Incubator escapee wiki

Teesta River

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox river

Teesta River is a Template:Cvt long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal and subsequently enters Bangladesh through Rangpur division. In Bangladesh, it merges with Jamuna River which after meeting some other major rivers of the Bengal delta finally falls into the Bay of Bengal.<ref name=Mullick_al2011>Template:Cite journal</ref> It drains an area of Template:Cvt.<ref name=Rahaman_WP2020>Template:Cite journal</ref> In India, the Teesta flows through Mangan District, Gangtok District, Pakyong District, Kalimpong district, Darjeeling District, Jalpaiguri District, Cooch Behar districts and the cities of Rangpo, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj. In Bangladesh, it flows through Lalmonirhat District, Rangpur District, Kurigram District and Gaibandha District. It joins the Jamuna River at Phulchhari Upazila in Bangladesh. Template:Cvt of the river lies in India and Template:Cvt in Bangladesh. The Teesta is the largest river of Sikkim and second largest river of West Bengal after the Ganges.

CourseEdit

File:Teesta river near Gangtok.jpg
Teesta river near Gangtok
File:Teestavalley.jpg
National Highway 10 winds along the banks of the Teesta River near Kalimpong.

The Teesta River originates from Teesta Khangtse Glacier, west of Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above Template:Cvt, and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya.<ref name=Meetei2007>Template:Cite journal</ref>

It is fed by streams from Tso Lhamo Lake, Gurudongmar Lake and rivulets arising in the Thangu Valley, Yumthang Valley of Flowers, Dikchu and Donkha mountain ranges. The river then flows past the towns of Chungthang, Singhik, Mangan, Dikchu and Makha, where some major tributaries like Kanaka river join it, and reaches Singtam, where it is spanned by the scenic Indreni Bridge. Also in Singtam, a large tributary of the Teesta called Ranikhola joins and then descends towards Bardang, Majitar, Mining where it is spanned by Rangpo - Mining Teesta Bridge and reaches the city of Rangpo where Rangpo River, the second largest tributary of the Teesta joins. From here river Teesta forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar via Melli. Just before the Teesta Bridge, where the roads from Kalimpong and Darjeeling join, the river is met by its largest tributary, the Rangeet River.<ref name=Chaudhuri2015>Template:Cite book</ref>

After this point, Teesta river changes its course southwards flowing into West Bengal and some more tributaries like Relli River, Riyang river, Geil Khola etc joins. Than the river hits the plains at Sevoke, Template:Cvt northeast of Siliguri, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge and Sevoke Railway Bridge linking the northeast states to the rest of India. After crossing Sevoke, the river is fed by some small tributaries like Chel Khola, Neora Khola, Leesh Khola etc, and then reaches Gajoldoba where there is Teesta Barrage. The river then flows through Jalpaiguri, where Jalpaiguri Teesta Bridge links Northeastern States. The river flows further down through Mekhliganj and Haldibari in Cooch Behar district, where it is spanned by Joyee Setu, the longest roadway bridge of West Bengal with length 3.8 kilometres.

Here the Teesta completes its journey in India and enters Bangladesh in Dahagram, Rangpur Division. The river descends towards Barakhata, where there is Teesta Barrage of Bangladesh. Further it reaches Rangpur and Lalmonirhat town in Lalmonirhat District and Nilphamari District. After crossing Tepamadhupur Bazaar, Nagrakura Bazaar, Sundarganj and Bozra Bazaar, river Teesta joins Brahmaputra River at Haripur Port near Gaibandha, Phulchhari Upazila in Kurigram District of Bangladesh.<ref name="Joshi2004">Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Gajoldoba Barrage on Teesta river in Gajoldoba 13.jpg
Gajoldoba Barrage on Teesta river

GeographyEdit

Template:More citations needed section Through its course, the Teesta river has carved out ravines and gorges in Sikkim meandering through the hills with the hill station of Kalimpong lying just off the river and the city of Siliguri at the foothills of Himalaya. Variegated vegetation can be seen along this route. At lower elevations, tropical deciduous trees and shrubs cover the surrounding hills; alpine vegetation is seen at the upper altitudes. The river is flanked by white sand which is used by the construction industry in the region. Large boulders in and around the waters make it ideal for rafting.

