CHAPTER - III

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE STUDY AREA

3.1 LOCATION:

The river Kulsi is one of the prominent south bank tributaries of

the river Brahmaputra. Watershed of the Kulsi River is selected as the

area of study. The watershed boundary encloses the area falling under

the administrative boundary of the Kamrup district of Assam and a small

area located in the state of Meghalaya (Figure 3 1). The river Kulsi

originates from the 'west Khasi hill ranges at an elevation of around

1800-1900 m and flows down to the north. The place in the foothill (i e.

the Assam-Meghalaya border) called Ukium where it touches the plain

is considered as the source point while delineating the boundary of the

Kulsi watershed. The boundary of the watershed is very difficult to

demarcate in the northern section of the watershed (north of 26°N

latitude) because of the interlocking nature of the river system The

watershed covers an area of around 900 sq km in the states of

Meghalaya and Assam within the longitudes 91° 10’ E to 91°35' E and

latitudes 26°05' N to 26°45' N. The watershed stretches for about 31.4

km in a north-south line along 91°25' longitude while it is 27.6 km in the

east-west line along 26°N latitude.

The portion of the Kulsi watershed in Assam covers an area of

around 750 sq.km comprising 169 villages within 6 blocks under 3

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Figure 3.1 : Location map of the Kulsi Watershed on IRS-1 D (LISS-III) image
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PLATE -1: Panoramic view of the River Kulsi at Kulsi

PLATE -2: River Kulsi before its confluence in Brahmaputra

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p_ATE -3: River Kulsi crosses the NH 37 at Chaygaon

PLATE -4: River Kulsi crosses the NH 37 at Kukurmara

91°10'0"E 91°20,0"E 91°30'0"E
31

Figure 3.2 : Revenue Villages within the Kulsi Watershed

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different revenue circles. Out of these, 41 boundary villages fall partly

within the watershed boundary. The administrative boundaries that

surround the watershed are the Nalbari district in the north, West Khasi

Hills district of the state of Meghalaya in the south, and the Kamrup

district in the west and east sides of the watershed. The distribution of

revenue villages under three revenue circles within the Kulsi watershed

is shown in the figure 3.2.

The physical features that bound the watershed are the river

Brahmaputra in the north, the hills of the Meghalaya plateau in the

south, the watersheds of the Deosila and Rani river in the east and west

respectively.

3.2 PHYSICAL SETTING:

3.2.1 Physiography:

Physiographically the Kulsi Watershed can be broadly divided

into three zones-

1) South of the 25°5TN latitude

2} Between 25°51'N and 26°N latitude

3) North of the 26°N latitude

The physiography of the watershed in the south of 25°51'N

latitude is characterized by the continuous hill ranges of the Meghalaya

plateau. The elevations of the hills in this zone are above 500 m. The

maximum elevation of 875 m is seen in the south-west corner of the

watershed. The hills of the Meghalaya Plateau are extended up to the

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26°N latitude with major north-south elongated valleys Along these

valleys the major rivers like Kulsi, Batha and Dimali are flowing. The

average elevation within this zone gradually decreases towards north till

it meets the alluvial plain. North of the 26°N latitude, and almost

continuous alluvial plain with average elevation of 50 m is observed.

3.2.2 Geology:

There are two distinct geological formations within the Kulsi

watershed.

i) The alluviums

ii) Precambrian rocks of the Meghalaya plateau

In the north of the 26°N latitude, the watershed is a low-lying

area covered with alluvium. Between the latitude of 25°50'N and 26°N,

after touching the plain, the Kulsi and Batha river pass through vast

alluvial plains between the hill ranges extended towards north. The

alluvial cover is formed by the sediments deposited by the river

Brahmaputra as well as its tributary Kulsi and other streams carrying

sediments from the hills in the south. The alluviums are composed

mainly of gravels, coarse sands, sandy clay, silt and clay. The alluvium

cover shows varying texture both vertically and horizontally. The

numerous Precambrian inliers are projected in a scattered way above

the alluvium. Alluviums are also deposited in the small erosional valleys

within the hill ranges.

