A distributary , or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a tributary , a stream that flows towards and into another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurcation and are often found where a river approaches a lake or an ocean and divides into distributary networks; as such they are a common feature of river deltas . They can also occur inland, on alluvial fans , or where a tributary stream bifurcates as it nears its confluence with a larger stream. In some cases, a minor distributary can divert so much water from the main channel that it can later become the main route.
39-628: The Hooghly River (also spelled Hoogli or Hugli ) is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges , situated in West Bengal , India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi . The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the Ganges at Giria . A short distance west, it meets the man-made Farakka Feeder Canal , which massively increases its flow. The river then flows south to join
78-491: A roller — somewhat like a hydraulic jump — to undular bores , comprising a smooth wavefront followed by a train of secondary waves known as whelps . Large bores can be particularly unsafe for shipping but also present opportunities for river surfing . Two key features of a tidal bore are the intense turbulence and turbulent mixing generated during the bore propagation, as well as its rumbling noise. The visual observations of tidal bores highlight
117-743: A curse of the saint Kapila . In 1974, the Farakka Barrage began diverting water into the Hooghly during the dry season so as to reduce the silting difficulties at Kolkata's port. Like the rest of the Ganges, the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly is considered sacred to Hindus , and its water is considered holy. The following bridges currently span the Hooghly River; listed from south to north until the Farakka Feeder Canal meets
156-489: A mean of 10 ft (3.0 m), and a minimum during freshets of 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m). In its upper reaches the river is generally known as the Bhāgirathi, until it reaches Hooghly. The word Bhāgirathi literally means "caused by Bhagiratha ", a Hindu mythological Solar dynasty prince who was instrumental in bringing the river Ganges from heaven to the earth, in order to release his 60,000 grand-uncles from
195-418: A shallow, narrowing river or lake via a broad bay. The funnel-like shape not only increases the tidal range, but it can also decrease the duration of the flood tide , down to a point where the flood appears as a sudden increase in the water level. A tidal bore takes place during the flood tide and never during the ebb tide . A tidal bore may take on various forms, ranging from a single breaking wavefront with
234-681: Is generally named un mascaret in French. but some other local names are preferred. With the Bay of Fundy having the highest tidal range in the world, most rivers draining into the upper bay between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have significant tidal bores. They include: Historically, there was a tidal bore on the Gulf of California in Mexico at the mouth of the Colorado River . It formed in
273-773: The Atchafalaya River is an important distributary of the Mississippi River . Because the Atchafalaya takes a steeper route to the Gulf of Mexico than does the Mississippi, over several decades the Atchafalaya has captured more and more of the Mississippi's flow, after the Mississippi meandered into the Red River of the South . The Old River Control Structure , a dam which regulates the outflow from
312-647: The Balonne River in Queensland into Narran Lake in New South Wales . Many of Papua New Guinea's major rivers flow into the Gulf of Papua through marshy, low-lying country, allowing for wide, many-branched deltas. These include the Fly River , which splits into three major and several minor rivers close to its mouth. The Bamu River splits into several channels close to its mouth, among them
351-773: The Bebea , Bina , Dibiri , and Aramia . The Kikori River also splits into a multitude of channels as it crosses the plains close to the Gulf of Papua. The Purari River splits into three major channels as it approaches its mouth. New Zealand's second-longest river, the Clutha River , splits into two arms, the Matau and the Koua , some 10 kilometres from the South Island's Pacific Coast. A large island, Inch Clutha , lies between
390-606: The Fraser River , or the West Channel of the Mackenzie River ), or to one that does (e.g. Annacis Channel and Annieville Channel of the Fraser River , separated by Annacis Island ). In Australia, the term anabranch is used to refer to a distributary that diverts from the main course of the river and rejoins it later. In North America such a branching river is called a braided river . In Louisiana ,
429-523: The Jalangi at Nabadwip , where it becomes the Hooghly proper. The Hooghly continues southwards, passing through the metropolis of Kolkata . Thereafter, it empties into the Bay of Bengal . Its tributaries include the Ajay , Damodar , Rupnarayan , and Haldi . The Hooghly has religious significance as Hindus consider the river sacred. It also plays a major role in the agriculture, industry, and climate of
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#1732776273750468-747: The North Arm and the South Arm , and a few smaller ones adjoining them. Examples of inland distributaries: The Casiquiare canal is an inland distributary of the upper Orinoco , which flows southward into the Rio Negro , forming a unique natural canal between the Orinoco and Amazon river systems. It is the largest river on the planet that links two major river systems. The Huai River in China splits into three streams. The main stream passes through
