The Subansiri River; is a trans- Himalayan river and a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the Brahmaputra River that flows through Tibet's Lhünzê County, Shannan Prefecture and the Indian states of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. The Subansiri is long, with a drainage basin . It is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra contributing 7.92% of the Brahmaputra's total flow.

Name and etymology

North-East Frontier in 1954 Political Map of India

The name is derived from a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

word ''svarṇa'' (), meaning 'gold'. Originally the name applied to the river only after the confluence of the Chayul Chu and Tsari Chu rivers at Gelensiniak. In early maps of independent India, Tsari Chu was marked as the main Subansiri river. However, over time, the name has been transferred to Chayul Chu. Within Tibet, the rivers are named after the locations they flow from such as Loro Chu, Nye Chu, Char Chu and Chayul Chu, all of which apply to the Subansirir or its tributaries.

Course

The Subansiri River originates in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

near Mount Porom in the

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. It enters India near the town of Taksing and flows east and southeast through Miri Hills, then south to the

Valley at Dulangmukh in Dhemaji district, where it joins the Brahmaputra River at Jamurighat in

Lakhimpur district Lakhimpur district ( ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarter is located at North Lakhimpur. The district is bounded on the North by Siang and Papumpare districts of Arunachal Pradesh and on the Ea ...

. Small tributaries of the Subansiri include Rangandi, Dikrong and Kamala. The Subansiri lends its name to two districts in Arunachal Pradesh: Upper Subansiri and Lower Subansiri. The observed discharge of Subansiri is a maximum of , and minimum of . It contributes 7.92% of the Brahmaputra's total flow.

Tsari Chu

Tsari Chu (, "Lo River"; known as Lensi River in Arunachal Pradesh) rises near the village of Chosam in Tibet and flows east for about 25 miles till the town of Migyitun, where it turns south. It merges with the Subansiri at Gelensiniak. The district of Tsari, consisting of the Tsari Chu valley and its vicinity, is considered holy ground by the Tibetans. No animals are killed and no food is grown in these areas, with the exception of Migyitun. The holiness comes from the Dakpa Sheri mountain peak at the centre of the Tsari district, considered the home of the Buddhist Tantric deity Demchok ( Chakrasamvara) and his consort Dorje Phagmo ( Vajravārāhī). The pious Tibetans used to carry out a wide circumabulation (called ''rongkor'' or "ravine circuit") around the mountain once every 12 years, during the monkey year. They traversed the valley of the Tsari Chu river until its junction with Subansiri, and returned via the Subansiri and Yume Chu valleys. The last such circumambulation took place in 1956, after which the Sino-Indian border conflict has put an end to the practice.

History

The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake caused landslides blocking the flow of Subansiri at Gerukamukh. After three days the blockade broke causing a massive flash flood. Over the years flooding of the river has caused loss to livelihood and life.

Lower Subansiri Dam

The Lower Subansiri Dam or The Lower Subansiri Hydro-Electric Project is an under construction dam gravity dam on the river. The dam is seen as a problem and many organisations are protesting against it. ''The River'' is a fiction book based on the issue and displays the issue as viewed by common Assamese people through its imaginary dolphins, fishes, and human characters.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

Subansiri Basin Study – Another Chapter of Environment Subversion in Northeast
South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, 25 September 2013. {{India Rivers Rivers of Assam Rivers of Arunachal Pradesh Tributaries of the Brahmaputra River Rivers of India