STUDY OF RIVER SYSTEM AND FLOW ROUTING OF

NORTH EAST REGION OF BANGLADESH

A thesis
By

MOHAMMAD ALI
Reg no.:0097310228
Reg. no :0097310228
MD. MAKSUDUL AMIN
Reg. No. :0097310230

Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department
D t t off Civil
Ci il and
d Environmental
E i t lEEngineering
i i (CEE)
Shah Jalal University of Science & Technology (SUST), Sylhet, Bangladesh
 INTRODUCTION

Floods are more or less a recurring g p

phenomenon in
Bangladesh and often have been within tolerable limits.
But occasionally they become devastating. Each year in
g
Bangladesh about 26,000 sq q km, 18% of the countryy is
flooded. During severe floods, the affected area may
exceed 55% of the total area of the country. In an
g yyear,, 844,000
average , million cubic metre of water flows
into the country during the humid period (May to
October) through the three main rivers the Ganges, the
Brahmaputra-Jamuna
p and the Meghna.
g This volume is
95% of the total annual inflow. By comparison only about
187,000 million cu m of stream flow is generated by
rainfall inside the countryy during
g the same pperiod.
 INTRODUCTION

Types of floods
Fl d in
Floods i Bangladesh
B l d h can be b
divided into three categories:
• Monsoon flood - seasonal,
increases y
slowly and
decreases slowly, inundates
vast areas and causes huge
losses to life and property;
• Flash flood - water
increases and decreases
suddenly, generally happens
in the valleys of the hilly
areas; and
• Tidal flood - short duration,
height is generally 3m to 6m,
blocks inland flood drainage.
 INTRODUCTION

• The factors for causing floods in Bangladesh

¾ general low topography of the country with major rivers
draining through Bangladesh including a congested river
network system,
¾ rainfall in the upstream country or in the mainland,
¾ snow-melt
snow melt in the Himalayas and glacial displacement
(natural),
¾ river siltation/lateral river contraction/landslides,,
¾ synchronisation of major river peaks and influences of
one river on the other,
¾ human intervention of the environment,
 INTRODUCTION

• The factors for causing

g floods in Bangladesh
g
¾ tidal and wind effects on slowing down the river outflow
(backwater effect),
¾ construction of barrages and protective works along the banks of
the river - some are very close to both the banks - in the upper
reaches thus making the passage of water flow downstream
increasingly narrower and resulting in greater acceleration of
water flow downstream presently than before.
before
¾ deforestation in the upper reaches of the rivers is not only
leading acceleration of water flow downstream but also lead
deposition of loads in the river beds, resulting g in reduced
channel flow and consequent overland runoff water and
¾ tectonic anomalies (earthquake) those change in river
flow/morphology.
INTRODUCTION
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
Geographical location
• In South Asia, between 20°34'
to 26°38' north latitude and
88°01' to 92°41' east longitude.
g
Maximum extension is about
440 km in E-W direction and
760 km in NNW-SSE direction.

Area and boundaries

• Area: 147,570 sq km.
Boundaries: West Bengal
(India) on the west; West
B
Bengal, l A
Assam and dMMeghalaya
h l
(all the Indian states) on the
north; Indian states of Assam,
Tripura and Mizoram together
with Myanmar on the east; and
Bay Of Bengal on the south.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
Physiography:
• Configuration of a land surface including its relief and
contours the distribution of mountains and valleys
contours, valleys, the
patterns of rivers, and all other features, natural and
artificial, that produce the landscape. Although
Bangladesh is a small country, it has considerable
topographic diversity. It has three distinctive features:
• a broad alluvial plain subject to frequent flooding,
• a slightly elevated relatively older plain, and
• a small hill region drained by flashy rivers
rivers.
• On the south, a highly irregular deltaic coastline of about
600 km fissured by many estuarine rivers and channels
flowing into the Bay of Bengal. The alluvial plain is part of
the larger plain of Bengal, which is sometimes called the
Lower Gangetic Plain. Elevations of the plains are less
than 10m above the Sea Level; elevation furthers decline
to a near sea level in the coastal south.
• Th hill
The hilly areas off th
the southeastern
th t region
i off Chitt
Chittagong,
the northeastern hills of Sylhet and highlands in the north
and northwest are of low elevations. The Chittagong Hills
constitute the only significant hill system in the country. It
rises steeply to narrow ridgelines (average 36m wide),
with elevation ranges between 600 and 900m above
mean sea level. In between the hilly ridges lie the valleys
that generally run north to south. West of the Chittagong
hill iis a narrow, wett coastal
hills t l plain
l i llying
i parallel
ll l tto th
the
shoreline. Figure: 3.2 shows the physiography of
Bangladesh.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
Rivers
Total rivers including tributaries
and distributaries are about
700 under three mighty river
systems: Ganges-Padma River
System, Brahmaputra-Jamuna
River System and Surma-
Meghna River System.
System Rivers
of the southeastern hilly region
are considered as the
Chittagong Region River
y
System. Principal
p rivers are:
Ganges, Padma, Brahmaputra,
Jamuna, Surma, Kushiyara,
Meghna, Karnafuli, Old
Brahmaputra, Arial Khan,
Buriganga Shitalakshya,
Buriganga, Shitalakshya Tista,
Tista
Atrai, Gorai, Madhumati,
Kobadak, Rupsa-Pashur, Feni.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH

