Test: River Training Works - 1 - Civil Engineering (CE) MCQ

Meander length (M_L) is the axial length of one meander, i.e., the tangential distance between the corresponding points of a meander.

Meander belt (M_B) is the distance between the outer edges of clockwise and anti-clockwise loops of the meander.

Meander ratio is the ratio of meander belt to meander length i.e., M_B/M_L.

If the river is collecting sediment and is building up its bed, it is called an aggrading or of an accreting type, if the bed is getting scoured year to year it is calfed a degrading river. If there is no silting or scouring it is called a stable river. An aggrading river is a silting river.

The widely accepted theory behind meandering is based upon the extra turbulence generated by the excess of river sediment during floods. During floods, the river carries tremendous amount of silt charge. When the silt charge is in excess of the quantity required for stability, the river starts building up its slope by depositing the silt on its bed. This accretion is the primary process, which leads to meandering.