During the monsoon, Teesta River distends its banks, both in size and turbulence. Landslides in this region often dam up parts of the river in this season. It has also caused severe flooding, multiple times during monsoon in Bangladesh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Changes in course of riversEdit

File:1776 Rennell - Dury Wall Map of Bihar and Bengal, India - Geographicus - BaharBengal-dury-1776.jpg
James Rennell's 1776 map shows an earlier flow of the Teesta meeting the Ganges in three channels before a devastating flood in 1787 changed its course

In the past, the Teesta flowed south from Jalpaiguri in three channels: the Punarbhaba, Atrai and Karatoya Rivers. The Teesta changed course as a result of the flooding of 1787, turning southeast to become part of the Brahmaputra.<ref name="Majumdar1971">Template:Cite book</ref>

Hydroelectric projects and barragesEdit

Template:Multiple image India has an estimated total hydroelectric power potential of 84 GW at 60% load factor. Of this, Sikkim's potential share is 2.9%, or about 4.29 GW.<ref name="moef.gov.in">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The successfully completed major projects and dams of Teesta River System are as follows:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 4 October 2023, heavy rains caused a glacial lake outburst flood.<ref name="reu4Oct2023">Template:Cite news</ref> The flood reached the Teesta III Dam at midnight, before its gates could be opened, destroying the dam in minutes.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="indiatimes">Template:Cite news</ref>

  • Dikchu River Hydroelectric Power Project: Output: 96 MW on Dikchu River, tributary of River Teesta, Location - Dikchu, Gangtok district, Sikkim. Constructed by- Sneha Kinetic Power Projects Pvt. Ltd.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The other three completed projects are significantly smaller and minor—Lower Lagyap, Upper Rongni Chhu and Mayang Chhu projects.<ref name="moef.gov.in"/>

Water sharing challengeEdit

Disputes over the appropriate allocation and development of the water resources of the river have remained a subject of conflict between India and Bangladesh for almost 35 years, with several bilateral agreements and rounds of talks failing to produce results.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Negotiations have been going on since 1983.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1983, a temporary solution had been worked out— Bangladesh would get 36%, India would get 39% while the rest of the water remained unallocated.<ref name=":0" /> Both countries signed a water sharing treaty in 1996 which would look into water sharing between the two countries in general following the Ganges water dispute.<ref name=":0" /> The water sharing remains a challenge.<ref name=":0" />

In recent developments, Bangladesh's interim government water advisor, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, told news agency PTI (Press Trust of India) on September 1, 2024, that both upper and lower riparian countries must follow international water-sharing principles. If a treaty remains out of reach, it could mark a significant shift in India-Bangladesh relations if diplomacy fails.<ref>Express Web Desk, "Bangladesh’s interim govt ‘keen to restart talks’ on Teesta water treaty with India," The Indian Express, September 2, 2024, https://indianexpress.com/article/world/bangladesh-teesta-water-treaty-india-talks-sheikh-hasina-modi-9545804/.</ref>

Seismic concernsEdit

Teesta river area is in the seismically active Zone-V and has experienced micro-seismic activity. According to India's Ministry of Environment & Forests, the Teesta river dam projects have been approved with the requirement that they adopt suitable seismic coefficient in the design for the dam, tunnel, surge shaft and power house. The projects are cascaded over the length of the river, do not store large amounts water, have small reservoirs, and therefore the projects are expected to have very low risk from the reservoir induced seismicity in the area.<ref name="moef.gov.in"/>

Climate and tectonicsEdit

The Teesta river has preserved good imprints of climatic and tectonics along its valleys and catchments. The interrelationship between climate, erosion, deposition and tectonic activities is not properly understood to date. These are being studied.<ref name=Meetei2007 /><ref name="Mukul2000">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

2023 Teesta Flash FloodsEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project

Template:Hydrography of Sikkim Template:Rivers in and around Bengal

Template:Coord

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Teesta_River&oldid=778173"