Regulated rivers in India: research progress and future directions

ABSTRACT

Large dams impose an artificial flow-sediment regime that affects the alteration along channel form and riverine habitats. The present article synthesizes the knowledge on growth of large dams in India and an extensive review of the research on the upstream and downstream effects. Furthermore, the process-form understanding along Indian regulated rivers is still in the preliminary stages, which demands interdisciplinary multifaceted approaches to recognize the channel behavior in complex relaxation paths. Thus, the review is further used to propose conceptual frameworks and research directions concerning the implication of channel-forming discharge and river recovery potential in the Himalayan and peninsular rivers.

KEYWORDS:

• Indian rivers
• large dams
• relaxation period
• channel-forming discharge
• river recovery

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge all earlier contributions on this subject. Efforts are taken to cite most of the relevant research findings in this review article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).