Rivers system of Bangladesh

Rivers

Atrai River

Atrai River (also spelt as Atreyee) (Bengali: আত্রাই/আত্রেই নদী) flows in West Bengal and northern parts of Bangladesh. In ancient times the river was called Atrei and finds a mention in the Mahabharata. It is linked with Karatoya River. It originates in West Bengal and then after flowing through Dinajpur District of Bangladesh, it enters India again. It passes through Kumarganj and Balurghat community development blocks in Dakshin Dinajpur district. The river then re-enters Bangladesh. It splits into two rivers - the Gabura and the Kankra in Dinajpur district. It crosses the Barind Tract and flows into Chalan Beel. The river serves as a perennial source of fishing, even though it is often the cause of flooding in many areas during monsoons. Total length of this river is approximately 240 miles (390 km). Maximum depth of river is 99 feet (30 m).

Balu River

The Balu is a river of Bangladesh. It runs mainly through the swamps of Beel Belai and that east of Dhaka, joining the Shitalakshya near Demra. During the flood season, the Balu is of importance for local drainage and access by small boats.

Bangali River

The Bangali River (Bengali: বাঙালি নদী) is one of the main rivers in the northern part of Bangladesh (commonly known as North Bengal). As of 2007, the river is in the news because of the possibility that it might merge with the Jamuna River, which could lead to major changes in the geography of the region. The Bangali River originates as a distributary of Teesta River in Nilphamari District. The river flows as the Ghaghot River from its source to Gaibandha, where it splits into two branches – one moves towards the west as the "Ghaghot" and empties into the Karatoya River at Sherpur, Bogra District; the other section of the Bangali River flows to the south and subsequently breaks into two sections in Bogra. These two sections join the Jamuna and Karatoa. There are a number of distributaries of the Bangali River such as the Belal, Manosh, Modhukhali, Ichamoti, and Volka among others. These distributaries often dry up in the winter season.

Baral River

Baral (Bengali: বড়াল) river is one of the offshoots of the Ganges, starts its journey at Charghat Upazila or Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The Baral flows through Natore and Pabna meets with the Gumani at the east of Bangura and finally meets with the Hurasagar after joining with the Karatoya south of Shahjadpur. The river is approximately 147 kilometers long and 410 feet (120 m) wide and 20 feet (6.1 m) deep on average. The river receives water from the Ganges only in the monsoon season. But it maintains its flow throughout the year with local runoff water and water from chalan beel. Its drainage area is about 230 km². Some important places located on the banks of the Baral are: Charghat; Baraigram, Bagatipara, Gurudaspur, Chatmohor, Bhangura and Bera. The Baral Bridge is located on this river at Bhangura Upazila.

Biskhali River

The Biskhali is a river of Bangladesh. The river flows through Barguna District.

Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra, also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. From its origin in southwestern Tibet as the Yarlung Zangbo River, it flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh where it is known as Dihang. It flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna. There it merges with the Ganges to form a vast delta. About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the river is an important source for irrigation and transportation. Its upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884-86. This river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river. The average depth of river is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m). In Bangladesh the river merges with the Ganges and splits into two: the Padma and Meghna River. When it merges with the Ganges it forms the world's largest delta, the Sunderbans. The Sunderbans is known for tigers, crocodiles and mangroves. While most Indian and Bangladeshi rivers bear female names, this river has a rare male name, as it means "son of Brahma" in Sanskrit (putra means "son"). The Brahmaputra is navigable for most of its length. The lower part reaches are sacred to Hindus. The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in spring when the Himalayan snows melt. It is also one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore.

Bura Gauranga River

The Bura Gauranga River is located in the Patuakhali district in Bangladesh.

Buriganga River

The Buriganga River (Bangla: বুড়িগঙ্গা Buŗigônga "Old Ganges") is the main river flowing beside Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. The average depth is 39 feet (12 m) and maximum depth is 93 feet (28 m). In the distant past, a course of the Ganges river used to reach the Bay of Bengal through the Dhaleshwari river. This course gradually shifted and ultimately lost its link with the main channel of the Ganges and was renamed as the Buriganga.

