Lesson 3/56 min
Origins, entry, confluences and past questions
Origin and entry point (Khandokar's table)
| River | Origin | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Padma | Gangotri glacier, Himalayas | Chapainawabganj |
| Meghna | Lushai hills south of Naga-Manipur, Assam | Sylhet |
| Teesta | Hills of Sikkim | Nilphamari |
| Brahmaputra | Mansarovar below Kailash, Tibet | Kurigram |
| Naf | Arakan hills between Bangladesh and Myanmar | Cox's Bazar (Teknaf) |
| Karatoya | Hills of Sikkim | Panchagarh |
| Halda | Badnatoli peak, Khagrachari | Starts inside Bangladesh |
| Sangu | Arakan hills (Myanmar border) | Bandarban |
| Karnaphuli | Longleh, Lushai hills, Mizoram | Rangamati (the district list prints ‘Chattogram’) |
| Manu | Hills of Tripura | Moulvibazar |
| Matamuhuri | Maiver hills, Lama, Bandarban | Bandarban |
| Gomti | Dumur in the Tripura hills, India | Cumilla area (not spelled out in the book) |
Entry district (a few more)
| River | Entry district |
|---|---|
| Mahananda | Panchagarh |
| Titas | Brahmanbaria |
| Bhairab | Meherpur |
Joined streams at a glance
| Rivers | Meeting place | Name after |
|---|---|---|
| Padma + Meghna | Chandpur | Meghna |
| Padma + Jamuna | Goalundo, Rajbari | Padma |
| Meghna + (Old) Brahmaputra | Bhairab Bazar | Meghna |
| Teesta + Brahmaputra | Chilmari, Kurigram | Brahmaputra |
| Surma + Kushiyara | Ajmiriganj, Habiganj | Kalni (then the Meghna at Bhairab Bazar) |
| Dhaleshwari + Sitalakkhya | Narayanganj | Sitalakkhya |
| Bangali + Jamuna | Bogura | Jamuna |
| Halda + Karnaphuli | Kalurghat, Chattogram | Karnaphuli |
| Padma-Meghna-Jamuna combined | After Chandpur | To the Bay of Bengal as the Meghna |
Splits, old names and short facts
- Brahmaputra splits at Dewanganj (Jamalpur) into 1. the Jamuna to the south-west and 2. the Old Brahmaputra to the north-east; the Barak splits at Sylhet into 1. Surma 2. Kushiyara
- Old names (Zubair): Padma-Nalini/Kirtinasha; Jamuna-Jonai; Buriganga-Dolai; Brahmaputra-Lauhitya
- Splits in two and rejoins: the Meghna; flows through Chalan Beel: the Atrai
- Most chars: Jamuna; no tides: Gomti; main river port: Narayanganj (on the Sitalakkhya)
- Wide estuary: khari; land between two rivers: doab
- Boundary rivers: Hariabhanga (Satkhira, Bangladesh-India, 38 km); Naf (Bangladesh-Myanmar, 64 km in all, 56 km on our side; Zubair 56 or 62)
Unusual rivers by district (Khandokar)
| River | District |
|---|---|
| Shahid; Banshi; Dhanu | Naogaon; Tangail; Kishoreganj |
| Karkhana; Rajat Rekha; Ilsha | Patuakhali; Munshiganj; Barishal |
| Dhenpa; Sugandha; Irabati | Dinajpur; Jhalokathi; Joypurhat |
| Ghungur; Sheol; Kathakali | Cumilla; Sylhet; Bogura |
| Palong; Sangu/Shankha; Agunmukha; Andharmanik | Shariatpur; Bandarban-Rangamati; Patuakhali; Barguna-Patuakhali |
| Dhansiri; Chengi; Piyain | Barishal (Zubair: Jhalokathi); Khagrachari; Sylhet |
‘Sorrow’ and nicknames
| Nickname | River/canal |
|---|---|
| Sorrow of Bengal | Damodar |
| Sorrow of Cumilla | Gomti |
| Sorrow of Chattogram | Chaktai canal |
| Sorrow of Khagrachari | Chengi river |
| Suez canal of Bengal | Gabkhan river/channel (Jhalokathi) |
| Lifeline of the west | Gorai (Kushtia) |
| River of the western force | Beel Dakatia |
| River named after a person; district named after a river | Rupsha (Rupalal Saha); Feni |
Past questions printed in Khandokar (with answers)
| Question | Answer | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Main source of carp spawn? | Halda | 46th BCS |
