Channel shifting and associated sedimentological characteristics of the katwa-mayapur stretch of the bhagirathi-hooghly river, eastern India

Channel Shifting is a natural phenomenon. But in the Bhagirathi Hooghly River System, the construction of the Farakka Barrage has completely disturbed the Dynamic Equilibrium condition of the river. Entry of excess water of the Ganga into the Bhagirathi Hooghly has suddenly rejuvenated the Bhagirathi Hooghly (B-H) and destroyed the stability besides increasing the discharge. As a result, B-H river formed oxbow lake and paleo channel. In this reason sediment logical character is changed in this river. So the resent study was conducted to correlate the phenomenon of channel shifting with the occurrence of sedimentary records. In this study we use different year (1975-2018) satellite image (ETM, ETM+, TM, LISS III, LANDSAT 7, LANDSAT OLI) and identified (using ARC GIS , ERDAS) how the channel of the B-H river has shifted over time and created paleo channels and oxbow lakes. Collected soil sample in some selected areas where channel shifting occurred in the B-H river. As a result, we see increasing sediment texture since 1970s and after the construction of the Farakka Barrage.