The Impact of Sandbars on Bank Protection Structures in Low-Land Reaches: Case of Ganges and Brahmaputra-Jamuna

Sandbars are an integral part of the alluvial river’s geophysical system due to these rivers’ wide sediment availability and varied transport capacity. The sandbars’ evolution and translation considerably influence the stability of the riverbank. However, while designing the riverbank protection structures (RBPS), the impact of such sandbars is often overlooked, as the evolution of such bars is quite uncertain in terms of location, amplitude, and translation. This study evaluates the localized impact of sandbars on bank protection structures in two types of alluvial rivers: meandering (Ganges) and braided (Brahmaputra-Jamuna), utilizing time series satellite images, hydraulic characteristics, and numerical modeling. We found that sandbar development initiates width adjustment in both meandering and braided rivers when the ratio of width to depth surpasses 90. In the case of meandering rivers, riverbank erosion mostly occurs as a result of the presence of alternate bars or point bars. Sandbars in a meandering river (Ganges) can lead to an approximate 18% increase in flow depth. The depth-averaged velocity is anticipated to rise by approximately 29%, and the tractive force may increase by a factor of 1.6. On the other hand, the braided river (the Brahmaputra-Jamuna) underwent significant bank erosion due to the presence of both free unit and hybrid types of bars. In such rivers, the depth of the flow may experience a notable increase of 18%, while the depth-averaged velocity undergoes an approximate increase of 50%, and the tractive force has the potential to grow by a factor of 5.3. Consequently, we recommend allowing the natural evolution of sandbars while preserving the riverbank (where needed only) through RBPS, considering these additional loads.