## 2 Data and Methods  
A river basin is a distinct hydrological unit with its own \"geo-biocultural\" traits. Any change in sedimentation regime within a river basin, whether caused by natural or anthropogenic factors, has a delayed impact on the river's downstream activity in terms of form and lateral bank line stability. This, in turn, undermines the agricultural integrity of the riparian zone, the economic and social coherence of riverbank towns, and their infrastructure. Fluvial Systems modify their floodplains and channels using a mixture of controls and a hydrologic model. There is a tight relationship between river channel patterns and sedimentological floodplain characteristics. Fluvial Systems respond to regional changes in physiography, hydrology, and sediment load by altering their hydraulic geometry and channel structure, despite the fact that core knowledge of fluvial geomorphology is gained from the study of small-to-moderate rivers. Typically, river characteristics are classified as either straight, meandering, or braided. A wide variety of channel patterns exist, from a direct path through meandering sections to a braided design. Sinuosity (Table 1), defined as the ratio of channel length to valley length or the ratio of valley slope or channel gradient over the same length of valley [26], distinguishes straight from meandering channels. [PERSON] and [PERSON] chose a total sinuosity ratio of 1.50 to differentiate sinuous from meandering channels. Generally speaking, rivers with a sinuosity of less than 1.5 are straight or sinuous, whereas those with a sinuosity of more than 1.5 are considered meandering. The initial stage in this research was therefore to determine the best strategy for quantifying the degree of braiding in the Ganges-Padma River from satellite pictures. The braiding index proposed by [PERSON] [6] and [PERSON] [2] is the best metric for quantifying the braiding continuum of the Ganges-Padma River. This is a common method for gauging the degree of braiding in the world's longest rivers [2; 9; 12]. Following [PERSON]'s [6] definition, we have the braiding index (BI):  
\[\text{BI}=2(\sum L_{i})/L_{\tau}\]  
where \(\sum L_{i}\) is the total length of bars and (or) islands in the reach, and \(L_{\tau}\) is the length of the reach measured mid-way between the banks. [PERSON] decided to use a total braiding index of 1.50 to separate braided from non-braided reaches. It is worth noting that a time series of Landsat pictures provided the basis for a large chunk of the geostatistical information used in this investigation. There are five different time periods (Figure 2) used in this analysis (1973, 1984, 1996, 2006, and 2016). We obtained the Landsat images from the Centre for Environmental & Geographic Information Services-CEGIS, Bangladesh. The shifting channels of the Ganges and Padma rivers were mapped using geographic information system software. Using the ArcView tools, we first determine the number and length of bars for the years of interest and any periods in which the bank line of the Ganges and Padma rivers overlapped in the pictures. The sinuosity ratio is calculated using stream length, valley length, and other variables. You may determine the braiding index by adding the lengths of the bars and rivers together. [PERSON] and [PERSON] chose a total sinuosity ratio of 1.50 to distinguish sinuous from meandering. A sinuosity of 1.5 or higher indicates a meandering river, while a sinuosity of 1.0 or lower indicates a straight river. An equivalent of 1.5 curves, either straight or sinuous. If the river's braiding index is less than 1.50, it is a non-braided river; if it is equal to or greater than 1.50, it is a braided river. For this analysis, we use the following formula to determine the sinuosity ratio and the braiding index and a flowchart (Figure 3) is provided below: