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This book provides in detail assessment of the health of Mahananda river, an important head water river system in the Darjeeling Sub-Himalayas which is getting altered rapidly with the pace of human interference. It covers all aspects of river health monitoring through an effective method combining geospatial analysis and field measurements for the assessment of the hydromorphological, hydrochemistry, and hydrobiological quality which indicates that it is neither maintaining its overall fluvial characteristics and functions, nor can quickly replenish, supporting local biota and sediment transport. This book also identifies the factors responsible for existing health condition and suggests target-oriented restoration measures for the sustenance of river health essential for restoring the hydro-ecological balance of one of the most degraded river. The book can be utilized as reference materials by academics, practitioners, and decision-makers for the health assessment of other river basins.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Mahananda river: A geographical account.- Chapter 3: Human interference in the Mahananda river system.- Chapter 4: Hydromorphological quality of the Mahananda river system.- Chapter 5: Water quality of the Mahananda river system.- Chapter 6: Hydrobiological functions of the Mahananda system.- Chapter 7: Factors affecting the River Health condition.- Chapter 8: Conclusion and Suggestive measures.
About the author
Dr. Lakpa Tamang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India. He received his Ph.D. degrees in Geography & Applied Geography from University of North Bengal which focused on the impacts of sediment mining on alluvial river of Darjeeling Himalayas. His research interests include applied fluvial geomorphology, Socio-ecological systems & geotourism. He has published more than 15 research papers in journals in Scopus indexed journals and also has been an active reviewer in many international journals.
Dr. Suman Mitra is received his PhD degree in Geography from University of Calcutta which focused on the River health assessment of Mahananda river. He has published 10 research papers in the field of Geomorphology, Remote Sensing & GIS, Natural Hazards, etc in international journals with high impact factors.
Dr. Sunil Kumar De is Professor at the Department of Geography, North East Hill University, Shillong, India and the President of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) for the term 2022-2026. His major fields of interest are geomorphological hazards (especially landslide & soil erosion), fluvial dynamics, river health, and human impact on environment. His research outcome has been published in more than 73 research papers in different national and internationally reputed journals and book chapters. He has edited two books on Geomorphology and Environment and authored a book on River Health (Springer). He was the Editor of the journal ‘Hill Geographer. He has successfully supervised 15 Ph.D. and 6 M.Phil. Theses; six Ph.D. candidates are working under him at present. He has received Indian National (1987-89) and UNESCO (2002) Scholarships.
