Char Areas- Riverine Islands of Brahmaputra River

Source-This post on Char Area-Riverine Islands of Brahmaputra River has been created based on the article “Will reclaim ‘char’ areas from encroachers: Assam CM” published in “The Hindu” on 17 February 2024.

Why in the news?

Assam government has recently announced that it would undertake a mission to reclaim the chars from encroachers to safeguard the “ecological integrity” of the Brahmaputra Valley.

About Char Area

Definition– The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra are locally known as Char.
Chars are island-like silt depositions in the lower parts of river basins. They are made of sand and silt. They are created naturally due to the accumulation of sediment transported in water from melting glaciers and eroding riverbanks.

Geographical features

1) They are subjected to erosion on their upstream and deposition on the downstream.

2) This affects the geometry and location of the chars during floods almost every year.

What are the problems of char areas?

1) Lack of basic infrastructure– These areas lack all weather communication with the main banks and reliable means of intra and inter char mobility. They have inadequate growth of transport and basic infrastructure like surface roads, health and drinking water etc.

2) Regular Flooding– There is constant threat from flood and erosion during the rainy season.

3) Geographical barriers– The land mass is segregated and cut off from each other. This makes it very difficult for taking any major scheme for road communication, irrigation, Power supply or setting of educational institutions.

4) Demographic issues- These chars are inhabited and cultivated by Bengali Muslims. They are often viewed as “illegal immigrants” or “Bangladeshi”.

Read more about- India-Bangladesh relations

UPSC Syllabus- Geography in news.