Waterway of Bangladesh: 2010

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Geography

Moulvi Bazar is in Sylhet, a district to the North-East of Bangladesh. It is 2,707 km² in area, and has a population of 1.38 million. It is situated between 24.10 degree 24.35 degree north latitude and between 90.35 degree and 91.20-degree east longitude. It is surrounded by Sylhet District in the north, Habiganj District in the west and Indian States of Assam and Tripura in the east and south respectively.
The main rivers of the district are the Manu, the Dholoi and the Juri. These rivers flow from India. Every year during the rainy season, when there is excessive rainfall in India, the surplus water flows through these rivers causing huge floods in the low-lying parts of Moulvibazar (e.g. the villages of Balikhandi and Shampashi on the northern side of the river Manu). Unless the rivers are properly dredged the floods can be devastating.
In the last few years Moulvibazar has had a muti-million dollar flood defence system built the only one like it in the whole country.

The Kushiyara

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 cumecs respectively.[1]

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.

The surma River

It has been suggested that Kushiyara River be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

A Map showing major rivers in Bangladesh including Surma.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).

Course

From its source in the Manipur Hills near Mao Songsang, the river is known as the Barak River. At the border with Bangladesh, the river divides with the northern branch being called the Surma River and the southern the Kushiyara River. This is where the river enters the Sylhet Depression (or trough) which forms the Surma Basin.[1]

The Surma is fed by tributaries from the Meghalaya Hills to the north, and is also known as the Baulai River after it is joined by the south-flowing Someswari River.

The Kushiyara receives tributaries from the Sylhet Hills and Tripura Hills to the south, the principal one from the Tripura Hills being the Manu. The Kushiyara is also known as the Kalni River after it is joined by a major offshoot (distributary) from the Surma. When the Surma and the Kushiyara finally rejoin in Kishoreganj District above Bhairab Bazar, the river is known as the Meghna River.

The Surma passes through many haors