Brahmaputra - Is it a boon or a curse for Assam?
The Brahmaputra , the ninth largest river in the world by discharge, and the 15th longest is also called Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh and Luit in Assam. Brahmaputra means "son of Brahma" in Sanskrit ( putra means "son"). It’s a a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, India and Bangladesh. About 4,696 km long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation in the region. The lives of many people of Assam are dependent on the Brahmaputra river. Its delta is home to 130 million people and 600,000 people live on its bank. These people rely on the annual 'normal' flood to bring moisture and fresh sediments to the floodplain soils, hence providing the necessities for agricultural and marine farming. Most of the seasonal rice varieties cannot survive without the floodwater. Furthermore, the fish caught both on the floodplain during flood season and from the many floodplain ponds are the main source of p