Rivers of Bangladesh & The Great Delta Network (নদীমাতৃক বাংলাদেশ)
The world's largest active delta: 57 transboundary rivers, 140,000 m³/s peak monsoon discharge (second only to the Amazon), and 1 Billion tonnes of fertile Himalayan silt deposited annually.
Padma (পদ্মা / Lower Ganges)
120 km in BD • 4 to 8 km width • Origin: Gangotri Glacier
Enters at Chapai Nawabganj, merges with Jamuna at Goalondo Ghat, and flows past the 6.15 km Padma Bridge before joining the Meghna at Chandpur.
Jamuna (যমুনা / Lower Brahmaputra)
205 km in BD • 8 to 12 km braided width • Origin: Tibet
Created by the cataclysmic 1787 Teesta flood and earthquake diversion. Features one of the widest multi-channel braided riverbeds in the world.
Meghna (মেঘনা / Surma-Kushiyara Outflow)
160 km to estuary • Up to 18 km wide at Bhola • Origin: Manipur
The deepest and widest river in Bangladesh. Collects the combined fury of Padma and Jamuna at Chandpur to form the gigantic Meghna Estuary.
| River Name | Upstream Basin | Entry Point into Bangladesh | Primary Hydrological Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teesta (তিস্তা) | Sikkim & West Bengal, India | Lalmonirhat / Nilphamari | Dry season water allocation & Teesta Barrage sharing |
| Surma (সুরমা) | Manipur / Assam, India | Sylhet border | Sylhet Haor basin flash floods & drainage |
| Kushiyara (কুশিয়ারা) | Barak River / Assam, India | Zakiganj, Sylhet | 2022 Water withdrawal treaty at Rahimpur canal |
| Feni (ফেনী) | Tripura, India | Feni / Chattogram | Drinking water intake & Maitri Setu bridge connection |
| Naf (নাফ নদী) | Arakan / Myanmar border | Teknaf, Cox's Bazar | International maritime border river & estuary ecology |
| Muhuri (মুহুরী) | Tripura, India | Parshuram, Feni | Muhuri irrigation regulator & cross-border embankment |
| Gorai-Madhumati (গড়াই) | Distributary of Padma | Kushtia to Sundarbans | Freshwater flushing to prevent salinity in Sundarbans |
🏛️ Official Citations & Primary Source References
bdmcp enforces strict data provenance. Every dataset and indicator on this page is linked directly to authoritative Bangladesh Government gazettes, central bank bulletins, or official trade archives.
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Joint Rivers Commission Bangladesh (JRCB) Transboundary Rivers Directory ↗ Verified Public Source🏛️ Ministry of Water ResourcesOfficial bilateral treaty archives governing the 57 transboundary rivers (54 shared with India, 3 with Myanmar), including the 1996 Ganges Water Treaty.
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Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) Hydrology Bulletins ↗ Verified Public Source🏛️ BWDBReal-time water level stations across Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, and Teesta, flood forecasting warnings, and river discharge data.
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River and Delta Research Center (RDRC) National River Survey ↗ Verified Public Source🏛️ National Water Resources Research GuildNational river encroachment maps, pollution indices for Buriganga and Turag, and river morphometry studies.