Effective discharge for suspended sediment transport of the Ganga River and its geomorphic implication

• Effective discharge (Qe) for sediment transport in the Ganga River is < 40% of the flow.
• Effective discharge is well below the bankfull discharge.
• ~ 50% of the total sediments are moved by 14–40% of the discharge.
• Geomorphic effectiveness of Qe is significant for channel adjustments.
• Long-term landscape development in the Ganga plains is linked to Qe.

Effective discharge (Qe) for suspended sediment transport in the alluvial reaches of the Ganga River in the western Ganga plains (WGP) has been computed using ‘analytical’ and an alternative ‘magnitude–frequency’ approach. Thirty years of mean monthly discharge data from various sites of the Ganga River have been assessed, and the abundance of discharge occurrence has been determined. Our analysis shows that less than 40% of the flow causes effective sediment transport in the Ganga, and this can be considered as the effective discharge for suspended sediment transport. Alternatively, 50% of the sediment load for all studied sites is moved by a discharge varying between 14 and 40% of the total discharge. Effective discharges calculated over the period of record are well below the bankfull discharges (Qb). A few events are close to the bankfull level, but with a high return period (RI > 40 years), and therefore, not effective to transport most of the available sediments. Our computation shows that the mean annual discharge (RI = 2.33 yrs) can transport only 0 to 10% of the total available sediments. The computation of effective discharge also provided important insights to understand the linkage between hydrology and channel morphology. Sediment storage and removal processes, which are reflected in sediment budget, cause changes in cross-sectional area/channel bathymetry at various sites but the channel margins are not affected. A high ratio of bankfull to effective discharge (Qb/Qe) forces the flow lines to be concentrated to the thalweg position and channels are incised. Our study also implies that incision and aggradation of the river valley during a relatively long period are caused by changes in effective discharge. We argue that the valley incision and filling episodes in the western Ganga plains at Late Quaternary timescales in response to monsoonal fluctuations were primarily affected by changes in the effective discharges of the rivers.