TISTA RIVER

a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, flowing through Sikkim (India) and Bangladesh. It rises in the Himalayas near Chunthang, Sikkim, flows south cutting a deep gorge through the Darjeeling (Darjiling) Himalaya, and turns southeast to run through Sivok Gota Pass onto the plains of West Bengal. It then crosses the Rangpur region of Bangladesh to join the Brahmaputra River downstream from Chilmari after a total course of 250 miles (400 km). Its lower reaches are marked by frequent, violent course changes; navigation is made difficult by the shoals and quicksand near the junction with the Brahmaputra. The Tista Barrage Project is part of a program of river projects in the Barind region to provide irrigation for the plain between the Ganges River and the Brahmaputra.