Sometimes I moved ahead after asking local people for directions, and sometimes by asking about rivers over the mobile phone. After spending the whole day travelling around the border areas of Hatibandha and Patgram in Lalmonirhat, I eventually found four rivers named Kharp, Kochua, Shalmara and Sangli. The rivers exist in reality; they also live in the memories and songs of local people. But they are not on any government list.
I visited the rivers on 26 August, when the Rangpur region was in the grip of the sweltering heat. Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat is about 100 kilometres from Rangpur. There is no easy mode of transport to make this journey. A train leaves Rangpur for Patgram early in the morning and returns at noon. It is not possible to gather information about rivers while travelling by train.
That day, I had to travel around 250 kilometres across different areas of the district on the motorcycle of Mosharraf Hossain, coordinator of the Lalmonirhat River Protection Committee of Riverine People, an organisation working to protect rivers.
I had heard the names of several rivers in Lalmonirhat before. These included Khana, Kharp, Khapra, Khatumara, Chenakata, Chenakola, Sanguli and Tengramari. But I had never seen them in reality. The purpose of that day’s trip was to see those rivers. In Hatibandha upazila, I was looking for the Khapra and Khana rivers. I could not find the Khapra River. After asking many people, a local, Abdul Karim, directed me to the Khana River. The condition of the river is almost critical. All the elderly people are familiar with the river. It still had water around 30 years ago. Its riverbed is filling up due to a lack of water. Abdul Karim estimated that the river could be around 15 kilometres long.
The Kharp River is entirely a border river. Many people were fishing in it. The river entered Bangladesh from India and then flowed back into India. From what several locals told me, the river is approximately 15 kilometres long. I was disappointed after failing to find the Khatumara and Khapra rivers. Finding the Kharp and Khana rivers eased that disappointment somewhat.
The sun was blazing that day. In the intense heatwave, we headed to Patgram. I spoke to many people over the mobile phone about the rivers. I searched for information about the Chenakata, Chenakola, Tengramari and Sanguli rivers. Everyone could tell me about the Chenakata River. No one could provide information about any of the other rivers.
I spoke to Nazmul Haque while standing on the Dharla Bridge in Patgram. He told us about the Tengramari River. Following his directions, we found the Tengramari River beside Kadur Bazar.
From there, while heading towards the Chenakata River, we came across another small river called Kochua. From the field visit, it seemed that the river formed by the confluence of the Tengramari and Kochua rivers was named Chenakata.
After seeing the Chenakata River, I learned from elderly man Shamsul Haque that there was another river called Shalmara in the area. Following his information, we continued our journey. Evening was approaching. The surroundings were beautiful. We also went to the confluence of the Shalmara and Chenakata rivers.
After seeing the Shalmara River, we went to nearby Bherbheri Bazar. Although it is a small market, it was bustling with people. It is a completely border area. While talking to a man named Amir at a tea stall, I learned that a river called Sangli had entered Bangladesh from India through Konabari in Jagatber Union. Three kilometres later, the river had flowed back into India.
I was looking for a river called Sanguli. But I found the Sangli River. Because of differences in pronunciation, I could not be certain whether the river is known as Sangli.
However, the biggest delight of the river search this time was hearing river songs at Bherbheri Bazar. After hearing my various questions about the rivers, middle-aged Lutfar Rahman came forward and offered to sing river songs. Sitting in a shop, I listened to songs one after another about the Teesta, Dharla, Kochua and Sangli rivers.
In a heartfelt voice, Lutfar Rahman sang about the Kochua River. Sabuj sang about the Sangli River. The rivers that do not exist on the government’s list live on in the words and melodies of songs. The artists of Bherbheri Bazar made me forget all the exhaustion of that day.
Based on my experience of visiting the Kharp, Kochua, Shalmara and Sangli rivers, I looked at lists maintained by various government agencies to learn more about these rivers. I did not find the names of these rivers on the lists of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, the National River Conservation Commission or the Ministry of Water Resources.
I asked Maksumul Hakim Chaudhury, chairman of the National River Conservation Commission, and Md Rashedul Hoque Prodhan, deputy commissioner of Lalmonirhat and president of the Lalmonirhat District River Protection Committee, why these rivers had not been included in the lists. Both of them asked me for information. They want to include the rivers in the list. In the past, I have found many rivers outside the government’s lists through field visits, and they were later included in the government’s lists. For example, in 2025, Khatkhatia of Rangpur, Shakha Deonai of Nilphamari and Bhakti River of Thakurgaon were added to the latest list of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Still, a question arises: Will the rivers left off the government’s list this time be included?
Tuhin Wadud is a professor in the Department of Bangla at Begum Rokeya University and director of Riverine People, an organisation working to protect rivers.