brahmaputra River at Jogighopa. Its river valley is home to Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan and the contiguous Manas Wildlife Sanctuary of India which is a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.