Dakatua River

The Dakatua River or Dakatia is a river of Bangladesh and India. The length of the Dakatia is about 207 km. It enters the country from India in Comilla district from Tripura state and is a tributary of the Meghna River. The source of the river is at Chauddagram Khal, which connects it with the Little Feni. The river joins the Meghna at Raipur

Dhaleshwari River

The Dhaleshwari River (Bangla: ধলেশ্বরী Dhôleshshori) is a 160-km-long distributary of the Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It starts off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District. After that it divides into two branches: the north branch retains the name Dhaleshwari and merges with the other branch, the Kaliganga River at the southern part of Manikganj District. Finally the merged flow meets the Shitalakshya River near Narayanganj District. This combined flow goes southwards to merge into the Meghna River. Average depth of river is 122 feet (37 m) and maximum depth is 265 feet (81 m).

The Dhaleshwari is presently a branch of the Jamuna but in the past was probably part of the main course of the Padma. The course of the Padma has changed considerably during the period 1600 to 2000 AD. It is difficult to trace accurately the various channels through which it has flowed. The probability is that it flowed past Rampur Boalia, through Chalan Beel, the Dhaleshwari and Buriganga rivers, past Dhaka into the Meghna estuary. In the 18th century, the lower course of the river flowed further south. About the middle of the 19th century the main volume of the channel flowed through this southern channel which came to be known as Kirtinasa. Gradually the Padma adopted its present course

Dhepa River

The Dhepa is a small river in northern Bangladesh. The river originates from the Atrai river in Mohanpur and falls into the Punarbhaba. The length of this river is 40 km.

Feni River

Feni River (Bangla: ফেনী নদী Feni Nodi) is a river in the Indian state of Tripura and southeastern Bangladesh. It is a trans-boundary river with an on-going dispute. Feni River originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh. It enters Bangladesh at Belchhari in Matiranga Upazila of Khagrachari District. It flows through Ramgarh Upazila (Khagrachari), Fatikchhari Upazila (Chittagong) and then flows along the border of Chittagong (Mirsharai Upazila) and Feni (Chhagalnaiya Upazila, Feni Sadar Upazila, Sonagazi Upazila) districts and discharges into the Bay of Bengal near Sonagazi. The length of the river is 108 km. The river forms the international boundary at some points. Muhuri River, also called Little Feni, from Noakhali District joins it near its mouth. The river is navigable throughout the year by small boats up to Ramgarh, some 80 km upstream. A 3.41-km long closure dam was constructed across the river in 1965-66 at a cost of 593.5 million takas to divert the flow through the Feni regulator. It is located between Mirsharai and Sonagazi, in the Chittagong and Feni districts respectively. It was constructed to prevent saline water intrusion from downstream and retain fresh water upstream for use in the Muhuri Irrigation Project.

Gorai-Madhumati River

The Gorai-Madhumati River (Bangla: গড়াই-মধুমতি Gôŗai-Modhumoti) is one of the longest rivers in Bangladesh and a tributary of the Ganges.

Halda River

Halda River is a river in South-Eastern Bangladesh. It originates at the Badnatali Hill Ranges in Ramgarh Upazila in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, flows through Fatikchhari Upazila, Hathazari Upazila, Raozan Upazila and Chittagong Kotwali Thana, and falls into the Karnaphuli River. The 81 km long river has a very turbulent tributary, the Dhurung River, which joins Purba Dhalai about 48.25 km downstream. The river is navigable by big boats 29 km into it (up to Nazirhat) and by small boats 16-24 km further (up to Narayanhat). The Halda river is also famous for breeding pure Indian carp. This is the only pure Indian carp breding field of Bangladesh, perhaps in South Asia.

Jaldhaka River

The Jaldhaka River (Nepali: जलढका Jalḍhaka) is a trans-boundary river, with a length of 192 kilometres, that originates in southeastern Sikkim in the eastern Himalayas and flows through the Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal, India. At that point the river enters Bangladesh through the Lalmonirhat District and then joins with the Dharla River until the Dharla debouches into the Brahmaputra River near the Kurigram District. Due to the river's wandering over several international borders, only a small length of the river lies within Bangladesh.

