Lesson 2/56 min
The main rivers
Padma and Jamuna
| Item | Padma | Jamuna |
|---|---|---|
| Other names | Ganga, Kirtinasha, Nalini | Jonai |
| Source | Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas (the Ganga in India) | Mansarovar below Mount Kailash (a stream of the Brahmaputra) |
| Entry | Through Chapainawabganj (south-west of Rajshahi region) | As a branch of the Brahmaputra at Dewanganj (Jamalpur) |
| Meets | Jamuna at Goalundo (Rajbari); Meghna at Chandpur, then the Meghna name to the sea | Padma at Goalundo; Bangali at Bogura |
| Branches | Kumar, Bhairab, Mathabhanga, Kapotakkha, Gorai, Madhumati, Arial Khan, Baral | Dhaleshwari, Buriganga |
| Tributaries | Mahananda, Nagar, Kulikh, Tangon, Punarbhaba (Zubair: tributary Mahananda) | Teesta, Karatoya, Dharla, Atrai, Baral (Khandokar); Karatoya and Atrai (Zubair) |
| Special | Longest river, 341 km in the books; Farakka is on it; the Padma marked the northern border of ancient Banga | The 1787 earthquake raised the Brahmaputra's bed and made a new stream; the Jamuna has the most chars |
Watch out: The 341 km for the Padma comes from the River Conservation Commission's 2023 book (Khandokar: longest in Bangladesh, Ichamati second). Banglapedia gives about 120 km for the Padma in Bangladesh (126 from Goalundo to Chandpur) and about 276 km for the Brahmaputra-Jamuna inside Bangladesh; the commission's web list names the Ichamati longest. So remember the length as a book figure and do not rely on it in a quiz. The 42nd special BCS took the Teesta as a tributary of the Jamuna, but other sources say the Teesta joins the Brahmaputra at Chilmari (Kurigram).
Meghna and Brahmaputra
| Item | Meghna | Brahmaputra (Lauhitya) |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | The most navigable, widest and deepest river; not a ‘nad’ | International nad through China, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh; travels the longest route of Bangladesh's rivers |
| Source | The Barak of Assam (Mao Songsang, Lushai hills south of Naga-Manipur) | Mansarovar below Mount Kailash in Tibet |
| Names on the way | Surma and Kushiyara at Sylhet; Kalni after they meet; Meghna from Bhairab Bazar | Tsangpo in Tibet; Dihang/Dihi in Assam |
| Entry | Through Sylhet district as the Surma and Kushiyara | Through Nageshwari, Kurigram |
| Meets | Surma-Kushiyara at Ajmiriganj (Habiganj); Old Brahmaputra at Bhairab Bazar; Padma at Chandpur | Teesta at Chilmari (Kurigram); at Dewanganj (Jamalpur) two streams: Jamuna to the south-west, Old Brahmaputra to the north-east |
| Branches | Dakatia, Titas (Zubair: Titas is a tributary) | Jamuna, Sitalakkhya, Banshi |
| Tributaries | Sitalakkhya, Gomti, Brahmaputra, Dhaleshwari, Manu; Zubair: Manu, Baulai, Titas, Gomti | Dharla, Teesta |
| Special | Splits in two inside Bangladesh and rejoins; called Barak at its source | Changed course after a major quake along the Dauki fault; today's main flow is the Jamuna |
Halda, Karnaphuli and the hill rivers
| River | Source | Entry and mouth | Key points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karnaphuli | Longleh in the Lushai hills of Mizoram | Enters through Rangamati (Khandokar p. 26); to the sea via Chattogram | The only hill river; swiftest; the main river of the Chattogram region; the only one with hydropower (Kaptai) |
| Karnaphuli tributaries | — | — | Kasalong, Halda, Boalkhali, Chengi, Maini, Rakhyang |
| Halda | Badnatoli hill in Khagrachari (inside Bangladesh) | Joins the Karnaphuli at Kalurghat, Chattogram | Asia's largest natural fish breeding centre; main source of carp spawn; swift |
| Sangu | Arakan hills; border area of Thanchi, Bandarban | Enters via Bandarban; to the sea between Banshkhali and Satkania | One of the three rivers from Myanmar |
| Matamuhuri | Maiver hills of Lama (Bandarban) | Enters via Bandarban; Chakaria (Cox's Bazar) into the Moheshkhali channel | One of the three rivers from Myanmar |
| Naf | Arakan hills in Myanmar | Enters at Teknaf; into the Bay of Bengal | Southernmost river; the Bangladesh-Myanmar boundary; Teknaf and Akyab port stand on its bank |
| Feni | Tripura hills | — | A district named after a river: Feni |
Teesta, Karatoya, Kirtankhola
| River | Facts |
|---|---|
| Teesta | Source in the hills of Sikkim; the lifeline of the north; joins the Brahmaputra at Chilmari (Kurigram); a transboundary river |
| Teesta entry (the books differ) | Zubair: through Kaliganj and Khoribari border of Chhatnai union, Dimla, Nilphamari (Lalmonirhat is wrong); Khandokar: Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari |
| Teesta length (Zubair) | 315 km in all; 115 km in Bangladesh (117 is wrong); 200 km in India |
| Karatoya | Source in the hills of Sikkim; enters via Panchagarh; Bogura, Mahasthangarh and Panchagarh stand on it |
| Kirtankhola | A branch of the Arial Khan, itself a branch of the Padma; also called the Barishal river now |
Check yourself
Which is Bangladesh's only hill river and the swiftest?
At a glance
- 1
Padma: source Gangotri; enters through Chapainawabganj; meets the Jamuna at Goalundo and the Meghna at Chandpur.
- 2
Meghna: most navigable, widest, deepest; the Surma-Kushiyara enter through Sylhet; source Barak.
- 3
Brahmaputra: source Mansarovar (Kailash); enters via Nageshwari, Kurigram; splits at Dewanganj into the Jamuna and Old Brahmaputra.
- 4
Karnaphuli: Lushai hills of Mizoram; the only hill river and the swiftest.
- 5
Halda: Badnatoli (Khagrachari); Asia's biggest natural fish breeding centre.
- 6
Naf: southernmost river, the Bangladesh-Myanmar boundary; Teesta: from Sikkim, the lifeline of the north.