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In the whole watershed the fresh exposure of rock is very rare.

The rocks are the part of the Meghalaya plateau and are of

Precambrian age. The hill ranges in the watershed are formed by the

porphyritic granite and granitic gneiss. Granitic gneiss is the dominant

rock unit of the area, it shows concordant relationship with all the other

foliated rock units. The inclusions of the different schists are aligned in

such a way that their foliations are more or less parallel to the foliation

of the granitic gneiss. The gray porphyritic granite is another dominant

rock within the watershed. Fine grained granite is rare. Pegmatite veins

of varied dimensions occur as lenses and veins in almost all the rock

units. They show either concordant or discordant relationship with the

host rocks. Lenses and veins of quartz and quartzo-feldspathic

composition occur in abundance in all the rock units.

The different rock units of the area reveal the following geological

sequence -

Pegmatite vein, Quartz and Quartzo-feldspathic vein

Fine grained granite

Grey porphyritic granite

Granite gneiss

Amphibolite, Biotite schist and Calc-silicate rock

3.2.3 Soil:

The soils in the plains of the Kulsi watershed are mostly new

alluvial which are formed by the deposition of the silt due to floods in the
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plains. This soil is mild acidic in character. They are generally sandy

loam or silty loam in nature. In the hilly part of the watershed red loam

and laterites are found.

3.2.4 Drainage:

Khri river from the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and Urn Siri

river along the Assam-Meghaiaya border flowing from the south and

Drun river within Assam flowing from the west meet at Ukium to form

the river Kulsi flowing towards north within Assam. The river Kulsi is

divided into two branches at the latitude of around 25°58'N and they

cross the NH-37 at Chhaygaon and Kukurmara. Ultimately both the

branches of Kulsi meet again before falling in the river Brahmaputra.

Batha is a major tributary of Kulsi originating in Meghalaya which

is flowing almost parallel to the river Kulsi in the eastern boundary of the

watershed. Another major tributary of Kulsi is Dimali in the western part

of the watershed, which is originated within Assam. In addition to these

there are numerous minor and major tributaries and water bodies (like

Sandubi Bill) that meet the river Kulsi along its course.

3.2.5 Climate:

The Kulsi watershed falls within the climatic zone comprising

north-east India and adjoining part of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and

north Burma. This climatic zone is classified as tropical monsoon type

with bulk of the rainfall occurring during the summer season. Tropical
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storms and depression affect the weather in this zone during the

months from June to September. The north western parts receive winter

precipitation from winter disturbances. In the months of April and May,

the climatic zone experiences pre-monsoon thunder storms.

Based on the seasonal climatic variation over the year, there are

four distinct seasons.

a) Winter season (December to February) - This is the driest season

when the rainfall is generally light. The precipitation is in association

with the passage of low pressure system, originating in the Bay of

Bengal and moving in a westerly or north westerly direction. The

watershed sometime receives significant rain under the influence of

eastern bound tropical disturbances, which may appear as a low

pressure area. This season is devoid of flood in the valley.

b) Pre-monsoon season (March to May) - This is the season of

thunderstorms. The rainfall is in association with thunderstorms. The

precipitation is due to tropical storms developing over Bay of Bengal.

Sometimes it causes extensive rain and floods in the month of May.

c) Monsoon season (June to September) - This is the principal rainy

season for the entire climatic zone. The orographic influence is

dominant in the distribution of rainfall during this season as the

prevailing wind blow almost at right angles against Khasi-Jaintia

hills. Floods in the watershed occur during this period and are

generally associated with following weather situations -

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i) Tropical storms and depressions - The tropical disturbances often

form in the Bay of Bengal and move across generally in north

westerly direction. These systems cause rainfall along their tracks. If

the disturbances are slow moving or stationary for a couple days at

an area, the total accumulation of rainwater that occur over a

number of days be enough to cause flood. Generally in September

depressions from the Bay of Bengal tend to cause heavy rains and

floods in the plains and hills of the watershed.

ii) Active monsoon conditions - The south west monsoon sets in the

first week of June. The rainfall during the season is not necessarily

continuous but occurs in spells sometime lasting for almost a week.

iii) Break monsoon situation - During the break monsoon period the

axis of the low pressure trough goes near the foothill and in that

case heavy rainfall occur in the foothill areas of the watershed.

d) Post monsoon season (October to November) - During this season

the catchment receives generally light to moderate rainfall. The

important rain producing system of this season is the cyclonic

storms, which form in the Bay of Bengal. In earlier part of the

season, the storms travel in the watershed causing heavy rainfall.

