Geology

Geomorphology

Alluvial fan

Cartography

Drainage basin

Geography

Sediment

Hydrology (agriculture)

Environmental science

Sedimentary budget

Tributary

Foreland basin

Sediment transport

Geotechnical engineering

Structural basin

Journal of Hydrology

Hydrological and sediment transport characteristics for the Kosi basin, which covers parts of Nepal and India, were analysed to understand the spatiotemporal variability of the hydrology and sediment dynamics of the Kosi basin and its implications for flood hazard and sediment dynamics. The study revealed that ∼56% of the discharge at Chatara (where all major tributaries of the Kosi meet) is contributed from the western part of the basin even though this constitutes only 34% of the total basin area. In contrast, the central and eastern parts of the basin constitute 57% and 8% of the basin area but contribute ∼38% and ∼16% of the discharge at Chatara, respectively. The contribution of sediment load at Chatara from the different tributaries of the Kosi River also shows a similar pattern. Of a total of ∼100 million tonnes of the annual sediment load at Chatara, ∼56% is transported from four tributaries: the Indrawati, Bhote Kosi, Tama Kosi (all draining from the west), and Tamor. The remaining ∼44% is transporte...

Basin-scale hydrology and sediment dynamics of the Kosi river in the Himalayan foreland