Definition of the seasons in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh the water years is defined as
beginning
g g on 1st April
p and ending g on 31st March,,
and it is divided into four more or less distinct
season: Source: Banglapedia

Pre-monsoon April and May

Monsoon June through
g September
p
Post-monsoon October and November
Dry season December through March
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH

Climate
Bangladesh is located in the
tropical monsoon region and its
climate is characterized by high
temperature heavy rainfall,
temperature, rainfall often
excessive humidity, and fairly
marked seasonal variations.
¾ Atmospheric Pressure and
Winds
¾ Temperature
¾ Humidity y
¾ Clouds
¾ Rainfall
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH

¾ Rainfall
• The single most dominant element of the climate of Bangladesh is
the rainfall
rainfall. Because of the country
country'ss location in the tropical monsoon
region, the amount of rainfall is very high. However, there is a distinct
seasonal pattern in the annual cycle of rainfall, which is much more
pronounced than the annual cycle of temperature. The winter season
is very dry, and accounts for only 2%-4% of the total annual rainfall.
Rainfall during this season varies from less than 2 cm in the west and
south to slightly over 4 cm in the northeast. The amount is slightly
enhanced in the northeastern part due to the additional uplifting of
moist air provided by the Meghalaya Plateau. As the winter season
progresses into the pre-monsoon hot season,
season rainfall increases due
to intense surface heat and the influx of moisture from the Bay of
Bengal. Rainfall during this season accounts for 10%-25% of the total
annual rainfall which is caused by the thunderstorms or Nor'wester
(locally called Kalbaishakhi [Kalbaishakhi]).
• The amount of rainfall in this season varies from about 20 cm in the
west central part to slightly over 80 cm in the northeast. The
additional uplifting (by the Meghalaya Plateau) of the moist air
causes higher amount of rainfall in the northeast. Rainfall during the
rainy
i season iis caused dbby th
the ttropical
i ld depressions
i th
thatt enter
t ththe
country from the Bay of Bengal. These account for 70% of the annual
total in the eastern part, 80% in the southwest, and slightly over 85%
in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The amount of rainfall in this
season varies from 100 cm in the west central part to over 200 cm in
the south and northeast. Average rainy days during the season vary
from 60 in the west-central part to 95 days in the southeastern and
over 100 days in the northeastern part. Geographic distribution of
annual rainfall shows a variation from 150 cm in the west-central part
off the
th countryt to
t more than
th 400 cm in i th
the northeastern
th t andd
southeastern parts. The maximum amount of rainfall has been
recorded in the northern part of Sylhet district and in the southeastern
part of the country (Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts).

Figure: 3.6 shows the mean annual rainfall of Bangladesh.

 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• River and Drainage System
The system can be divided into four major
networks:
(1) Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra-jamuna
jamuna river system,
system
(2) Ganges-padma river system,
(3) Surma-meghna river system, and
(4) Chittagong region river system.
The first three river systems together
cover a drainage basin of about 1.72
million sq km, although only 7% of this
vast basin lies within Bangladesh. The
combined annual discharge passing
through the system into the Bay of
Bengal reaches up to 1,174 billion cu
m. Most of the rivers are characterised
by fine sandy bottoms, flat slopes,
substantial meandering, banks
susceptible to erosion
erosion, and channel
shifting.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• Brahmaputra-Jamuna System

The Brahmaputra-Jamuna river is

about 280 km long and extends
from northern Bangladesh to its
confluence with the Ganges.
Before entering Bangladesh, the
Brahmaputra has a length of
2,850 km and a catchment area of
about 583,000 sq km. The river
originates in Tibet as the Yarlung
Zangbo
g Jiang g and ppasses throughg
Arunachal Pradesh of India as
Brahmaputra (son of Brahma).
Along this route, the river receives
water from five major tributaries,
of which Dihang and Luhit are
prominent.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• Ganges-Padma System

