River Bank Erosion

4/5/2012
Riverbank Erosion
RIVER BANK EROSION

A PERSPECTIVE
DR. BIPUL TALUKDAR
ASSAM ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Email : bipulaec@gmail.com
causes direct poverty,

has a long-term impact, and
has no compensation mechanisms
4/5/2012
Erosion
Since 1954
Total area eroded
= 4,25,900 Ha. (7%)
Rate of erosion
No. of villages eroded
population affected
= 8,500 Ha./Year
= 4521 no
= 9,00,000
Affected Reaches
Moderate to Severe
Most Severe
= 130
= 25
Oil Installations/Tea Gardens/

Important Towns and Cities/
Heritage Sites
= 18.
Brahmaputra Basin
Typical Erosion Phenomenon
In BRAHMAPUTRA
Brahmaputra is widening at an Alarming

Rate
1. First survey (1912-28):
area:
3,870 km
2. Second survey (1963-75):
area:
4,850 km
3. Third survey (2006 NESAC):
area:
6,080 km
Indications
The river area increased by around 50% by the way of erosion
The annual average loss of land is nearly 8500 ha
4/5/2012
Total Erosion and Fill from 19121912-28 to 1996

North Bank
Segment
Within
Longitude
South Bank
Total erosion & Fill on both the

Banks
Fill(F)
Net
(km2)
Effect
(km2)
Erosion(E) Fill(F) Net Effect Erosion(E) Fill(F) Net Effect Erosion(E)

(km2)
(km2)
(km2)
(km2)
(km2)
(km2)
(km2)
95040-95000
80.66
49.39
212.15
5.30
206.85
292.81
54.69
238.12
95000-94000
254.5
118.58 135.92
138.54
84.06
54.48
393.04
202.64
190.4
94000-93000
311.71
50.50
183.65
203.63 19.98
495.36
254.13
241.23
93000-92000
142.28
195.43 53.15
208.11
260.51 52.40
350.39
455.94
105.55
92000-91000
184.14
167.86 16.28
176.33
56.90
119.43
360.47
224.76
135.71
91000-90000
268.71
277.16 8.44
197.8
21.45
176.35
466.51
298.61
167.9
Total
1242.00
858.92 383.08
1116.58
631.85 484.73
2358.58
1490.77
867.81
31.27
261.21
(Source : The Morphology of the Brahmaputra in Assam by J. N. Sharma)
Probable Causes of Erosion

River Instability
Soil Erosion, Sediment

Transport and Deposition
Himalayan mountain slopes shed large quantities of
sediment
(i) intense monsoon rainfall
(ii) high tectonic activities
(iii) soil conditions and
(iv) human intervention
Steep slope of river Brahmaputra as well as all north
bank tributaries
4/5/2012
A VIEW OF THE HUGE LAND SLIDE FORMED

AT THE TSATICHU RIVER IN BHUTAN
Longitudinal Profile of the Brahmaputra River

showing its Gradient at Different Places
Landsat image (April, 1988) around Passighat showing

development of braiding where the Dihang river enters India
Nodal points on the Brahmaputra (Source : Brahmaputra Board)

Sl.
No
.
A sudden decrease in slope near Passighat results in a large amount of

sediment deposition, giving rise to development of prominent
braiding pattern of the river in its flood plain in Assam.
Site
Width
at the
nodal
point
Width
upstream
of the
nodal point
Width
downstrea
m of the
nodal point
1.
Murkong Selek (627)
4.8
11.7
9.6
2.
Near Disangmukh (522)
5.10
11.0
10.0
3.
Downstream of Jhanzimukh (495)
3.75
8.0
8.4
4.
Upstream of Dhansiri (North) (425)
4.0
9.6
7.5
5.
Downstream of Dhansirimukh at
Galmiri (420)
4.4
11.0
5.2
6.
Upstream of Tezpur (335)
3.6
5.5
12.3
7.
At Pandu near Guwahati (198)
1.2
11.0
7.5
8.
Pancharatna (85)
2.4
8.0
10.5
4/5/2012
Bed Level Variation in Alluvial Streams
Satellite image of the river Brahmaputra (2008) just downstream of Guwahati

City indicating intense braiding. Width of the river at Pandu (near Guwahati) is
1.2 km but in down stream it is about 18 km.
Modes of Bank Erosion

