Evaluation of Bed Load Sediments in Srinagar Valley of Alaknanda River (Garhwal Himalaya) India

Sapna Semwal, D. D. Chauniyal

Abstract: Sediment load is most important variable to determine the nature of channel pattern and hydraulic geometry. The bed load sediment that is carry by the specific amount of water supply. The present study evaluates the types of bed load sediments in the Srinagar Valley of Alaknanda River in Garhwal Himalaya within the context of mountain meandering river. The Krumbein (1937) standard scale has been adopted for the measurement of bed load sediments and classification of its size range. Results show that maximum 54 % sediments material is boulder and cobbles. The second higher percentage of sediment is under different size of gravels i. e.30 %. The percentage of sand is 15.4 while the very fine material like silt/mud/clay is negligible e. i.0.94 % in the study area. Gravel size clasts in the channel bed and river banks constitute 70 % of the total Quaternary sediment. Most of the boulders pebbles and garbles in channel beds are crystalline and meta-sedimentary rocks which derived from the Higher Himalaya. Thus the final results show that it is a boulder and gravelly bed river in the Srinagar valley because 84 % of sediment material belongs to the boulders and gravels.

Keywords: Alaknanda, Sediments, Boulder, Gravel, Himalaya