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Whose influence is most prevalent on trade, locality, cultural diversity of this whole country? What determines our eating habits, our livelihoods, or traditional festivals? To answer this question, one has to take a chapter from our history and geography lessons. The name of the chapter is “Rivers of Bangladesh”. Our civilization has been built around rivers. They have given us momentum, given us golden crops, and as a nation, gave us our own identity. So, today we will learn about the rivers of Bangladesh. In different parts of the story, we will learn about the history, the main rivers of this country, and their impact on our lives.

The Paradise of Rivers

boat sailing on a river
Rivers are indeed the paradise of Bangladesh

According to Banglapedia, about 700 rivers flow across the country, of which 54 originated in India and three in Myanmar. These rivers occupy an area of about 24,140 km in the country. There are three main rivers in length, width, depth, and influence – the Padma, the Meghna, and the Jamuna. 

Padma 

The Padma is the second-longest river in Bangladesh. Another name of which is Kirtinasha. The 366 km long river originates in the Ganges of India. From there, it entered the map of Bangladesh through Chapainawabganj as the main branch. Then it came to Chandpur and merged with Meghna, then in the Bay of Bengal. The average depth of the Padma is 96 feet and the maximum depth is 1,561 feet. 

Meghna

Meghna is one of the widest rivers flowing through Bangladesh. Born in the Lusai hills of Assam, the river enters Bangladesh through the beautiful district of Sylhet. Dhaleshwari is one of the main tributaries of Meghna. 

Jamuna

Another important river of this country is Jamuna. The Jamuna is the main tributary of the Brahmaputra. On April 2, 1762, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake changed the course of the Brahmaputra and created the Jamuna. Before joining the Meghna near Chandpur, the Jamuna merged with the Padma near Goalanda Ghat. During the monsoon, the distance from shore to shore of Jamuna is about 8 to 13 kilometers. Teesta, Dharla, Karatoya and Atrai are some of the tributaries of the Jamuna. Arial Khan, Bhairab, Buriganga, Dhaleshwari, Gorai, Madhumati, Karnafuli, and many more important rivers are in Bangladesh. 

Speaking of rivers, we can’t avoid many other amazing rivers and their tributaries including Kapotaksh, Shitalakshya, Kushiyara, Halda, Kirtankhola, and Teesta. These rivers can be described pages after pages.  However, even if we do not go into their descriptions today, in the next chapter we will know how much these rivers affect our lives and livelihoods.

Let my child be well-fed in delicacies 

বাংলাদেশের নদী
Rivers do have an active contribution to our livelihood

The rivers of this country have been providing us the blessing of Anadamangal Kabya for a long time. Bangladesh is the largest deltaic island in the world, most of which is composed of silt. This silt has played a role in maintaining the fertility of this land for centuries. The rivers of this country have brought this silt of land formation. That is why even after thousands of years after the formation of this land, the rivers are still playing a major role in our lives and livelihoods, just like that blessing of the Goddess is, directly and indirectly, passing through the assurance of our milk and rice.

Agriculture has been the main livelihood of the people of this country since ancient times. Modern tools have been added to our agriculture system in recent times. We have made arrangements for modern irrigation and adopted big projects. And all of this has happened and is centered on the rivers of Bangladesh. Once, the granary of Bangladesh was the southern region, especially the Barisal region. Barisal used to be called, ‘Paddy-rivers-canals, these three makes Barisal’. The proverb was prevalent all over the country. This proverb clearly explains the relationship of rice production with rivers and canals.

Another donation from the river is fish. Hilsha is the most available fish in Bangladesh. There has been an uncountable number of stories written about this fish; about the luxury Hilsha. That Hilsha is also a gift of the rivers of Bangladesh. Even if we decide to calculate the various other types of fish we get from the rivers of Bangladesh, it will take days to figure that out.

Rivers and cities

বাংলাদেশে
Towns and cities in Bangladesh develops surrounding the rivers

Rivers are spread like a net in this country. All the cities and ports of Bangladesh have been built around rivers. Once upon a time, traveling was synonymous with rivers. All the cities and towns of Bangladesh have been built along the banks of various rivers due to the convenience of river travel and the silt and agricultural land of the river valleys. 

Dhaka metropolis is built on the banks of the river Buriganga, Narayanganj city and port are built on the banks of Shitalakshya river, Chittagong is built on the banks of Karnafuli river, Mymensingh city is built on the banks of old Brahmaputra river, and so many more! Rajshahi, one of the most important cities in Bangladesh, is also located on the north bank of the Padma. 

The existence of rivers has been so prominent in our very essence historically. There is no way to deny this immense gift of the rivers of Bangladesh even though it has ebbed a little now.

Bangladesh is still breathing around her rivers in which Bangladesh was born. So, we have to keep talking about these rivers and streams for our own needs. Their normal flows must be uninterrupted. To keep our cities clean, we have to get rid of waste around the rivers. The violence of land grabbing by filling the rivers must be stopped. After reading today’s article, how much did you realize these responsibilities towards the rivers of Bangladesh? Let us know in the comments.

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