An ecological study of pagladia river at nalbari town-a tributary of river brahmaputra

Pagladia river originates from the Bhutan hills of Himalayan range and flows through the eastern part of the Nalbari town and continues to flow and falls at river Brahmaputra near Sotemari of Nalbari district. Pagladia river during its course shows great seasonal variations in its water content throughout the year. As the river originates from the mountains of Bhutan, during rainy season the river swells up and increases its boundary significantly inundating the nearby shores and has high water current. Pagladia is primarily a rainfeed river, so during winter season when there is no rainfall, the river shrinks and confined to a stream of few metres at breath. The phytogeography of both the banks of the river pagladia is very diverse with a large number of hydrophytic and ecotone flora. Some endemic species are also recorded from the banks of pagladia river. The physico-chemical properties of the water show seasonal variations and the limnology determines the types of plant species. The seasonal variations in the nature of Pagladia river throughout the year makes it an interesting case study in ecology.