507-982: The River Dee in Wales in the United Kingdom, the Garonne and Sélune in France, the Daly River in Australia, and the Qiantang River estuary in China. The force of the tidal bore flow often poses a challenge to scientific measurements, as evidenced by a number of field work incidents in the River Dee, Rio Mearim, Daly River, and Sélune River. Rivers and bays that have been known to exhibit bores include those listed below. The phenomenon
546-937: The River Thames . The 10 places along the Hooghly River are Murshidabad , Krishnagar , Chandernagore , Barrackpore , Jorasanko , Bowbazar , Howrah , Kidderpore , Botanical Gardens and Batanagar . Ten scrolls, painted in the Patua tradition, depicting the 10 places will be carried along the Hooghly River. The event began at Murshidabad on 7 December 2017 and ended at the Victoria Memorial , Kolkata on 17 December. 1. Gautam Kumar Das. 2024. River Systems of West Bengal: Water Quality and Environment. In: River Systems of West Bengal. Springer Water. Springer, Cham. 180p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53480-5-1 . https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-53480-5 . 2. Gautam Kumar Das. 2015. Estuarine Morphodynamics of
585-425: The 3rd position in the list of Indian Ports. The modern container port of Haldia , on the intersection of lower Hooghly and Haldi River, now carries much of the region's maritime trade. One new port will be built in the deep sea to reduce the load on Calcutta port. Despite the river being polluted, the fish from it are important to the local economy. The Hooghly river valley was the most important industrial area of
624-525: The French, Dutch, Portuguese, etc. all had their trade settlements by the banks of this river. The river provides a perennial supply of water to the plain of West Bengal for irrigation and human & industry consumption. The river is navigable and a major transport system in the region with a large traffic flow. For a long time, the Calcutta Port was the biggest port of India. Although in the past its significance had gone down, recently it has reached
663-497: The Hoogly river. The tide runs rapidly on the Hooghly, and produces a remarkable example of the fluvial phenomenon known as a tidal bore . This consists of the head-wave of the advancing tide, hemmed in where the estuary narrows suddenly into the river, and often exceeds 7 ft (2.1 m) in height. It is felt as high up as Naihati 35 km upstream of Calcutta , and frequently destroys small boats. A tidal bore which overcame
702-496: The Mississippi into the Atchafalaya, was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1963. The dam is intended to prevent the Atchafalaya from capturing the main flow of the Mississippi and stranding the ports of Baton Rouge and New Orleans . In British Columbia , Canada, the Fraser River has numerous sloughs and side-channels which may be defined as distributaries. This river's final stretch has three main distributaries:
741-698: The Sanhe Sluice, goes out of the Sanhe river, and enters the Yangtze River through Baoying Lake and Gaoyou Lake . On the east bank of Hongze Lake , another stream goes out of Gaoliangjian Gate and enters the Yellow Sea at the port of Bidan through Subei Guan'gai Zongqu, the main irrigation channel of Northern Jiangsu ); its total length is 168 kilometers. The third stream leaves the Erhe lock on
780-605: The Sunderbans, Springer, Switzerland, 211p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11343-2 . https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-11343-2 . Distributary Common terms to name individual river distributaries in English-speaking countries are arm and channel . These terms may refer to a distributary that does not rejoin the channel from which it has branched (e.g., the North, Middle, and South Arms of
819-477: The agreement between India and Bangladesh. The feeder canal runs parallel to the Ganges, past Dhulian , until just above Jahangirpur where the canal ends and joins the Bhagirathi River. The Bhagirathi then flows south past Jiaganj Azimganj , Murshidabad and Baharampur . South of Baharampur and north of Palashi it used to form the border between Bardhaman District and Nadia District , but while
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#1732776273750858-791: The banks of the Qiantang River , a number of fatalities occur each year by people who take too much risk with the bore. The tidal bores affect the shipping and navigation in the estuarine zone, for example, in Papua New Guinea (in the Fly and Bamu Rivers ), Malaysia (the Benak in the Batang Lupar ), and India (the Hooghly River bore). On the other hand, tidal bore-affected estuaries are rich feeding zones and breeding grounds of several forms of wildlife. The estuarine zones are
897-464: The banks of the river in 1876 was reported to have killed up to a hundred thousand people. The difference from the lowest point of low-water in the dry season to the highest point of high-water in the rains is reported to be 20 ft 10 in (6.35 m). The greatest mean rise of tide, about 16 ft (4.9 m), takes place in March, April or May - with a declining range during the rainy season to
936-463: The border has remained the same the river is now often east or west of its former bed. The river then flows south past Katwa , Nabadwip , Kalna and Jirat . At Kalna it originally formed the border between Nadia District and Hooghly District , and then further south between Hooghly District and North 24 Parganas District . It flows past Halisahar , Chinsurah , Naihati , Bhatpara , Konnagar , Serampore , and Kamarhati . Then, just before entering
975-445: The bore front and whelps, entrained air bubbles in the bore roller, sediment erosion beneath the bore front and of the banks, scouring of shoals and bars, and impacts on obstacles. The bore rumble is heard far away because its low frequencies can travel over long distances. The low-frequency sound is a characteristic feature of the advancing roller in which the air bubbles entrapped in the large-scale eddies are acoustically active and play
