Ganges Brahmaputra River Basin Freshwater for December 1985 - 1999

On an annual scale the importance of the monsoon period is evident within the Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin. In June runoff starts to become more important; from July to October the highest levels of runoff are estimated through the whole basin. In November there is a lessening but Dec. to March runoff levels are very low. The Ganges region is one of the most heavily irrigated areas in the world and many rely on maintaining river flow for survival. Year to Year differences are clearly visible for the month of June where 1992 and 1997 were dry years caused by strong El Niño events and the opposite is seen for 1998-1999 where wetter conditions were estimated for this La Niña event.