Jamuna River

The Jamuna River (Bangla: যমুনা Jomuna) is one of the three main rivers of Bangladesh. It is the main channel of the Brahmaputra River when it flows out of India into Bangladesh. The Jamuna flows south, ending its independent existence as it joins the Padma River (Pôdda) near Goalundo Ghat. Merged with the Padma (Pôdda), it meets the Meghna River near Chandpur. Its waters then flow into the Bay of Bengal as the Meghna River. The river's average depth is 395 feet (120 m) and maximum depth is 1,088 feet (332 m). The Jamuna was a barrier in establishing a direct road link between capital Dhaka and northern part of Bangladesh better known as Rajshahi Division until 1996. This was mitigated by the completion of the Jamuna Multi-Purpose Bridge.

Karnaphuli River

Karnaphuli (Bangla: কর্ণফুলি Kôrnophuli) (also spelt Karnafuli) is a 667 metres (2,190 ft) wide river in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh. Originating from the Lushai hills in Mizoram, India, it flows 270 km (170 miles) southwest through Chittagong Hill Tracts and Chittagong into the Bay of Bengal. A large hydroelectric power plant using Karnaphuli river was built in the Kaptai region during the 1960s. The mouth of the river hosts Chittagong sea port, the main port of Bangladesh. The depth of river is 102 metres (330 ft), in average and 147 metres (480 ft), on maximum.

Kaptai dam

The Kaptai Dam is the location of the Karnaphuli Hydro-power station, the only hydro-electric power plant in Bangladesh, was constructed in Kaptai in 1962. An earth-filled dam on the Karnaphuli River, the Kaptai Dam created the Kaptai Lake, which acts as the water reservoir for the hydropower station. The power plant produces a total of 230 megawatts of electricity.

Karotoa River

The Karotoa River is a river of Bangladesh. The depth of river is approximately 6 feet (1.8 m), in origin of Mahasthangarh, Bogra.

Khowai River

Khowai River originates from the eastern part of the Atharamura Hills of Hill Tripura in India. Flowing west and northward, the Khowai enters Bangladesh at Balla in Sylhet district. The river further flows beside the east of Habiganj town and debouches into the Meghna near the mouth of the Kalni at Nabiganj.

Kopothakho River

The Kopothakho River is a river of Bangladesh.

Kushiyara River

The Kushiyara River is one of the many rivers in Bangladesh that crosses international boundaries. It originates in the northern hill country of Assam, India and runs along the border of the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur before entering Bangladesh. The total length of the Kushiyara is about 161 km. The average width of the river is 830 feet (250 m) and in the rainy season the mean depth of the Kushiyara reaches up to 33 feet (10 m), the maximum depth of river is 40 feet (12 m). The river carries a huge amount of water as well as sediments from Karimganj in Assam and the hilly areas of Hill Tripura. The highest and lowest discharges have been measured at Sherpur amounting to 3,700 cumecs and 33 cu mecs respectively.

Mahananda River

The Mahananda River (Bangla: মহানন্দা Môhanônda) is a river the originates in the district of Darjeeling in West Bengal in the Himalayas. It flows through northern part of West Bengal, Bihar in India and Bangladesh. It again enters India in the Malda district of West Bengal before entering into Bangladesh to join the Ganges near the town of Chapai Nawabganj. This river is mainly fed by rainwater. During summer or winter it has very low water level and during monsoon it carries large amount of rainwater often causing floods. Some major places by the side of the river are Siliguri and Malda both in West Bengal, India. In Bangladesh this rivers total length is 36 km.

