HUMAN IMPACT ON THE RIVER CHANNELS MORPHOLOGY IN THE HIMALAYAS AND ITS PIEDMONT (INDIA)

The aim of the study is the presentation of the directions and scale of changes in the morphology of the Himalayan and its piedmont river channels occurring under the contemporary influence of human activity. The study uses the results of morphological field research conducted in the Teesta river basin (right tributary of the Brahmaputra) in the period 2011-2015. The research shows that one of the most common anthropogenic form affecting banks of the Himalayan channels is their reinforcement and reprofiling related to bridges and dams construction. In turn, on the Himalayan piedmont, the most visible human influence is massive extraction of riverbed sediments what leads to the deepening of river channels. The morphological changes of channels caused by human interference deteriorates the quality of the rivers habitat and affects human communities dependent on rivers ecosystem services.