High sediment load has made Brahmaputra flood-prone: experts

While the Brahmaputra bed has risen due to the earthquake that struck the territory in 1950, the increased sediment load has further disturbed the natural flow of the river. Officials are, however, concerned over the alarming rate at which the silt is flowing into the Brahmaputra from its tributaries, especially from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.

8220;The bed load of sediments at Pandu in Guwahati is found to be between five and 15 per cent of the total load of the river,8221; said J N Sarma of the Department of Applied Geology at Dibrugarh University, indicating how much of the river8217;s natural capacity has been occupied by silt.