1014-645: The colour of the water of the Sarawasati was white, the colour of another stream named Jamuna was blue, and the colour of the Ganga was muddy and yellowish. From Kolkata the main flow of the Hooghly-Bhagirathi (or Ganga) used to run along the side of the Kalighat temple, Baruipur , Jaynagar Majilpur , Chhatrabhog and Hatiagarh. At that time, between Khiderpore and Sankrail no flow existed. Presently,
1053-768: The dominant role in the rumble-sound generation. The word bore derives through Old English from the Old Norse word bára , meaning "wave" or "swell." Tidal bores can be dangerous. Certain rivers such as the Seine in France , the Petitcodiac River in Canada , and the Colorado River in Mexico to name a few, have had a sinister reputation in association with tidal bores. In China, despite warning signs erected along
1092-665: The help of World Bank funding under the National Ganga River Basin Project Scheme . Rudyard Kipling wrote an article, On the Banks of the Hugli (1888), and a short story set on the Hooghli, An Unqualified Pilot (1895). The Silk River project aims at exploring the artistic relationship between Kolkata and London through artistic exchange from 10 locations each along the Hooghly River and
1131-439: The leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travels up a river or narrow bay, reversing the direction of the river or bay's current. It is a strong tide that pushes up the river, against the current. Bores occur in relatively few locations worldwide, usually in areas with a large tidal range (typically more than 6 meters (20 ft) between high and low tide) and where incoming tides are funneled into
1170-849: The northeast bank of Hongze Lake, passes the Huaishuhe River to the north of Lianyungang city, and flows into Haizhou Bay through the Hongkou. The Tha Chin River and Noi River are distributaries of the Chao Phraya River in Thailand , splitting off from the latter about 200 kilometers upstream from the Bay of Bangkok . The Brantas River in East Java , Indonesia , branches off into two distributaries, Mas River , also known as Surabaya River, and Porong River . A number of
1209-555: The river: The following bridges are under various stages of development: The following tunnels are situated under the Hooghly River ;:- The Bhāgirathi-Hooghly river system is an essential lifeline for the people of West Bengal. It was through this river that the East India company sailed into Bengal and established their trade settlement, Calcutta, the capital of British India. People from other countries such as
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1248-619: The rivers that flow inland from Australia's Great Dividing Range form distributaries, most of which flow only intermittently during times of high river levels and end in shallow lakes or simply peter out in the deserts. Yarriambiack Creek , which flows from the Wimmera River into Lake Coorong, and Tyrrell Creek, which flows from the Avoca River into Lake Tyrrell , are two distributaries in Victoria . The Narran River flows from
1287-603: The spawning and breeding grounds of several native fish species, while the aeration induced by the tidal bore contributes to the abundant growth of many species of fish and shrimp (for example in the Rokan River , Indonesia ). The tidal bores also provide opportunity for recreational inland surfing , such as the Seven Ghosts bore on the Kampar River , Indonesia . Scientific studies have been carried out at
1326-606: The state of Bengal. Despite a decline of the jute industry , the prime industry of this region, it is still one of the biggest industrial areas of India. It has a number of small cities which form the Greater Kolkata agglomeration , the second biggest Indian city and the former capital. In September 2015, the Government of West Bengal announced that renovation of the Hooghly riverfront in Kolkata will be completed with
1365-416: The state. The vast majority of the water that flows into the Hooghly River is provided by the man-made Farakka Feeder Canal rather than the natural source of the river at Giria. The Farakka Barrage is a dam that diverts water from the Ganges into the Farakka Feeder Canal near the town of Tildanga in Murshidabad district , located 40 km upstream from Giria. This supplies the Hooghly with water as per
1404-408: The stream between Khiderpore and Sankrail became known as KatiGanga . A channel had been dug at the time of Alibardi Khan in the middle of the 18th century. This happened with the assistance of Dutch traders, who also set up a toll point on the Hooghly river. So the present reach of the Hooghly is the lower part of the historical Saraswati. Kolkata the capital of West Bengal is located on the banks of
1443-413: The turbulent nature of the surging waters. The tidal bore induces a strong turbulent mixing in the estuarine zone, and the effects may be felt along considerable distances. The velocity observations indicate a rapid deceleration of the flow associated with the passage of the bore as well as large velocity fluctuations. A tidal bore creates a powerful roar that combines the sounds caused by the turbulence in
1482-424: The twin cities of Kolkata (Calcutta) and Howrah , it turns to the southwest. At Nurpur it enters an old channel of the Ganges, and turns south to empty into the Bay of Bengal through an estuary about 20 mi (32 km) wide. Ain-i-Akbari , a book by Abu'l-Fazl , describes that the river Ganga and river Sarwasati (Sarsuti) streams of lower Bengal had different flows. According to the footnotes of this book,
1521-427: The two arms. Many of the rivers crossing the Canterbury Plains in the central South Island are braided rivers , and several of these split into separate branches before reaching the coast. Notable among these is the Rangitata River , the two arms of which are separated by the low-lying Rangitata Island . Tidal bore A tidal bore , often simply given as bore in context, is a tidal phenomenon in which
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