Rivers Network of Bangladesh

The great and mighty river Ganges, which begins from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh(one of state of India), enters Bangladesh from the north west through Rajshahi. It joins the Brahmaputra in the middle of the country, North West of the capital city Dhaka. The Ganges convert its name to Padma as it across into Bangladesh, while the principal flow of Brahmaputra is known as Jamuna. It is these mighty rivers and their countless tributaries that have the most apparent effect on the area constant erosion and flooding over the alluvial plains change the course of rivers, agriculture and landscape. The Jamuna alone is estimated to carry down nine hundred million tons of silt every year.

Rivers are the most important geographical features in this country and it is the rivers that make the vast alluvial delta. It’s been known that the out flow of water from Bangladesh is the 3rd highest in the earth, after the Amazon and the Congo. The Padma, Jamuna and the lower Meghna are the widest rivers of Bangladesh, with the latter expanding to around up to eight kilometers across in the wet season and even more during the reason of floods.

Bangladesh is proud of its many rivers and therefore affectionately called the name ‘Land of Rivers’ by its population. Every year they enrich the land and make it more and more fertile. At the same period they also cause immense loss of lives and poperty when the devastating floods occurs.

One of the best ways to see the real beauty of Bangladesh and its rivers is by taking a boat journey on the rivers. A journey from Dhaka to Khulna on board the famous Paddle Steamer through some mighty, big and small rivers gives you the opportunity to see this unbelievable beauty.

The main rivers of Bangladesh are the Padma, the Megna and the Jamuna. The Brahamaputra is one of the mighty rivers. The Dhaleswari and the Karnafuli also big river. Besides, there are many small rivers such as the Buriganga, the Sitallakya, the Gumti, the Tista, the Atrai, the Kortoa, The Arial Kha, The Ichamoti The Mohananda, the Madhumati and many others.

The rivers are played a great role for us. Our agriculture mostly depends on the rivers. The rivers supply us water and make the soil fertile by depositing silt. Thus they help to grow paddy, jute, wheat and many other crops. The rivers also help our irrigation system.
Our rivers are a great source of property. The rivers are the main source of fishes. Fish is one of the most important foods of our country. Huge number of people earns their livelihood by catching fish in the rivers.

Rivers are most important means for our transport too. Ferry, Boats, launches, steamers ply through them in all period of year. These carry passengers and goods from one place to another. These rivers also played most important role in our trade and commerce.

The rivers have great influence on the livelihood of people in many kinds of ways.
The population of Bangladesh loves these rivers and its slow music. The poets have written many beautiful poems and literature upon these rivers.

Rivers is Bangladesh’s blessing and curse too. For nearly half the year, the seasonal rains occurs the country’s three main rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, and their tributaries to swell. Devastating floods are often flatted this area. During the rest of the year, the dry monsoon brings almost no rainfall and droughts threaten the agriculture, economy and the health of the natural environment.

The Kaptai Dam(present Chittagong division), inaugurated in 1960s, was the 1st large dam built in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) and is still the only large hydropower project. Almost 22,000 hectares of arable land and 18,000 houses were flooded for make room for this project.

In the 1990s, groups in Bangladesh begun to draw spotlight to the large scale displacement of the indigenous communities who were not consulted prior to the construction of the hydropower project and were not compensated for their losses afterward. Local population and civil society groups now fight for compensation for the displaced as well as against plans to extend the Kaptai Dam project and its reservoir, which would be lead to the loss of even more biodiversity-rich area.

The govt. of Bangladesh intends to upraise hydropower capacity both in the country and abroad. Large dams in neighboring Burma could in the early future provide a new source of hydroelectricity for Bangladesh.

The rivers of this country mark both the physio-graphic of the nation and the livelihood of the people. About seven hundred in number, these rivers generally flow south. The biggest rivers serve as the principal source of water for agriculture and as the main arteries of financial transportation. Rivers also provide us fish, most important source of protein. Flooding of the rivers during the rainy season occurs enormous hardship and hinders development, but fresh deposits of rich silt replenish the fertile on land but overworked soil. The rivers also maintain drains system in monsoon rainfall into the Bay of Bengal. Thus, the mighty river system is at the same period the country's main resource and its greatest hazard.