Sometimes western disturbances appear in the watershed mainly in

the second half of October and cause light precipitation. However

major floods are rare during this season.

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3.2.6 Temperature and Humidity:

There is no meteorological observatory in this watershed.

However the nearest meteorological observation station is at the

Borjhar airport. The temperature and humidity recorded at the Borjhar

Airport may be assumed to represent the watershed. From the

observation it is seen that annual average temperature ranges from

35°C in summer to 9°C in winter. The temperature starts rising from the

beginning of March and it reaches maximum in July and August. The

monthly mean temperature at Borjhar in the summer months does not

normally come below 26°C.

Relative humidity observations are also available at Borjhar

Airport. The information indicates high moisture content of the order of

50% to 89% in the watershed, which makes the weather very

oppressive. The relative humidity in the rainy season (May to

September) is between 72% and 89%. The months February to April

are relatively dry with humidity ranging from 50% to 75%.

3.2.7 Rainfall:

There are some important rain gauge stations in and around the

watershed where rainfall data are collected regularly. An attempt has

been made to identify the rain gauge stations in such a manner that

they collectively represent the rainfall pattern of the entire watershed.

The number of rain gauge stations in and around the Kulsi Watershed is

five, out of which four are in the plain area (Borjhar Airport, Mirza,
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C h a m a r ia a n d B o k o P o lic e S ta tio n ) a n d o n e ju s t a t th e fo o t h ills

( U k iu m ) . T h e d is tr ib u tio n o f r a in g a u g e s ta tio n s in th e p la in a re a o f th e

w a te rs h e d is a d e q u a te a s p e r IM D s ta n d a rd . T h e r a in g a u g e s ta tio n s

s itu a te d in th e p la in a re a in a n d a ro u n d th e w a te rs h e d re p re s e n t th e

r a in f a ll p a tte rn in th e p la in a re a o f th e w a te rs h e d a n d th e r a in g a u g e

s ta tio n a t U k iu m re p re s e n ts th e r a in f a ll p a tte rn in th e h illy c a tc h m e n t.

F ro m th e a n a ly s is o f th e r a in fa ll d a ta , it is o b s e rv e d th a t

D e c e m b e r to F e b ru a ry is n o r m a lly d ry m o n th s o f th e y e a r w ith 7 2 .7 4

m m a n n u a l r a in fa ll. J u n e to S e p te m b e r is th e w e tte s t m o n th s o f th e y e a r

w ith 1 1 4 9 .5 2 m m a n n u a l r a in f a ll w h ic h a c c o u n ts fo r a b o u t 6 5 % o f th e

p r e c ip ita tio n .

A v e ra g e s e a s o n a l a n d a n n u a l r a in f a lls in th e K u ls i w a te rs h e d

b a s e d o n th e a n a ly s is o f d a ta fo r th e p e r io d o f 1 9 7 7 to 2 0 0 1 fro m fiv e

r a in g a u g e s ta tio n s in a n d a ro u n d th e w a te rs h e d a re s h o w n in ta b le 3 .1 .

