Brahmaputra river and its tributaries Detailed [2022]

Brahmaputra river

The Brahmaputra river map above shows the flow of river Brahmaputra from its source in Tibet region to its final destination, the bay of Bengal.

Origin

• Chemayungdung mountain ranges near Mansarovar lake in southern Tibet.
• The spring named Tamchok khambab is considered as the origin of the river Brahmaputra. 
• It is known as Tsangpo or Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet region and flows parallel to the Himalayan ranges before entering into India through Arunachal Pradesh.
• The river Brahmaputra enters into India through Arunachal Pradesh as siang or dihang river. After joining its tributaries Lohit and the dibang river, it is known as  river Brahmaputra.
• After entering into Bangladesh river Brahmaputra is known as Jamuna river and it is joined by Ganga river which in Bangladesh is known as Padma river. And finally river Brahmaputra empties its water into the bay of Bengal.
• River basin consists of all the land drained by the river and its tributaries .
• The Brahmaputra river basin consists of various small rivers and it is so large that it spreads over Tibet, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India. River Brahmaputra basin in India spreads over various States which consists of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, west bengal, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Download Brahmaputra river map

Left bank tributaries

Left bank tributaries of river Brahmaputra have common feature: have flatter grades, fine alluvial soils and comparatively low silt charge, deep meandering channels 

Lets see them one by one:

Siang river

• The river Siang is known by the name of Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet originating at the height of 5300 meter near Kailash range. 
• It follows in east direction parallel to the Himalayan ranges for approx 1600 kilometre.
• Just before entering into India it passes through a deep Gorge across the eastern extremities of the Himalayan ranges. After entering into India it is joined by the lohit and the dibang river and together they form the mighty river Brahmaputra.

Dibang river

• River dibang originates in Arunachal Pradesh near Indo China border in the dibang valley. The mishmi hills lie in the upper course of river dibang. 
• The river finally joins the lohit river and together they join the siang river.

Lohit river

• Lohit river rises in the Tibet region where it is called as Zayu river. 
• It enters India through Arunachal Pradesh flowing mishmi hills it joins siang river to form the Brahmaputra river. 
• Lohit river carries abundant amounts of lateritic soil with it which provides it a reddish colour.

Burhi Dihang / Burhi dihing river

• Formed by the confluence of two small rivers Namphuk and Namchik which Originates in Patkai hills, which is part of Eastern Himalayan ranges in Arunachal Pradesh. 
• Flowing through Patkai hills and due to change of its course overtime burhi dihing river have created various oxbow lakes around it.
• It finally joins river Brahmaputra in Assam plains.
• Its basin is used for cultivation of tea.

Dhansiri river

Dhansiri originates from south west Nagaland, flowing along Intanki national park it joins river Brahmaputra in Assam plains.

Kopili river

• Kopili river originates in Saipong reserve forest in South East Meghalaya 
• It forms the border between Assam and Meghalaya States.
• It joins river Brahmaputra at kopilimukh in Assam plains.

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Right bank tributaries

Right  bank tributaries of river Brahmaputra have common feature: have steep slope, coarse sandy beds, shallow braided channels, and carry a heavy silt charge

Have a look at them one by one:

Subansiri river

• The subansiri river rises beyond the Himalayas in the tibet region so technically its a trans- Himalayan river.
• Subansiri is formed by culmination of various small streams which have “chu” in their names such as Tsari chu, chayal chu. And sikung chu is the main source of the subansiri river.
• Subansiri river is the largest tributary of river Brahmaputra.
• Subansiri enters into India through Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Miri hills.
• Subansiri joins the river Brahmaputra in Assam at Jamurighat.

Kameng river

• Kameng river rises near the Gorichen mountain in Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo Tibetan border.
• Flowing through Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh it enters Assam plains and joins river Brahmaputra.
• Kameng river flows between two important protected areas, Sessa and eaglenest sanctuary on its west and Pakke tiger reserve on its east.

Manas river

• Manas river is a trans-Himalayan river and it originates from Tibet region.
• Originating from Tibet it flows for 24 km before entering into Bhutan and finally into India, where it joins the river Brahmaputra.
• Manas river system is the largest river system of Bhutan.
• Manas river flows through two important protected areas, The Royal Manas National park in Bhutan and the Manas wildlife sanctuary in India 

Sankosh river

• The Sankosh river rises in Bhutan’s northern part. 
•  As it is a right Bank tributary of Brahmaputra river, flowing through hills it carries lots of silt with it, and has steep slopes and shallow braided channels.
• It is known as Puna Tsang chu in Bhutan and is one of most beautiful rivers in Bhutan.
• The Sankosh river enters India and flows forming the border between Assam and West Bengal.
• Flowing further it enters Bangladesh and joins Brahmaputra river near Indo- Bangladesh international boundary.

Teesta river

• Teesta river originates in the Himalayas of North Sikkim at Zemu glacier in the peaks Kanchenjunga ranges.
• Teesta river is lifeline of Sikkim
• Originating in Himalayan heights it has created a deep gorge in Darjeeling hills and divides Darjeeling hills into Tiger hill range and Kalimpong hill range.
• Flowing further it enters into Bangladesh and joins the mighty Brahmaputra river.

This is all about river Brahmaputra in a short form, if you still need more have a look at this government of India official document

Recent News

29 Aug 2021: Assam floods hit 2.25 lakh people

Brahmaputra river is prone to flooding annually. It is flooded two times annually. One flood is because of the melting of the Himalayan snow in summer time season and the alternative because of the monsoon flows.

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