Geology of Large River Systems

Abstract

The Indian sub-continent is host to several large rivers, which are distinctive in terms of their hydrology and sediment transport characteristics due to monsoonal climate and tectonic setting. Many of these rivers have attracted international attention for the last several decades and continue to do so. This paper highlights the major research contributions on various aspects of large rivers of India made during the last 5-6 years. Some of the important themes covered in this paper include glacier-river interactions, erosional history and sediment dynamics, river processes including flood hazards, alluvial stratigraphie development and river management. A couple of large-scale initiatives on the Ganga River attest to the change in the mindset of the policy makers. The use of modern techniques such as remote sensing and GIS, digital elevation models, high-precision measurements such as kinematic GPS, Total Station and ADCP in river surveys is being realized by researchers as well as river managers. We emphasize the emergence of River Science as a discipline that aims to study the integration of hydrological, geological, chemical, and ecological processes and their interactions, and suggest that the Indian researchers and river managers promote this new approach which links river management to river health.