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Ganges-Brahmaputra

Watershed statistics – Brahmaputra

  • Country: China, India, Bangladesh
  • Large-scale drainage area: SE Asia (Indian Ocean)
  • Drainage: 651,334 km2
  • Runoff: 587 km3/year
  • Suspended sediment: 665 Mt/year
  • Population density: 174 people/km2
  • Large cities: 14
  • Cropland: 14%
  • Developed: 3%
  • Modified land area: 32%
  • Forest loss: 73%
  • Large dams: 0

Watershed statistics – Ganges

  • Country: China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal
  • Large-scale drainage area: SE Asia (Indian Ocean)
  • Drainage: 1,016,104 km2
  • Runoff: 445 km3/year
  • Suspended sediment: 500 Mt/year
  • Population density: 375 people/km2
  • Large cities: 82
  • Cropland: 71%
  • Developed: 8%
  • Modified land area: 79%
  • Forest loss: 85%
  • Large dams: 6
  • Sediment trapping efficiency: 0.01 (fraction)

Reference: Revenga, C., S. Murray, J. Abramovitz, and A. Hammond, 1998. Watersheds of the World: Ecological Value and Vulnerability. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute.

Ganges-Brahmaputra watershed © Greg Fiske, WHRC

Ganges-Brahmaputra watershed © Greg Fiske, WHRC