Manu River, Tripura

The Manu River originates in the mountains of Tripura (India) and plunges downward through dramatic gorges and steep escarpments until it reaches a broad plain where it becomes slow and meandering, going northward until it reaches the Sylhet plains. The river enters Bangladesh through Kulaura Upazila in Maulvi Bazar district, when it changes its course to northwest and north to meet the Kushiyara at Manumuk

Meghna River

The Meghna River (Bengali: মেঘনা নদী) is an important river in Bangladesh, one of the three that forms the Ganges Delta, the largest on earth fanning out to the Bay of Bengal. The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originating from the hilly regions of eastern India. The river meets Padma River in Chandpur District. The river ultimately flows into the Bay of Bengal in Bhola District.

The Meghna is the widest river among those that flow completely inside the boundaries of Bangladesh. At one point near Bhola, Meghna is 12 km wide. In its lower reaches this river follows almost a straight line in its path. Despite its very calm and quiet look, this river is the cause of many deaths every year. The place near Chandpur is a very dangerous one. The river's average depth is 1,012 feet (308 m) and maximum depth is 1,620 feet (490 m) The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originating from the hilly regions of eastern India. The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh above Bhairab Bazar by the combination of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers. Down to Chandpur, Meghna is hydrographically referred to as the Upper Meghna. After the Padma joins, it is referred to as the Lower Meghna. Near Muladhuli in Barisal district, the Safipur River is an offshoot of the Surma that creates one of the main rivers in South Bengal. 1.5 km wide, this river is one of the widest in the country as well. This river is the widest in Bangladesh and one of the widest of the world.

At Ghatalpur of Brahmanbaria District, the river Titas emerges from Meghna and after circling two large bends by 240 km, falls into the Meghna again near Nabinagar Upazila. Titas forms as a single stream but braids into two distinct streams which remain separate before re-joining the Meghna.

Muhuri River

Muhuri River (Bangla: মুহুরী Muhuri) one of the trans-boundary rivers of Bangladesh. The river takes its rise on the Lushai hills of Tripura in India and enters Bangladesh through Parshuram upazila of Feni district after flowing over the hilly regions of India. As such the river is wild in nature and often causes flash floods. At some places it demarcates the boundary between India and Bangladesh and falls into the Bay of Bengal after dividing the Feni and the Chittagong district. The Muhuri is not wide enough and it is only 150 to 200 metres wide. But the width increases towards the sea. Close to the sea, the river is under tidal influence. There is a closure dam on the river about 4 km upstream from the estuary for irrigation purpose and a 20-vent regulator has also been constructed. During high tide, the dam along with the regulator controls the influx of saline water. This river is also a line of contention between the two neighbouring countries, India and Bangladesh. The border of the two nation (India-Bangladesh) according to Indira - Mujib treaty is defined as the mid of the river. There is a huge and advanced dam in one side of it (this part belongs to India, Belonia- Bankar area). Thus in the rainy seasons the flood water cannot cause much disaster in this portion, whereas most of the times it causes a menace in the lower areas. In course of time the river engulfed a huge area of Bangladesh provience, increasing the boundary of Indian part. This is the main reason of border dispute.

Naf River

Naf River (নাফ নদী) is a river marking the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is an elongated estuary in the extreme southeast of Cox's Bazar district dividing the district from Arakan, Myanmar. It rises in the Arakan hills on the southeastern borders of the district and flows into the Bay of Bengal. Its width varies from 1.61 km to 3.22 km. The river is influenced by tide. Akyab in Myanmar is on the eastern bank and Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar district is on the western bank of the river. The Naf River is deepest. Is average depth is 128 feet (39 m) and maximum depth is 400 feet (120 m).

Padma River

The Padma (Bengali: পদ্মা Pôdda) is a major trans-boundary river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges (Bengali: গঙ্গা Gôngga), which originates in the Himalaya. The Padma enters Bangladesh from India near Chapai Nababganj. It meets the Jamuna (Bengali: যমুনা Jomuna) near Aricha and retains its name, but finally meets with the Meghna (Bengali: মেঘনা) near Chandpur and adopts the name 'Meghna' before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Rajshahi, a major city in western Bangladesh, is situated on the north bank of the Padma. Its maximum depth is 1,571 feet (479 m) and average depth is 968 feet (295 m).

