Jaldhaka River
Encyclopedia
The Jaldhaka River is a trans-boundary river
with a length of 192 kilometres that originates in southeastern Sikkim
in the eastern Himalayas
and flows through Bhutan
and the Darjeeling
, Jalpaiguri
and Cooch Behar
districts of West Bengal
, India
. At that point the river enters Bangladesh
through the Lalmonirhat District
and then joins with the Dharla River
until the Dharla
debouches into the Brahmaputra River
near the Kurigram District
. Due to the river's wandering over several international borders, only a small length of the river lies within Bangladesh.
, the end point of the Jaldhaka Police Station at Darjeeling district in West Bengal. The three streams are known as Bindu Khola, Dudh Pokhri and Jaldhaka that originates from the Kupup lake, a small glacial lake in Sikkim
. The combined streams meet at Bindu to form the Jaldhaka river, thus forming a riverine boundary with India and Bhutan in the left bank. The main tributaries that join the river in its right bank are the Murti, the Naksal Khola and the Sutunga in the last course. The Diana is the main right bank tributary.
The river flows through the three North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar. The entire watershed is the most fertile agricultural zone along with the Teesta
Basin. The upper course is famous for crops like ginger, medicinal herbs and fruits like oranges and pomegranate. The middle course comprising Jalpaiguri district is entirely tea and corn dominated and the lower course is dominated by rice, jute and tobacco. The inter-river formed lands are cultivated with crops like bamboo and mat sticks. In the lower basin, the inter-river lands are cultivated with banana.
The river enters Bangladesh at Ghoksadanga district to meet the Brahmaputra or the Jamuna as it is known there.
Trans-boundary river
A trans-boundary river is a river that crosses at least one political border, either a border within a nation or an international boundary. The country of Bangladesh has the greatest number of these rivers, almost all of which cross national boundaries....
with a length of 192 kilometres that originates in southeastern Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
in the eastern Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and flows through Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and the Darjeeling
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
, Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri District
Jalpaiguri district is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between 26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes...
and Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar District
Cooch Behar district is a district of the state of West Bengal, India, as well as the district's namesake town. During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of a princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch dynasty....
districts of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. At that point the river enters Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
through the Lalmonirhat District
Lalmonirhat District
The district of Lalmonirhat consists 3038 mosques, 512 temples, 43 Buddhist temples and 12 churches.-Tourism:There are a number of tourist attractions and archaeological sites in Lalmonirhat...
and then joins with the Dharla River
Dharla River
The Dharla River is one of Bangladesh's trans-boundary rivers. It originates in the Himalayas where it is known as the Jaldhaka River, and then it flows through the Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal, India, one of the seven main rivers to do so...
until the Dharla
Dharla River
The Dharla River is one of Bangladesh's trans-boundary rivers. It originates in the Himalayas where it is known as the Jaldhaka River, and then it flows through the Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts of West Bengal, India, one of the seven main rivers to do so...
debouches into the Brahmaputra River
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
near the Kurigram District
Kurigram District
Kurigram is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is located in the Rangpur Division.-Geography:Kurigram District is located in the northern region of Bangladesh along the border of India. The area of this district is 2,296.10 km² and population is 1,782,277...
. Due to the river's wandering over several international borders, only a small length of the river lies within Bangladesh.
History
The Jaldhaka river is formed by the conjunction of three streams at BinduBindu (village)
Bindu is a small hamlet or village in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.-Geography:Bindu is the last village on the Indian side bordering Bhutan. It is known for its beautiful landscape with Jaldhaka River, hills and forests, which attracts a lot of tourists. There is a conjunction of...
, the end point of the Jaldhaka Police Station at Darjeeling district in West Bengal. The three streams are known as Bindu Khola, Dudh Pokhri and Jaldhaka that originates from the Kupup lake, a small glacial lake in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. The combined streams meet at Bindu to form the Jaldhaka river, thus forming a riverine boundary with India and Bhutan in the left bank. The main tributaries that join the river in its right bank are the Murti, the Naksal Khola and the Sutunga in the last course. The Diana is the main right bank tributary.
The river flows through the three North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar. The entire watershed is the most fertile agricultural zone along with the Teesta
Teesta
Teesta could mean:* Tista River, Norway—a river in the municipality Halden, Norway* Teesta River—a major river in Sikkim, India* Teesta Setalvad—a human and social rights worker based in Bombay, a coaster...
Basin. The upper course is famous for crops like ginger, medicinal herbs and fruits like oranges and pomegranate. The middle course comprising Jalpaiguri district is entirely tea and corn dominated and the lower course is dominated by rice, jute and tobacco. The inter-river formed lands are cultivated with crops like bamboo and mat sticks. In the lower basin, the inter-river lands are cultivated with banana.
The river enters Bangladesh at Ghoksadanga district to meet the Brahmaputra or the Jamuna as it is known there.
External links
- http://www.east-himalaya.com/dooars/jaldhaka.htm
- http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/J_0040.htm
- Himalaya Package Tours