Dharla River

Dharla River one of the trans-boundary rivers of Bangladesh. It enters the country at lalmonirhat through Changra Bandha of patgram. In its upper course, it is known as the Jaldhaka or Singimari. Near Patgram upazila, it again flows back to India and continues an easterly course. Suddenly it turns south and enters Bangladesh for the second time through kurigram and then follows a meandering course.

Dharla is a tributary of the brahmaputra river. The main channel of this river originates in Kuch Bihar (India). It flows into the Brahmaputra a few kilometres southeast of Kurigram town. In rangpur district, it has a small tributary called the Nilkumar, formerly a larger river. Kurigram town stands on the right-bank of the Dharla. It is known as the Dhola in Rangpur and has low and shelving banks and is particularly liable to changing its course. It is a swift river in the rainy season, but a braided stream in winter. The Dharla becomes wide and turbulent during the rainy season and resorts to erosion. In 1947 it completely washed the old site of Kurigram town.

The length of the river within Bangladesh is about 75 km. One has to cross it to go to nageshwari, fulbaria and bhurungamari upazilas in northern Kurigram. [Masud Hasan Chowdhury]

See map in brahmaputra-jamuna river system.