A two-dimensional stability analysis of the flow in a straight alluvial channel has been carried out, using the vorticity transport equation. In the analysis an attempt has been made to account for the influence of gravity on bed-load transport, and this turned out to change the stability quite significantly.In the case of instability, the further growth of the dunes has been investigated using a second-order approximation, This nonlinear theory explains the experimental fact that the dunes very soon become asymmetric.