The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the eastern

Mizoram State Mizoram is a state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar to the east and south, with domestic borders with the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and in

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to th ...

and

Rakhine State Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...

of western

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuipui River in India.Still under construction[, The Statesman. It forms the international border between India and Myanmar between 22° 47′ 10" N (where its tributary, the Tiau River
, joins it) and 22° 11′ 06" N.NF 46-7 "Gangaw, Burma"
U.S. Army Map Service topographic map 1:250,000, 1954, first printing April 1958

History

Ancient Arakanese cities such as Dhanyawadi and Waithali were situated on the eastern bank of Kaladan River. The Kaladan was an entry point to Mizoram from the seaport of

Sittwe Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the cit ...

in 1904. The Kaladan is Mizoram's largest river, flowing through that state's southeastern region.

Geography

The river arises in central Chin State as the Timit, , and flows south and is soon joined by the Chal, after which it is known as the Boinu River. It continues south until just before it is joined by the Twe River at 22° 08′ 40″ N 93° 34′ 30″ E, when it swings west. It continues west until 22° 05′ 20″ N 93° 14′ 12″ E, when it heads northwest. At 22° 11′ 06″ N 93° 09′ 29″ E, below Mount Phabipa, it turns north and becomes the international border between India and Myanmar. It flows north to 22° 47′ 09″ N 93° 05′ 47″ E, where the international border continues north along the Tyao River, and the Boinu heads northwest into Mizoram State, at which point it is known as the Kaladan. At 22° 56′ 21″ N 92° 58′ 55″ E it reaches its northernmost point, and turns south west, is joined by the Tuichong River from the right and then heads south.NF 46-6 "Chittagong, Pakistan"
U.S. Army Map Service topographic map 1:250,000, 1955, first printing March 1960 The Kaladan is joined from the right by the Mat River at 22° 43′ 39″ N, 92° 54′ 46″ E. It continues south and is joined by the Kawrthingdeng River from the right. It again enters Chin State, at Raithaw Ferry, 22° 03′ 40″ N 92° 51′ 05″ E, just northwest of Khenkhar. The Mi River joins from the left at 21° 06′ 56″ N 92° 57′ 42″ E. At Ngame the river enters the Rakhine State of Myanmar and continues south to

where it enters the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

Development

At present, the Kaladan is the fifth largest river in the world that is completely unfragmented by

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s anywhere in its

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, th ...

, behind only the Fly, Mamberamo and

Sepik The Sepik () is the longest river on the island of New Guinea, and the third largest in Oceania by discharge volume after the Fly River, Fly and Mamberamo River, Mamberamo. The majority of the river flows through the Papua New Guinea (PNG) provi ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and the

Pechora Pechora (; ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Komi Republic, Russia, located on the Pechora (river), Pechora River, west of and near the northern Ural Mountains. The area of the town is . Population: History Pechor ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Nonetheless, the governments of India and Myanmar are working on a US$500 million, '' Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project'' that will facilitate trade between the two nations. The project includes the construction of the US$120 million deepwater Sittwe Port at the mouth of the river, dredging of the Kaladan River to enable cargo vessels to navigate the river from Sittwe to Mizoram, the construction of a river port at

Paletwa Paletwa (, ) is one of the westernmost towns of Myanmar, in Chin State, 18 kilometres from the border with Bangladesh. On the other side of the border, lies Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. Paletwa town's population was about 97,000 in 2014. Th ...

, as well as the widening and upgrade of highways between Paletwa and Myeikwa on the Indo-Myanmar border. India undertook the development of the 158 km river boat route from

seaport to the Inland Water Terminal (IWT) and hydropower project at

jetty via the Kaladan River in

.India awards road contract to complete Kaladan project in Myanmar
Business Line, 9 June 2017. River dredging and a jetty upgrade were completed in June 2017.
/ref> There is at least one river lock for navigation.. The project will open up not only Mizoram but all of India's northeastern states as hinterland for the Sittwe Port. Construction for the port started in 2010 and is expected to be completed by mid-2020. Development of the river is also being negotiated with the Shwe Gas Project for economic enhancement.

References

External links

"Boinu Hydroelectric Project (640 MW)"
, Ministry of Power, Government of India
Kaladan.com - news covering Indo-Myanmar Kaladan project
{{Rakhine State, state=collapsed Rivers of Myanmar Rivers of Mizoram International rivers of Asia India–Myanmar border Bay of Bengal Rakhine State Sittwe mos:COORDS

History

Geography

Development

See also

References

External links