Karnaphuli ( bn, কর্ণফুলি ''Kôrnophuli''; also spelt Karnafuli
), or Khawthlangtuipui (in
Mizo, meaning "western river"), is the largest and most important river in
Chattogram and the
Chattogram Hill Tracts. It is a wide river in the south-eastern part of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. Originating from the
Saithah village of
Mamit district
Mamit district is one of the eleven districts of Mizoram state in India. Mamit is located at the western part of Mizoram. It shares an international border with Bangladesh, divided by the Sajek river.
Mamit district has a very significance in t ...
in
Mizoram
Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, it flows southwest through Chattogram Hill Tracts and Chattogram into the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
. Before the
Padma
The Padma ( bn, পদ্মা ''Pôdma'') is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is sit ...
, it was the fastest flowing river in Bangladesh. It is said to "represent the drainage system of the whole south-western part of Mizoram."
Principal tributaries include the
Kawrpui River or Thega River,
Tuichawng River and
Phairuang River. A large
hydroelectric power plant using Karnaphuli river was built in the
Kaptai region during the 1960s. The mouth of the river hosts the
Port of Chattogram, the largest and busiest seaport of Bangladesh.
Etymology
The presence of Arab traders and merchants in the
history of Chittagong
The region of Chittagong is traditionally centred around its seaport which has existed since ancient times. The region was home to the ancient independent Buddhist kingdoms of Samatata and Harikela. It later fell under of the rule of the Gupta ...
led to many areas in Chittagong to have names of
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
origin. The name of this river is thought to have come from ''qarnaful'', the Arabic word for
clove
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...
, and refers to an incident in which an Arab ship full of cloves sank in this river.
Chittagong City
Chittagong is situated on the banks of the Karnaphuli River between the
Chittagong Hill Tracts
The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeast ...
and the
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
. The city is a noteworthy seaside seaport city and monetary focus in southeastern Bangladesh. The Chittagong Metropolitan Area has a populace of more than 8.9 million, making it the second biggest city in Bangladesh. It is the capital of an eponymous locale and division. A water treatment plant has been set up by
Chittagong Port Authority
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is a government agency of Bangladesh responsible for the management, maintenance and governance of the country's major port of Chittagong, located in the city of Chittagong on the Karnaphuli River nine nautical m ...
to source water from the Karnaphuli river for its uses. The plant will make the port self-reliant in its water needs.
Tlabung
Tlabung is situated on the banks of the Karnaphuli River in
Lunglei district
Lunglei district is one of the eleven districts of Mizoram state in India. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district in the state, after Aizawl. It is also the largest district in Mizoram with an area of 4,572 km2(1,765 sq mi).
To ...
,
Mizoram
Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo", the self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo language means "lan ...
. Karnaphuli River links Mizoram with the port cit of
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
on the shores of
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
. British Troops and missionaries used this route to reach Mizoram during the Colonial days. It used to take 5 days to reach from Chittagong to Tlabung on a motorboat, a distance of about 90 kilometers after which they would travel another 35 kilometers to reach
Lunglei
Lunglei (Pron: /ˈlooŋgˌleɪ/) is a town, situated in the south-central part of Mizoram state, northeastern India. Lunglei, literally meaning 'bridge of rock' got its name from a bridge like rock found in the riverine area around Nghasih - a ...
.
Transportation
The Government has awarded a contract to build a two lane
Karnaphuli tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli river to
China Communication Construction Company (CCCC). This will be the first underwater tunnel in Bangladesh. CCCC will receive $706 million for its services with total costs expected to be over $1 billion.
Aquatic life
The river is home to
Ganges river dolphin
The Ganges river dolphin (''Platanista gangetica'') is a species of toothed whale classified in the family Platanistidae. It lives in the Ganges and related rivers of South Asia, namely in the countries of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It is rel ...
, which is an endangered species.
Hilsa
The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') ( bn, ইলিশ, translit=iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food ...
used to be common in the river, but have nearly disappeared from the river due to pollution.
Kaptai dam
The
Kaptai Dam
Kaptai Dam ( bn, কাপ্তাই বাঁধ) is on the Karnaphuli River at Kaptai, upstream from Chittagong in Rangamati District, Bangladesh. It is an earth-fill embankment dam with a reservoir (known as Kaptai Lake) water storage ca ...
is the location of the Karnafuli Hydroelectric Power Station, constructed in Kaptai in 1962 and the only
hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
power plant in the country. An earth-filled dam on the Karnaphuli River, the Kaptai Dam created the
Kaptai Lake, which acts as the water reservoir for the hydropower station. The power plant produces a total of 230 megawatts of electricity. When then east Pakistan built the dam, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru didn't object even though it resulted in part of Indian side getting submerged and inflow of more than 40000 refugees.
Pollution
Like many rivers in Bangladesh, Karnaphuli is heavily polluted by agricultural runoff. Reducing the amount of oxygen available and harming aquatic life in the river. In 2015, a train carrying oil crashed over a tributary of the river. The spill caused
environmental degradation.
Gallery
Boat on Karnafuli 001.JPG, Boat on Karnaphuli River
Karnaphuli nodi (2586368687).jpg, View of the river
Ships at Karnaphuli River (1).jpg, Ships at Karnaphuli River
Karnaphuli River at night (01).jpg, Port of Chittagong
The Chittagong Port ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বন্দর) is the main seaport of Bangladesh. Located in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong and on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the port handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh's ...
and Karnaphuli River at night
See also
*
List of rivers in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a riverine country. According to Bangladesh Water development board (BWDB) about 230 rivers currently flow in Bangladesh (during summer and winter), although the number stated are ambiguous in some sources. As stated by a publica ...
References
{{coord, 22, 13, N, 91, 48, E, display=title, region:BD_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki
Rivers of Bangladesh
Rivers of Mizoram
Rivers of India
Rivers of Chittagong Division
International rivers of Asia