Sediment gets into the river not only from the catchment area but is also
contributed by erosion of its banks. Cause of failure of river banks can
be any of the following singly or in combination.
1) Underwater erosion along the toe of bank during the falling stage
of the river.
2) Direct erosion of the river bank.
3) Sloughing of saturated bank caused by rapid drawdown.
4) Liquefaction of saturated silty and sandy bank material.
5) Erosion due to seepage from banks at low river discharge.
6) Scour along waterline due to wind or wave wash of passing
vessels.
Failures under 1, 3, 4 and 5 depend more on the properties of the bank
material than direct erosive action of stream flow.
Sediment Transported
by Brahmaputra has
two main sources :
1. Soil Erosion (Man
made)
2. Mass wasting (mostly
not man made)
4/5/2012
Further work is necessary to understand the human

influence on soil erosion rate.
Effect of forest cover on erosion rate needs to be
understood better (project report shown negative
result)
Understanding the Brahmaputra River in Assam and planning human
interventions is all about understanding and forecasting soil

erosion and sediment transport processes. For this reason major
efforts are required in future to measure and analyse sediment
transport and morphological river changes. Likewise, the knowledge
base on the natural environment and hydrology of the basin as a whole
needs to be strengthened to monitor and assess the impacts of
developmental interventions as well as of climate change.
PROCESSES OF RIVER BANK

EROSION
River bank erosion is a natural geomorphic process
which occurs in all channels as adjustments of channel
size and shape are made to convey the discharge and
sediment supplied from the stream catchment.
However, increases in sediment supply due to
accelerated stream bank erosion are often linked to
land-use change and are a major contributor to
sediment yield in rivers.
Bank erosion includes two main

groups of processes:
Hydraulic processes at or below the water surface
entrain sediment and directly contribute to erosion,

particularly of non-cohesive banks, by processes of bank
undercutting, bed degradation, and basal cleanout.
Gravitational mass failure processes (including shallow
and rotational slides, slab and cantilever failures,
earthflows and dry granular flows) detach sediment
primarily from cohesive banks and make it available for
fluvial transport.
4/5/2012
Identification of bank erosion processes is

important for determining suitable
measurement techniques and for choosing
appropriate remedial options.
The conditions under which different
processes occur are determined by bank
material characteristics and local soil
moisture conditions (ONeill and Kuhns
1994).
GRAVITATIONAL FAILURE MECHANISMS

Shallow Slides
These are shallow failures
where a layer of material

moves along a plane parallel
to the bank surface. They are
typical of soils with low
cohesion, and occur when the
angle of the bank exceeds the
angle of internal friction of
the bank material. Typically
they occur where banks are
moderately steep.
4/5/2012
Rotational failures
Slab failure
Slab failures are the sliding and
Rotational failures are deep-
seated movements of material

both downward and outward
along a curved slip surface and
are common on cohesive banks
with slopes less than 60.
commonly a result of scour at
the base of the bank and/or high
pore water pressure within the
bank material.
Often they will occur during
rapid drawdown following high
flow events.
Cantilever failure
Cantilever failures are the
collapse of an overhanging
block into the channel,
often occurring after the
bank has been undercut.
They tend to occur in a
composite of fine/coarse
grained materials, and to
be active during low flow
conditions.
forward toppling of a deepseated mass into the channel.

They are associated with steep,
low height, fine-grained
cohesive banks and tend to
occur during lower flow
conditions.
They result from the
combination of scour at the
bank toe, high pore water
pressure in the bank material
and the development of tension
cracks at the top of the bank.
Wet earthflow
This type of failure
occurs where the loss

of strength of a section
of bank due to
saturation increases
bank weight and
decreases bank
material strength to a
point where the soil
flows as a highly
viscous liquid. Failures
typically occur on low
angle banks and the
affected material flows
down the bank to form
lobes of material at the
toe.
4/5/2012
Popout failure
Dry granular flow
Popout failure is a term used to
describe failures where small to

medium sized blocks are forced
out at or near the base of the
river bank due to excessive porewater pressure and overburden.
A slab of material in the lower
half of the bank will fall out,
leaving an alcove-shaped cavity.
This mode of failure is usually
associated with steep banks and
saturated finer-grained cohesive
bank materials that allow the
build up of positive pore-water
pressure and/or strong seepage
within its structure.
Soil/rockfall
This only occurs on weakly-cohesive steep eroding
banks where individual grains or blocks of soil fall
directly into the channel (Thorne 1998). They often
occur when a stream undercuts the toe of a sand,
gravel, or deeply weathered rock bank.
This type of failure typically occurs on non-cohesive

banks at, or close to, the angle of repose, which are
undercut, thereby increasing the local bank angle
above the friction angle. Individual grains roll, slide
and bounce down the bank in a layer, a few grains
thick. Usually there is a toe accumulation of loose
grains in cones and fans.
Piping failure
This is the collapse of part of
the bank due to high

