Exploring the Majesty of Jamuna River in Bangladesh

Jamna River, Bangladesh

Sunset at Jamuna River, Tangail, Bangladesh

Introduction

Jamuna River Brahmaputra-Jamuna is the second longest river in Bangladesh and one of the longest rivers in the world. Its basin covers the territories of Tibet, China, India and Bangladesh. Actually the lower stream of Brahmaputra river is called Jamuna. As a result of earthquakes and severe floods that occurred between 1782 and 1787, the current course of the Brahmaputra was changed and the current Jamuna River was created. At Bahadurabad in Dewanganj Upazila of Jamalpur District, the Brahmaputra River changes its old course and flows southwards as the Jamuna River and joins the Ganges River at Aricha. As a result of the withdrawal of flow, the old course of the south-easterly Brahmaputra narrowed and still flows as the Old Brahmaputra.

Physiography

The Brahmaputra originates from the Chemayung-dung glacier (31°30'N and 80°20'E), 145 km from the important trading center of Parkha, between Lake Manas and Mount Kailash in Tibet. The Brahmaputra river in Assam is known as Dihang before flowing into the vast Bengal plains. It enters Bangladesh through Kurigram district. The combined length of the Sangpo-Brahmaputra-Jamuna to the east of its confluence with the Ganges is about 2,700 km. The length of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river in Bangladesh is 276 km, of which the length of the Jamuna river is 205 km.

The area of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river basin is about 5,83,000 sq km, of which 2,93,000 sq km is in Tibet, 2,41,000 sq km in India and only 47,000 sq km in Bangladesh. Upstream of Bahadurabad, the Brahmaputra drains an area of 5,36,000 sq km. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system is the widest north-south river system in the country. Brahmaputra-Jamuna river flows are recorded at Bahadurabad. The flow of the Dudhkumar, Dharla and Teesta rivers entering Bangladesh is added to the measured flow and the flow of the old Brahmaputra and Bangali rivers is subtracted. During the monsoon season the flow of the Jamuna is huge and averages around 40,000 cumecs. This volume of flow makes the river the seventh largest after the Amazon, Congo, La Plata, Yangtze, Mississippi and Meghna. A record flow of 98,600 cumecs was measured in the Jamuna in August 1988. The average annual flow of the Jamuna at Bahadurabad Point is about 501 million acre-feet.

Climate

Widespread flooding often occurs in August. Floods occurring from May to July are caused by increased flow in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Meghna rivers. Brahmaputra-Jamuna river flows faster than Ganges. The Jamuna has an average low of 1:11,850, slightly higher than that of the Ganges. Along with its large volume of water flow, the Jamuna also carries a large amount of silt. The Jamuna carries about 12 lakh tonnes of sediment daily during the monsoon season and the annual sediment carrying capacity of the Jamuna measured at Bahadurabad is about 735 million tonnes.

Tributaries

The Brahmaputra-Jamuna has four main tributaries: Dudhkumar, Dharla, Teesta and Karatoa-Atrai river system. Three of them, the Dudhkumar, Dharla and Teesta rivers, are of arid nature and originate in a steep basin on the southern side of the Himalayas between Darjeeling and Bhutan in India. The Old Brahmaputra is the longest of the tributaries and was the main course of the Brahmaputra two hundred years ago.

Navigation and Transport

A 4.8 km long bridge has recently been constructed over the Jamuna River to connect the eastern and western parts of Bangladesh divided by the Jamuna River. The eastern end of this bridge called Bangabandhu Jamuna Bahumukhi Setu is located in Bhuapur upazila of Tangail district and the western end is located in Sirajganj Sadar upazila of Sirajganj district. In addition to faster transportation of passengers and goods on the existing roads and railways, the bridge has accelerated transmission of electricity and natural gas and telecommunications. The bridge was opened for traffic on 23 June 1998. Extensive river management activities are carried out to keep the over-flowing Jamuna River flowing in the channel demarcated by the bridge.

Conclusion

The Jamuna River is not just a waterway but a symbol of resilience, sustenance, and cultural heritage for Bangladesh. Its waters flow through the country's history, nourishing both the land and the spirit of its people, and continue to play a crucial role in shaping the nation's future.