Siang river
Also called: Dihang · Topic: Drainage System of India: Rivers, Basins and Patterns · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
The Siang river, also called the Dihang, is the name the Brahmaputra carries when it comes out of the Himalayan foothills in Arunachal Pradesh. In Tibet the same river is called the Yarlung Tsangpo. There it cuts a deep gorge (a narrow valley with steep sides) around Namcha Barwa and then turns south into India. The Siang reaches the plains west of Sadiya town. After the Dibang (Sikang) and the Lohit join it on its left bank, it takes the name Brahmaputra. One river has different names along its course, and exam questions often test them.
Example
At Pasighat in East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang leaves the hills and spreads out into a wide channel. India has proposed the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (about 11,000 MW) on this river, but local people oppose it.
Don't confuse with
- Yarlung Tsangpo: this is the same river's name in Tibet, where it flows east across a dry, flat plateau. It becomes the Siang only after it bends south into India.
- Subansiri river: this is a separate right-bank tributary of the Brahmaputra. It is not another name for the main river.