Dharla River

The Dharla River (Bengali: ধরলা নদী, romanized: Dhorola nodi) is a tributary of the Brahmaputra which is a trans-boundary river flowing through India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It originates from Kupup/Bitang lake lying in Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary of East Sikkim in the Himalayas where it is known as the Jaldhaka River. It then flows through East Sikkim, India then goes to Samtse District, Bhutan and returns to India again at Kalimpong district. From there, it flows through Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal, India, one of the seven main rivers to do so. Here the river enters Bangladesh through the Lalmonirhat District and flows as the Dharla River until it empties into the Brahmaputra River near the Kurigram District. Near Patgram Upazila, it again flows easterly back into India. It then moves south and enters Bangladesh again through Phulbari Upazila of Kurigram District and continues a slow meandering course.[1]

Dharla River
Map
Location
CountriesIndia, Bhutan and Bangladesh
DistrictEast Sikkim India, Samtse Bhutan, Kalimpong India, Jalpaiguri India, Cooch Behar India, Lalmonirhat Bangladesh, Kurigram Bangladesh.
StatesSikkim India, West Bengal India, Paro Bhutan, Rangpur Bangladesh.
Physical characteristics
SourceKupup or Bitang Lake
 • locationKupup or Bitang Lake, East Sikkim India
MouthBrahmaputra
 • location
Lalmonirhat District, Bangladesh

The average depth of river is 12 feet (3.7 m) and maximum depth is 39 feet (12 m), in origin of Kurigram.

Erosion by the rivers Dharla and Jamuna took a serious turn in Lalmonirhat in 2007. In Lalmonirhat, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) long flood control embankment was devoured by the Dharla. Three mosques, two temples, a madrassah and a primary school, and a vast tract of cultivable land with crops were devoured by the river, rendering about three thousand people homeless.[2]

There is a park beside the Dharla at Kurigram. There also is a bridge. The river is full during the monsoon season but has only knee-deep water in summer. Deposition of silt has led to the formation of many small islands (chars) in the river.[3]

Floods

River Dharla, along with River Teesta have created major flooding multiple times in Bangladesh during monsoon season between June and September.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dharla River.
  1. ^ Chowdhury, Masud Hasan (2012). "Dharla River". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  2. ^ "Erosion of Dharla, Jamuna worsens". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
  3. ^ Khokon, Leaquat Hossain, 64 Jela Bhraman, 2007, pp.14-15, Anindya Prokash, Dhaka, ISBN 984-8740-19-8
  4. ^ "Several thousand houses inundated in Kurigram". 28 August 2021.

25°43′45″N 89°43′23″E / 25.72917°N 89.72306°E / 25.72917; 89.72306