groundwater seepage
pressures and rates of flow
causing selective removal of
sections of the bank. It is
usually due to preferential
ground water flow along
interbedded saturated layers
contained within stratified
river banks, with lenses of
sand and coarser material
sandwiched between layers of
finer cohesive material.
4/5/2012
HYDRAULICALLY-INDUCED FAILURE
MECHANISMS (FLUVIAL EROSION)
Direct fluvial erosion results from the change in
balance between hydraulic shear stress and bank
material strength. Where the shear stress exceeds
bank material strength sediment transport will be
initiated. This occurs because shear stress increases as
flow increases, while bank material strength typically
reduces (e.g., when the bank becomes saturated).
There are three main types of hydraulically induced
failures. Fluvial erosion is often a precursor to
gravitational failures, and is also responsible for
transport of the debris produced by gravitational
failures.
FACTORS AFFECTING STREAM

BANK EROSION
FACTORS AFFECTING STREAM

BANK EROSION
The stability of a bank primarily depends on channel

and flow characteristics, and the strength of the bank
materials (Table below).
Instability can be inherent in some channel systems as
a result of the nature of the river system (e.g., highenergy braided rivers) and historic or geomorphic
factors (e.g., tectonic uplift).
10
4/5/2012
Conclusion
The Brahmaputra river is the main cause of erosion
and flooding in Assam. The combination of two
extreme processes tectonics and monsoon rainfall
causes great river instability.
Lot more short term and piece wise works have been
done for flood and erosion management. No long term
strategy has been planned till now.
Erosion needs to be addressed first to sustain flood
protection works.
Two types of action plan are needed : immediate &
long.
References:
Contd.
Development of erosion prediction, flood forecasting,
flood plain zoning, quality data acquisition, regional
and
international
co-operation,
research to
understand the river system come under immediate
actions to be done.
Before implementation, long term strategies need in
depth studies.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The morphology of the Brahmaputra river, Proceedings

of the morphology workshop, IEI Guwahati, 19-20 Nov.,
2007.
Garde, R.J. and Rangaraju, K.G., Mechanics of sediment
transport and alluvial stream problems, Wiley Eastern
Ltd., 1977.
Singh,V.P, Sharma, N. and Ojha, C.S.P., The
Brahmaputra basin water resources, 2004.
Goswami, D.C., Brahmaputra river, Assam, India :
Physiography,
basin
denudation
and
channel
aggradation, WRR, Vol. 21, pp. 959-978.
Various reports of State Water Resources Department
and Brahmaputra Board.
11
4/5/2012
ONeill, M.P.; Kuhns, M.R. 1994: Stream bank erosion

and flushing flows. Stream Notes July 1994. Stream
System Technology Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Thorne, C.R. 1998: Stream Reconnaissance Handbook.
John Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, England, 133 pp.
THANKS
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4/5/2012

causes direct poverty,

= 4,25,900 Ha. (7%)

Oil Installations/Tea Gardens/

Brahmaputra is widening at an Alarming

2. Second survey (1963-75):

3. Third survey (2006 NESAC):

Total Erosion and Fill from 19121912-28 to 1996

Total erosion & Fill on both the

Erosion(E) Fill(F) Net Effect Erosion(E) Fill(F) Net Effect Erosion(E)

(Source : The Morphology of the Brahmaputra in Assam by J. N. Sharma)

Probable Causes of Erosion

Soil Erosion, Sediment

A VIEW OF THE HUGE LAND SLIDE FORMED

Longitudinal Profile of the Brahmaputra River

Landsat image (April, 1988) around Passighat showing

Nodal points on the Brahmaputra (Source : Brahmaputra Board)

A sudden decrease in slope near Passighat results in a large amount of

Murkong Selek (627)

Near Disangmukh (522)

Downstream of Jhanzimukh (495)

Upstream of Dhansiri (North) (425)

Upstream of Tezpur (335)

At Pandu near Guwahati (198)

Bed Level Variation in Alluvial Streams

Satellite image of the river Brahmaputra (2008) just downstream of Guwahati

Modes of Bank Erosion

Further work is necessary to understand the human

interventions is all about understanding and forecasting soil

PROCESSES OF RIVER BANK

Bank erosion includes two main

entrain sediment and directly contribute to erosion,

Identification of bank erosion processes is

GRAVITATIONAL FAILURE MECHANISMS

where a layer of material

Rotational failures are deep-

seated movements of material

forward toppling of a deepseated mass into the channel.

occurs where the loss

Dry granular flow

Popout failure is a term used to

describe failures where small to

This type of failure typically occurs on non-cohesive

the bank due to high

FACTORS AFFECTING STREAM

FACTORS AFFECTING STREAM

The stability of a bank primarily depends on channel

The morphology of the Brahmaputra river, Proceedings

ONeill, M.P.; Kuhns, M.R. 1994: Stream bank erosion

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