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Letter: Silt crucial

Published 16 May 2012

From Brian King

Possibly the main impact of China’s plans to dam the Brahmaputra river (28 April, p 8) will be the restriction on the supply of sediment to the Ganges delta. This will greatly increase the rate of erosion and loss of land in the delta, mainly in Bangladesh.

The delta is sinking due to the weight of sediment already in place. If insufficient sediment is deposited to make up for this height loss, larger areas may well become subject to longer periods of flooding.

Barton on Sea, Hampshire, UK

Issue no. 2865 published 19 May 2012

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