Sediment Mixing Pattern of the River Ajay with the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System

The sediment mixing pattern of the Ajay with the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system has been worked out utilizing three different kinds of data viz. grain size, grain shape and heavy mineral composition. The near concurrence of the results of sediment mixing pattern worked out by three different techniques demonstrates the usefulness of each of the properties as tracer. The bed load contribution of the Ajay to the Bhagirathi during freshet appears to be 25% which can not be regarded as an insignificant contribution. Assuming the conventional bed load content of 5 to 15 percent of the total load, it can be presumed that the suspended load contribution of the Ajay to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system couId also be quite significant and may be an important factor in the silting of the Hooghly in its lower reaches.