Bhote Koshi in Nepal and Poiqu in Tibet, both names roughly mean "Tibetan river," is the name given to the upper course (main tributary) of the

Sun Kosi The Sunkoshi, also spelt Sunkosi, is a river of Nepal that is part of the Koshi or Saptkoshi River system in Nepal. Sunkoshi has two source streams, one that arises within Nepal in Choukati, and the other more significant stream that flows in fr ...

river. It is part of the

Koshi River The Kosi or Koshi ( ne, कोशी, , hi, कोसी, ) is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence ...

system in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

.Shrestha, A. B., Eriksson, M., Mool, P., Ghimire, P., Mishra, B., & Khanal, N. R. (2010). Glacial lake outburst flood risk assessment of Sun Koshi basin, Nepal. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk 1(2): 157–169.

Names and etymology

''Bhotekoshi'' is the Nepalese name ( ne, भोटे कोशी, translit=Bhōṭē kōśī). In

Nepali language Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a '' lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian st ...

, the word "bhoṭe" or "bhoṭiyā" means Tibetan; and the word "kosi" means river. As such the name is not unique, the western tributary of the upper

Dudh Koshi Dudh Koshi (दुधकोशी नदी, ''Milk-Koshi River'') is a river in eastern Nepal. It is the highest river in terms of elevation. Koshi river system The Kosi River, or Sapt Koshi, drains eastern up. It is known as Sapta Koshi because ...

is also called Bhote Koshi. ''Poiqu'' () is the common name for the river on the Chinese side. It is also transliterated as Boqu via Chinese (). and as Po Chu by early 1990s Everest expeditions. This name means "River of Tibet." This is not a unique name, as it is also ascribed to

Yarlung Tsangpo The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The upper section is also called Dan ...

. The formal name of the river in Tibetan is Matsang Tsangpo ().

River course

The headwaters of Poiqu and Bhote-Sun Koshi River are located at the Zhangzangbo

Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

in Tibet.Bajracharya, S. R., Mool, P. K., Shrestha, B. R. (2006). The impact of global warming on the glaciers of the Himalaya. Pages 231–242 in: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Geodisasters, Infrastructure Management and Protection of World Heritage Sites. Nepal Engineering College, Ehime College and National Society for Earthquake Technology Nepal. The river flows out of the Lumi Chimi lake. When entering Nepal, it is called Bhote Koshi. Further downstream, from the village of

Bahrabise Bahrabise ( ne, बाह्रबिसे) is an urban municipality located in Sindhupalchok District of Bagmati Province of Nepal. Demographics At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 6132 and had 1161 houses in the villag ...

onwards, it is called

Sun Koshi The Sunkoshi, also spelt Sunkosi, is a river of Nepal that is part of the Koshi or Saptkoshi River system in Nepal. Sunkoshi has two source streams, one that arises within Nepal in Choukati, and the other more significant stream that flows in fr ...

Hazards

In July 1981, a sudden ice

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...

caused a

Glacial Lake Outburst Flood A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a type of outburst flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake. An event similar to a GLOF, where a body of water contained by a glacier melts or overflows the glacier, is called a jö ...

in the

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

-dammed Zhangzangbu-Cho Lake in the headwaters of the Bhote Koshi. The ensuing

debris Debris (, ) is rubble, wreckage, ruins, litter and discarded garbage/refuse/trash, scattered remains of something destroyed, or, as in geology, large rock fragments left by a melting glacier, etc. Depending on context, ''debris'' can refer to ...

flow destroyed bridges, and sections of both the Arniko and the Nepal–China highways.Mool, P. K.; Joshi, S. P.; Bajracharya, S. R. (2001). Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and Damage in the Country. Pages 121–136 in: Inventory of Glaciers, Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods: Monitoring and Early Warning Systems in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region, Nepal. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu.

Tourism and sports

The Bhote Kosi is used for both

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

. It is the steepest river rafted in Nepal, with a gradient of 15 m per km.

Bungee jumping Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...

or swinging over the Bhote Kosi has been described as the ‘ultimate experience’. The river carves a steep and direct drop at the top that gradually eases to more placid streams and calmer pools with a 46-km run at the Lamosunga dam. The rapids are class IV-V at high flow, and III at lower levels. The river is steep and continuous with one rapid leading into another.

References

External links

Bhote Kosi River
(Upper Sun Kosi), OpenStreetMap, retrieved 19 December 2021.
Sun Kosi River
OpenStreetMap, retrieved 19 December 2021.
Arun River
OpenStreetMap, retrieved 19 December 2021.
Sapta Kosi River
OpenStreetMap, retrieved 19 December 2021. {{Kosi basin Rivers of Tibet Rivers of Bagmati Province International rivers of Asia