T a b le 3 .1 : S e a s o n a l a n d a n n u a l r a in fa ll d a ta o f th e K u ls i w a te r s h e d

Season Rainfall (in mm) Percentage of rainfall

December to February (winter) 72.74 4.06%

March to May (Pre-monsoon) 440 35 24.60%

June to September (Monsoon) 1149.52 64.22%

October to November (Post­ 127.22 7.12%

monsoon)

Annual 1789.84 100%

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3.3 BIOLOGICAL SETTING;

3.3.1 Flora and fauna

High temperature, heavy rainfall and varied conditions of soil

have helped in luxuriant growth of vegetation of different species in the

watershed. It is observed that the region has four storey of vegetation

cover of different species. In the first storey, lofty trees of both

deciduous and evergreen species can be found. The height of the trees

in this storey goes up to 30 meters. Generally the ‘sal’ and the ‘teak’

vegetation come under this category. In the second storey, evergreen

and deciduous trees with height ranging up to 25 m are available. The

shrubs and bushes with heights varying from of 3 to 6 m come under

the third storey. The short grasses grown along with the trees of various

species may be categorized as the forth storey. In addition to these,

there are creepers of different kinds, orchids and some medicinal plants

of economic and aesthetic importance.

Thick natural vegetation is seen in the hilly part of the watershed.

The hills are covered with large trees, shrubs and bushes and mostly

lying within the reserve forest boundaries. These forests yield valuable

timbers from trees such as Sal (Shorea robusta), Teak (Tectona

grandis), Sonaru (Cassia fistula), Pipal (Ficus) etc. In the river line tracts

grasses, bamboo, intermediate shurbs and occasional tall trees like

‘SimuP (Bombax ceiba), Kadam (Anthecephelus chenensis) etc are

common. At present most of these riverine vegetation is destroyed and

forest land is replaced by human settlement. In the marsh land tall

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m a rsh y g ra sse s and reeds are found abundantly. In th e rural areas

e v e ry h o use h o ld ca m p us is ch aracterized by va ried typ e s o f tre e s o f

e co n o m ic and e co lo g ica l im portance. A lm o s t e ve ry fa m ily in th e rural

area ha s its o w n ‘b a stila n d ’ even if it is v e ry sm all in size. T hese

‘b a stila n d ’ is co ve re d by h orticultural plants, fuel tre e s including som e

m e d icin a l p lan ts. T h e to ta lity o f th e ‘b a stila n d ’ o f th e w a te rs h e d has its

fa r rea chin g im p a c t on so cio -e co n o m ic life in th e region.

T h e w a te rs h e d has a lm o st 45 p e rc e n t its area u n d e r reserve

forest. A ll th e s e fo re s ts are located in th e so u th e rn hills a nd fo o th ills o f

th e w a te rsh e d . It is o b serve d th a t all th e se fo re s t are n o w u n d e r h eavy

d e stru ctio n.

3.3.2 A g ric u ltu ra l Practice:

In th e p o rtio n o f the w atershed lying in A ssa m , pa dd y is th e m ain

crop. T h e m o s t co m m o n v a rie ty o f paddy is Sali, w h ich is grow n during

the m onth o f Ju ly to N ovem ber. In th e low -lying w ate rlo g g e d areas,

B oro (rice) cu ltiva tio n is m o st com m on The o th e r crops g ro w n are

m ustard, pulses, potato, m aize, w h e a t and su g arcane. In addition to

above th e re are a fe w te a g a rdens in th e fo o th ills o f th e w atershed.

T h e portion o f th e w a te rshe d lying in th e M a g ha la ya plateau has

a ltitu d e s v a ryin g fro m 1800 m to 150 m. T h e area m ostly co n sists o f

se rie s o f hill ra n g e s w ith v e ry sm all in te rm itte n t plain areas. T h e area is

m o stly co ve re d w ith fo re st, in som e are as Jhum cu ltiva tio n , w h ich is a

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fo rm o f sh iftin g cu ltivation, is practiced. In plains, pa dd y is th e m ain

crop.

3.4 C U L T U R A L S E T T IN G :

3.4.1 P opulation:

O u t th e to ta l c a tc h m e n t area o f 900 sq km , 7 50 sq km lie in the

K a m ru p d is tric t o f A s s a m and th e rem aining 150 sq km in M eghalaya

B ased on th e ce n sus fig u re o f 2001, th e a p p ro xim a te total p o pu la tio n of

th e w a te rsh e d w ith in A ssa m is 5.65 lakhs. W h e n th is fig u re is com pared

w ith th e ce n s u s fig u re o f 1991, it is o b served th a t th e re is a ste e p rise in

the p o pu la tio n , w h ich is a b o u t 50% th a t is 2 .2 5 lakhs sin ce 1991.

