Abnormal drying of Brahmaputra River during lean season concerning: Expert

Guwahati, Dec 4:The mighty Brahmaputra River is drying up fast during the lean season, which has become a matter of grave concern. Though the government has started a move to dredge the bed of the Brahmaputra, it is unlikely that it will solve the problem. When contacted by The Assam Tribune, Professor Parag Phukan of the Department of Geology of Gauhati University, who has been studying the Brahmaputra for a long time, admitted that the mighty river dries up abnormally in the lean season, which is a matter of great concern.

He said that multiple factors can be attributed to this phenomenon, and one of the major causes can be a decline in monsoon rainfall. Phukan said that they had carried out a study for the past 20 years, and it was found that monsoon rainfall is declining in this part of the country. The rainfall in the northeastern part of the country is declining, while it is increasing in the northwestern part. Around 30 percent of the water of the Brahmaputra comes from China, and the rest is added in Assam. However, with less rainfall in this part of the country, the Brahmaputra does not have adequate velocity to flush out the sand and sediment deposits.

As a result, sediment deposits on the bed of the river are increasing with every passing year. Phukan said that normally, the intensity of rainfall is higher on the Himalayan foothills, and it is less in the Brahmaputra plains.

But in the past few years, there has been a gradual decline of rainfall in the foothills of the Himalayas too, which is another area of concern. When asked whether it is happening because of climate change, Phukan said, "It is difficult for us to say whether it is due to climate change. To specify climate change, we need data for at least 30 years, but we have studied the data for 20 years. That is why it will not be proper for us to say whether rainfall decreased due to climate change."

Moreover, the bed of the river is also rising because of sediment deposition, and the water-carrying capacity of the river is also decreasing. That is why floods and landslides are increasing during the rainy season.

On whether dredging would be a solution to the problem, Phukan expressed the view that given the magnitude of the river, it would be almost impossible to dredge the entire stretch of the river. He said that dredging can keep a navigation channel open throughout the year.

By-

R Dutta Choudhury