| Meghna Lower Meghna | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Native name | মেঘনা (Bengali) |
| Location | |
| Countries | Bangladesh |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Chandpur (Confluence of Padma and Upper Meghna) |
| • coordinates | 23°13′11.1792″N90°37′49.5708″E / 23.219772000°N 90.630436333°E /23.219772000; 90.630436333 |
| • elevation | 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Bay of Bengal |
• coordinates | 22°0′46.7064″N90°51′34.848″E / 22.012974000°N 90.85968000°E /22.012974000; 90.85968000 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 130 km (81 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 1,578,050.1 km2 (609,288.5 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Near mouth |
| • average | (Period: 1971–2000)40,974.1 m3/s (1,446,990 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Chandpur |
| • average | (Period: 1971–2000)40,532.9 m3/s (1,431,410 cu ft/s)[1] |
| • minimum | 10,000 m3/s (350,000 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 160,000 m3/s (5,700,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Ganges River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Upper Meghna |
| • right | Padma |
TheMeghna (Bengali:মেঘনা,romanized: Mēghnā) is one of the major rivers inBangladesh,[2] one of the three that form theGanges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to theBay of Bengal. A part of theSurma-Meghna River System, the Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh inKishoreganj District above the town ofBhairab Bazar by the joining of theSurma and theKushiyara, both of which originate in the hilly regions of eastern India as theBarak River. The Meghna meets its major tributary, thePadma, inChandpur District. Other major tributaries of the Meghna include theDhaleshwari, theGumti, and theFeni. The Meghna empties into the Bay of Bengal inBhola District via four principal mouths, namedTetulia (Ilsha), Shahbazpur, Hatia, and Bamni.[3]
The Meghna is formed by the confluence of theSurma andKushiyara rivers originating from the hilly regions of eastern India. Down toChandpur, Meghna is hydrographically referred to as the Upper Meghna. After thePadma joins, it is referred to as the Lower Meghna.
| Upper Meghna (Bengali:মেঘনা নদী) Barak, Surma, Kushyiara, Kalni | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Meghna from a bridge | |
| |
| Location | |
| Countries | Bangladesh |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Confluence of Kalni and Ghorautra |
| • coordinates | 24°9′16.902″N90°59′9.8376″E / 24.15469500°N 90.986066000°E /24.15469500; 90.986066000 |
| • elevation | 1 m (3 ft 3 in) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Chandpur |
• coordinates | 23°15′19.4112″N90°38′41.892″E / 23.255392000°N 90.64497000°E /23.255392000; 90.64497000 |
• elevation | 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) |
| Length | 140 km (87 mi)(Upper Meghna–Kalni–Kushyiara–Barak 1,040 km)[1] |
| Basin size | 85,401.1 km2 (32,973.5 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Chandpur |
| • average | (Period: 1971–2000)5,603.2 m3/s (197,880 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bhairab Bazar |
| • average | (Period: 1984–2012)5,486 m3/s (193,700 cu ft/s)[4] |
| • maximum | 13,000 m3/s (460,000 cu ft/s)[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Meghna (Lower Meghna) →Bay of Bengal |
| River system | Ganges River |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Kalni,Gumti,Titas |
| • right | Ghorautra,Old Brahmaputra,Dhaleshwari |
Near Muladhuli inBarisal district, the Safipur River is an offshoot of the Surma that creates one of the main rivers in South Bengal. 1.5 km wide, this river is one of the widest in the country as well.[citation needed]
At Chatalpar ofBrahmanbaria District, the riverTitas emerges from Meghna and after circling two large bends by a distance of about 240 kilometres (150 mi)[citation needed], falls into the Meghna again nearNabinagar Upazila. The Titas forms as a single stream but braids into two distinct streams that remain separate before re-joining the Meghna.
In Daudkandi, (Comilla District), the Meghna is joined by theGumti River, which increases the Meghna water flow considerably. The pair of bridges over the Meghna and Gumti are two of the country's largest bridges.
The Meghna is reinforced by theDhaleshwari before Chandpur. Further down, thePadma River- the largest distributary of the Ganges in Bangladesh, along with theJamuna River- the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, join with the Meghna inChandpur District, resulting in the Lower Meghna.
After Chandpur, the combined flow of the Padma, Jamuna, and Meghna moves down to theBay of Bengal in an almost straight line, braiding occasionally into a number of riverines including the Pagli, Katalia, Dhonagoda, Matlab, and Udhamodi. All of these rivers rejoin the Meghna at different points downstream.[3]
NearBhola, just before flowing into theBay of Bengal, the river again divides into two main streams in the Ganges delta and separates an island from both sides of the mainland. The western stream is called Ilsha while the eastern one is called Bamni. They form the largest delta in the world named the Ganges Delta.[3]
22°38′35″N90°48′57″E / 22.64306°N 90.81583°E /22.64306; 90.81583