Punarbhaba River

The Punarbhaba (Bengali: পুনরভব নদী) is a river of Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, of total length about 160 km and a width of 3–8 km. It originates from the lowlands of Thakurgaon District. The river's upper part is a few kilometres west of Atrai. It flows through Gangarampur and Tapan community development blocks of Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal. After flowing to the south, this river meets with the Dhepa River. Ultimately it flows into the Ganges. The length of this river is 160 km (99 mi).

Pasur River

The Pusur River is a river in southwestern Bangladesh and a tributary of the Ganges.

Shitalakshya River

Shitalakshya River (Bengali: শীতলক্ষ্যা নদী Shitalokkha Nodi) (also known as Lakhya River) is a distributary of the Brahmaputra. In its initial stages it flows in a southwest direction and then east of the city of Narayanganj in central Bangladesh until it merges with the Dhaleswari near Kalagachhiya. A portion of its upper course is known as Banar River. The river is about 110 km long and at it widest, near Narayangani, it is 300 meters in width. Its highest discharge has been measured at 2,600 cusec at Demra. It remains navigable year round. The river flows through Ghazipur forming its border with Narsingdi for some distance and then through Narayanganj. The river's maximum depth is 70 feet (21 m) and average depth is 33 feet (10 m). The length of this river is 110 km (68 mi).

Surma River

The Surma River (Bengali: সুরমা নদী Shurma Nodi) is a major river in Bangladesh, part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It starts when the Barak River from northeast India divides at the Bangladesh border into the Surma and the Kushiyara rivers. It ends in Kishoreganj District, above Bhairab Bazar, where the two rivers rejoin to form the Meghna River. The waters from the river ultimately flow into the Bay of Bengal. The average depth of river is 282 feet (86 m) and maximum depth is 550 feet (170 m).

Teesta River

The River Teesta or Tista (Nepali: टिस्टा खोला TisTa Khola, is said to be the lifeline of the Indian state of Sikkim, flowing for almost the entire length of the state and carving out verdant Himalayan temperate and tropical river valleys. The emerald-coloured river then forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra as a tributary in Bangladesh. The river originates from Cholamo Lake at an elevation of 5,330 m (17,487 ft) above sea level in the Himalayas. This lake lies to the north of the Donkia pass near Shetschen, where the summit of the pass is about eight kilometres north-east of Darjeeling.

The Teesta River is then fed by rivulets which arise in the Thangu, Yumthang and Donkia-La ranges. The river then flows past the town of Rangpo where it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar. At Teesta Suspension Bridge, which joins Kalimpong with Darjeeling, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet River. At this point, it changes course southwards flowing entirely into West Bengal. The river hits the plains at Sevoke, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge which links the north east states to the rest of India. The river then courses its way to Jalpaiguri and then to Rangpur District of Bangladesh, before finally merging with the mighty Brahmaputra at Fulcherry.

Titas River

Titas River (Bangla: তিতাস Titash) is a trans-boundary river of south-eastern Bangladesh. It originates in the state of Tripura in India where it is known as Haora River in Bengali and Saidra in the local Kokborok language. Flowing near Agartala, (India), it enters Bangladesh through Akhaura Upazila in the Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh, then merges with the Meghna River to the south near Ashuganj. The length of the river is about 98 km. There is another river of the same name which starts as a distributary of the Meghna and flows back into it.

Turag River

The Turag River (Bengali: তুরাগ নদী Turag Nɔdī; IPA: [T̪uraɡ Nɔd̪i]) is the upper tributary of the Buriganga, a major river in Bangladesh. The Turag originates from the Bangshi River, the latter an important tributary of the Dhaleshwari River, flows through Gazipur and joins the Buriganga at Mirpur in Dhaka District. It is navigable by boat all year round.

Exemplifying the riverine character of Dhaka, the Turag is abundant in fish but suffers from acute water pollution. While attempts have been made to marginally widen the river, the majority of industry has made little effort to follow environmental law and the water has become visibly discolored.