The profusion of the rivers can be divided into five main networks. The Jamuna-Brahmaputra is 292 kilometers long and extends from northern side of Bangladesh to its confluence with the Padma. Flowing as the Yarlung Zangbo Jiang in China's Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibbet) and originating through India's state of Arunachal Pradesh (State of Indai), where it becomes known as the Brahmaputra (Son of Brahma), it receives waters from five principal tributaries that total at least 740 kilometers in length. At the point where the Brahmaputra meets another river Tista in Bangladesh, it becomes called as the Jamuna. The Jamuna is notorious for its shifting sub channels and for the formation of fertile silt islands. No fixed settlements can exist along its banks.

The second system is the great Padma-Ganges, which is divided into two sections : (i) a 258 kilometer segment, the Ganges, which extends from the western border with India to its confluence with the mighty river Jamuna some 72 kilometers west part of Dhaka, and (ii) a 126 kilometer segment, the Padma, which runs from the Ganges-Jamuna confluence to where it add the Meghna at Chandpur (district of Bangladesh). The Padma-Ganges is the middle part of a deltaic river system with hundreds of rivers and streams some 2,100 kilometers in length originating generally east/west into the Padma.

The third strong network is the Surma-Meghna system, which courses from the north-eastern border with India to Chandpur(district of Bangladesh), where it joins with Padma. The Surma-Meghna, at 669 kilometers by itself the longest river in the country, is formed by the union of six lesser rivers. After the city of Kalipur it is known as the Meghna. When the Padma and Meghna attested together, they form the fourth river system, the Padma-Meghna which flows 145 kilometers towards the Bay of Bengal.

This strong network of four river systems originating through this country Plain drains an area of some 1.5 million square kilometers. The numerous networks of the Padma-Meghna, its distributaries, and smaller parallel rivers that flow towards the Bay of Bengal are moved to as the Mouths of the Ganges.

The fifth mighty river network system, enjoined to the other four, is the Karnaphuli. Flowing through the region of Chittagong (Divistion of Bangladesh) and the Chittagong Hills, it flow across the hills and runs rapidly downhill to the west and southwest part and then moved to the sea. The Feni, Karnaphuli, Sangu, and Matamuhari an aggregate of some 420 kilometers are the principal rivers in the locality. The port of Chittagong (biggest port of Bangladesh) is situated on the banks of the Karnaphuli. The Karnaphuli Reservoir and Karnaphuli Dam (hydroelectric power project) are located in this area. This dam impounds the Karnaphuli's waters in the reservoir for the generation of hydroelectric power.

During the annual rainy season, the rivers of Bangladesh flow at about 140,000 cubic meters per second, but during the summer season they diminish to 7,000 cubic meters per second. Because water is so vital to farming more than 60% of the net arable land, some 9.1 million hectares, is cultivated in the rainy season despite the possibility of severe flooding, and nearly 40% of the land is cultivated during the dry winter months. Water resources enrich has responded to this dual water regime by providing flood protection, drainage to prevent overflooding and waterlogging, and irrigation facilities for the expansion of winter cultivation. Main water control system have been enriched by the national govt. to provide irrigation, drainage facilities, flood control, aids to river navigation, road construction and hydroelectric power project. At present, thousands of tube-wells and electric pumps are used for local irrigation. Despite severe resource constraints, the government of Bangladesh has made it a process to try to bring additional land under irrigation without salinity intrusion.

Water resources system, including gravity flow irrigation, drainage, flood control were largely the responsibility of Bangladesh Water Development Board. Other public sector institutions, like as the Bangladesh Krishi Bank, the Bangladesh Rural Development Board, the Bangladesh Bank, Grameen Bank and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation were also bound for promotion and enrichment of minor irrigation works in the private sector through government credit mechanisms.