Hossen et al. (2026) Water Use and Hydrology of the Teesta River Basin During the Dry Season

Identification

• Journal: Lecture notes in civil engineering
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Mohammad Abul Hossen, Jeffery D. Connor, Faisal Ahammed, Sania Binte Mahtab
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-18708-6_32

Research Groups

• Water Economics, UniSA Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
• UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Australia
• Department of Water Resources Engineering (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Short Summary

This study quantitatively analyzed the dry-season hydrology of the Teesta River Basin, revealing significant water diversion by barrages and identifying groundwater inflow as the primary contributor to river flow during this critical period.

Objective

• To carry out a quantitative analysis of the hydrology (water balance), including water inflow, water diversion, and groundwater inflow, to the Teesta River during the dry season (January to April).

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Teesta River Basin, specifically the river stretch from Gajaldoba (India) to Dalia (Bangladesh) (100 km) and Dalia to Kaunia (Bangladesh) (60 km).
• Temporal Scale: Dry season (January to April) over the period 2005 to 2010.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Water balance equation.
• Data sources: Observed flow/discharge data from 2005 to 2010 at Gajaldoba (India), Dalia (Bangladesh), and Kaunia (Bangladesh). Groundwater inflow was calculated using the water balance equation.

Main Results

• The Gajaldoba barrage diverted an average of 68.9% of the available flow during the dry season.
• The Dalia barrage diverted an average of 56.5% of the available flow during the dry season.
• Groundwater inflow contributed 67.8% of the flow at Dalia, originating from the 100 km stretch between Gajaldoba and Dalia.
• Groundwater inflow contributed 73.3% of the flow at Kaunia, originating from the 60 km stretch between Dalia and Kaunia.
• Groundwater inflow was identified as the major source of water to the Teesta River during the dry season.

Contributions

This study provides a crucial quantitative assessment of water diversion by barrages and highlights the significant, previously unquantified, role of groundwater inflow in sustaining the dry-season flow of the transboundary Teesta River. This information is vital for informed water resource management and addressing transboundary water disputes.

Funding

No specific funding projects or programs were explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Hossen2026Water,
  author = {Hossen, Mohammad Abul and Connor, Jeffery D. and Ahammed, Faisal and Mahtab, Sania Binte},
  title = {Water Use and Hydrology of the Teesta River Basin During the Dry Season},
  journal = {Lecture notes in civil engineering},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-032-18708-6_32},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-18708-6_32}
}