Kangsa River

Kangsa River originates in the Garo Hills near Tura, in the eastern part of the shillong plateau of India and flows through Assam and Bangladesh. The river is also known as the Kangsai or the Kangsabati. After flowing south, the river enters Bangladesh about 16 km north of nalitabari upazila in sherpur district and meets the Shomeshwari river after flowing east. The joint flow of the Kangsa and the Shomeshwari is known as the Baulai river.

At Gaglajuri the Dhanu is joined by the Kangsha which coming from the Garo Hills past Nalitabari as the Bhogai is at its best in the Netrakona subdivision at Deotukon and Barhatta. After Mohanganj it becomes a narrow winding khal with banks little higher than its own lowest level.

The river flows past Barhatta, Mohanganj and Dharampasha. The Dhala and Dhanu rivers which flow into Kishoreganj District are branches of Kangsha. The Kangsha flows into Surma River in Sunamganj District.

According to a report on wetland protection, “All floodwaters come from the Garo/Meghalaya Hills through a number of hill streams and rivers. These in turn eventually drain out of the area through the Kaliganga-Kangsha River, which is part of the Sylhet Basin Haor complex of rivers and streams. Topographically a low-lying plain generally sloping from the north-west to south-east, this site was once a large lake. Presently the wet season water area is about 82.1 square kilometres with a dry season water area of about 9 square kilometres. About 623,000 people inhabit the area, about 90% of households catch fish, and 9% are full time fishing households. The catchment area is about 212.39 km². The higher land surrounding the site is intensively cropped. Massive changes have occurred in the last 20 years with rapid and almost complete deforestation of the upper watershed and lower wetland areas, followed by a rapid loss of connection due to embankments and increased sedimentation.

Tags: Kangsa, Kangsa River

By khalid in River's on March 21, 2013