M a u za w ise p o pu la tio n d istribution w ithin th e w a te rshe d is show n

in ta b le 3.2.

Table 3.2: Mauza wise population distribution within Kulsi Watershed

Mauza Area Total Popu lation Pop u lation D ensity
(in
sq.km )
1991 2001 1991 2001
Dakhin Saruba 85 29052 38165 342 44
Nagar
Rampur 58 40789 52768 703 910
Pub Chamaria 105 38180 55392 364 527
Chaygaon 193 53057 61185 275 317
Pantan
Chayani 37 18856 23466 510 634
Bangaon 276 36206 38745 131 140
Paschim 57 41410 52065 726 913
Chamaria
Barduar 170 25340 30634 149 180
Bholagaon 91 20328 24187 223 266
Dakhin Rani 22 3894 5981 177 272
Boko 235 33719 46298 143 197
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M a jo rity o f the p o pulation live in the villag e s. T he population

d e n sity o f th e are as o f th e su b basin falling in th e sta te o f M e g h a la ya is

v e ry lo w a n d it is a s lo w as 31 persons p e r sq km.

3.4.2 D em o g ra ph y:

T h e K ulsi w a te rsh e d is o ccupied by fo u r d istin ct co m m u n itie s in

fo u r d iffe re n t m icro g e o m o rp h ic units. The n o rth ern flo o d p la in is

inha b ite d by th e im m ig ra n t M uslim p e asa n ts o f B an gla d e shi origin. The

m id dle portion o f th e b uilt up zone is occu pie d by th e non-tribal

p o p u la tio n o f in dig e n o us A s s a m e se origin. T h e foo th ill zo n e is inhabited

m o stly by th e tribal. In th e sm all p o ckets n e a r th e rivers, th e fishing

c o m m u n itie s o r o th e r sch e du led castes live in a sca tte re d m anner.

3 .4 .3 S o c io -e c o n o m ic aspects:

T h e portion o f th e w ate rshe d located in M e g ha la ya is thinly

p o pu la te d as m o s t o f th e area falls in th e hilly region. A s the area is

m o stly co ve re d w ith forests, the inhabitants in this region g e n e ra lly live

on fo re s t p ro d u cts and jh um cultivation. Fishing is a n o th e r m ajor

livelihood o f th e s e people. T he inha b ita n ts in th is p a rt o f th e sub-basin

are m o stly uned u ca te d .

In th e plain c a tc h m e n t area w ith m o d e ra te ly d e n se population,

th e p e o p le are g e n e ra lly p o o r and large n u m b e rs o f th e m have m igrated

from th e b a nks o f B ra h m ap u tra d ue to recurring e ro sio n and flood o f the

riv e r B ra h m ap u tra . C ultivation is th e m a jo r o ccu p a tio n of the

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inhabitants. The details of socio-economic information as per 2001

census of the villages within the watershed are given in Appendix I, II

and III.

3.4.4 Industries:

There is no major industry in the portion of the watershed falling

in Meghalaya as most of the area comprises hill ranges covered with

forests. Even the area falling in Kamrup district of Assam is not

industrially much developed. The few industries existing in the area are

mainly Saw Mills and Brick Kilns. Presently, most of the Saw Mills are

closed because of the restriction imposed by the government on cutting

valuable trees in the forest. Government earns revenue from sand

extracting from the river bed of the Kulsi river at various points. The

quality of Kulsi river bed sand is very high and extensively used as

construction material.

PLATE - 5: Sand being extracted from the Kulsi river bed at Kulsi
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As a cottage industry, the handloom and weaving is a cultural

heritage of the people in the watershed. People’s livelihood based on

the sericulture activity is very common.