The subansiri river basin in eastern Himalayas and the alaknanda river basin in western Himalayas: a comparative study in regard to their geo-environment and hydrometeorology

The paper attempts to carry out a comparative study of two representative river basins of eastern and western Himalayas viz. Subansiri and Alaknanda respectively in regard to their selected geoenvironmental and hydrometeorological characteristics. In the study, hydrological data from two gauging stations viz. Chauldhoaghat and Dam site on the Subansiri river in eastern Himalayas are compared with similar data from two gauging stations Viz, Rudraprayag and Joshimath on the Alaknanda river of western Himalayas. Besides, the physiographical, geological and morphological aspects of the two sets of rivers are compared. The study shows the contrast in the geographical setting of the two river basins and their associated physical, ecological and socio-economic characteristics.