| Which river rises in Bangladesh? | Halda | 45th BCS |
| Whose current deepens a river bed? | Tidal currents | 35th BCS |
| Which river divides Bangladesh and Myanmar? | Naf | 34th, 15th BCS |
| Where do the Surma and Kushiyara meet? | Ajmiriganj | 26th BCS |
| Where do the Bangali and Jamuna meet? | Bogura | 25th BCS |
| In which Indian state does the Karnaphuli rise? | Mizoram | 25th BCS |
| Punarbhaba, Nagar, Tangon are tributaries of? | Mahananda | 25th, 14th BCS |
| Which river travels the longest course? | Brahmaputra | 24th, 11th BCS |
| Where do the Padma and Jamuna meet? | Goalundo | 21st BCS |
| Into which river does the Jamuna fall? | Padma | 14th BCS |
| From which Himalayan peak does the Brahmaputra come? | Mount Kailash | 13th BCS |
| Length of all-year navigable waterways? | 5,200 km | 15th BCS |
| Source of the Sitalakkhya? | Brahmaputra (from the Old Brahmaputra) | 18th BCS |
| A branch of the Dhaleshwari? | Buriganga | 18th BCS (Khandokar's printed answer, Mahananda, is wrong) |
| Land between two rivers? | Doab | PSC and others |
| Course changed after a quake on the Dauki fault? | Brahmaputra | PSC and others |
| Whose Indian part is called Barak? | Meghna | PSC and others |
| Swiftest river; artificial lake by a dam (Kaptai)? | Karnaphuli | PSC and others |
| River from the hills of Sikkim? | Karatoya | PSC and others |
| International river; northern border of ancient Banga? | Padma | PSC and others |
| Biggest river port; not a nad; deepest river? | Narayanganj; Meghna; Meghna | PSC and others |
Past questions in Zubair (Dhaka University, medical, others)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Source of the Teesta; Mahasthangarh; river from Sikkim | Sikkim; Karatoya; Karatoya |
| Natural fish breeding centre; starts and ends in own waters | Halda; Halda |
| Bangladesh-India common rivers; widest river | 54; Meghna |
| Returns from India; Meghna's name at its source | Atrai; Barak |
| Old name Dolai; Saini is a tributary of | Buriganga; Karnaphuli |
| Mawa ferry ghat; Sarda is on the bank of | Munshiganj; Padma |
| Padma enters Bangladesh at (Eastern Bank 2005) | Rajshahi region (via Chapainawabganj) |
| Brahmaputra entry; Ganga in Bangladesh; Kirtinasha | Kurigram; Padma; Padma |
| Meets the Ganga and Jamuna (17th BCS); largest irrigation project (26th BCS) | Goalundo; Teesta |
Watch out: The answer to the 11th BCS ‘longest river’ question is blank or unclear in the books (Zubair prints ‘Meghna’, which is doubtful). The printed answers for the youngest river (46th BCS) and the percentage of the basin in Bangladesh (15th) could not be read reliably or look wrong, so they are left out. One BCS item speaks of the Surma-Kushiyara becoming the Meghna at the meeting, but the name after the meeting is Kalni; the name Meghna starts at Bhairab Bazar.
Check yourself
Where do the Padma and Jamuna meet, and what is the joined stream called?
At a glance
- 1
Confluences: Padma-Jamuna at Goalundo gives the Padma; Padma-Meghna at Chandpur gives the Meghna; Meghna-Old Brahmaputra at Bhairab Bazar.
- 2
Surma-Kushiyara meet at Ajmiriganj as the Kalni; Teesta-Brahmaputra at Chilmari; Bangali-Jamuna at Bogura; Halda-Karnaphuli at Kalurghat.
- 3
At Dewanganj the Brahmaputra splits into the Jamuna and Old Brahmaputra; the Barak splits at Sylhet into Surma and Kushiyara.
- 4
Sorrows: Damodar of Bengal, Gomti of Cumilla, Chaktai canal of Chattogram, Chengi of Khagrachari.
- 5
Gabkhan is the Suez canal of Bengal (Jhalokathi); Gorai is the lifeline of the west (Kushtia).