This system is part of the greater

G
Ganges system.
t Th Ganges
The G h
has a
total length of about 2,600 km and a
catchment area of approximately
907,000 sq km. Within Bangladesh,
Ganges is divided into two sections -
fi t the
first, th Ganges,
G 258 km
k long,
l starting
t ti
from the western border with India to
its confluence with Jamuna at
Goalandaghat, some 72 km west of
Dhaka. The second is the Padma, 126
k long,
km l running
i f
from G l d h t
Goalandaghat
confluence to Chandpur where it joins
the Meghna. The Padma-Ganges is
the central part of the deltaic river
system with hundreds of rivers. The
t t l drainage
total d i area off Ganges
G i about
is b t
990,400 sq km of which only 38,880
sq km lie in Bangladesh.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• The Surma-Meghna system
• The Meghna is the longest (669 km) river in
Bangladesh. It drains one of the heaviest rainfall
areas (eg, about 1,000 cm at Cherapunji in
Meghalaya) of the world
world. The river originates in the
hills of Shillong and Meghalaya of India. The main
source is the Barak river, which has a considerable
catchment area in the ridge and valley terrain of the
Naga-Manipur hills bordering Myanmar. The Barak-
Meghna has a length of 950 km of which 340 km lie
within Bangladesh. On reaching the border with
B
Bangladesh
l d h att AAmalshid
l hid iin S
Sylhet
lh t di
district,
t i t th
the B
Barak
k
bifurcates to form the steep and highly flashy rivers
surma and kushiyara. The Surma, flowing on the
north of the Sylhet basin, receives tributaries from
the Khasia and Jaintia hills of Shillong. Some of the
important tributaries of these two rivers are Luba,
Kulia,, shari-goyain,
g y , Chalti-nadi,, Chengar-khal,
g ,
piyain, Bogapani, Jadhukata, Someshwari and
kangsa. The Surma meets the Meghna at
Kuliarchar upazila of Kishoreganj district. The
Kushiyara receives left bank tributaries from the
tripura hills, the principal one being the manu.
Unlike the Surma, the tributaries of the Kushiyara
are less violent
violent, although prone to producing flash
floods, due in part to the lesser elevations and
rainfall of Tripura hills.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• The Chittagong Region System
The rivers of Chittagong and
Chittagong hill tracts are not
connected to the other river
systems of the country. The main
river of this region is Karnafuli. It
flows through the region of
Chittagong and the Chittagong
Hill It cuts
Hills. t across the
th hills
hill and d
runs rapidly downhill to the west
and southwest and finally to the
Bay of Bengal. Chittagong port is
located on the bank of Karnafuli.
Karnafuli
The river has been dammed
upstream at Kaptai to create a
water reservoir for hydroelectric
power generation. Other important
rivers of the region are the Feni,
Muhuri, Sangu, Matamuri,
Bakkhali, and Naf.
 OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH
• Floodplain
Relativelyy smooth valleyy floors adjacent
j to and formed byy alleviating
g
rivers which are subject to overflow. In the context of physiographic,
Bangladesh may be classified into three distinct regions, viz
(A) Floodplain, (B) Terrace, and (C) Hill areas,
• Floodplains of Bangladesh have been divided into 18 sub-units:
(i) Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain; (ii) Tista Floodplain; (iii) Old
Brahmaputra Floodplain; (iv) Jamuna (Young Brahmaputra)
Fl d l i ((v)) H
Floodplain; Haor B
Basin;i ((vi)
i) S
Surma-Kushiyara
K hi Fl
Floodplain;
d l i ((vii)
ii)
Meghna Floodplain: (a) Middle Meghna Floodplain, (b) Lower
Meghna Floodplain, (c) Old Meghna Estuarine Floodplain, and (d)
Young g Meghna
g Estuarine Floodplain;
p ; ((viii)) Ganges
g River Floodplain;
p ;
(ix) Ganges Tidal Floodplain; (x) the Sundarbans; (xi) Lower Atrai
Basin; (xii) Arial Beel; (xiii) Gopalganj-Khulna Peat Basin; (xiv)
Chittagong Coastal Plain; and (xv) Northern and Eastern Piedmont
Plain
 STUDY SITE

The North-East Region

The northeast region is defined
as the area east of the old
Brahmaputra or Lakhya river
channel, and north of the upper
Meghna river channel and the
Titas river basin (Fig: 1
1.3).
3) It
comprises an area of 24,265
km2, and constitutes 17% of the
country and 20% of its deltaic
sector.
t It can beb divided
di id d
conveniently into two distinct
sub regions, the larger Meghna
sub region in the east
comprising 4,004 km2 or 16.5%
of the region.
• Topography of the Northeast Region and Adjacent Tributary
Areas
• The north-east region and its adjacent tributary areas constitute
the river basin of the upper Meghna river. Within this river basin
are five topographically and geologically very distinct areas
• the northern Indo-Burma ranges lying to the southeast of the
north-east region but including the region’s Tripura border area- a
strip of land some 30 km wide along the region’s southeastern
border;;
• the southern slopes of the Shillong plateau lying north of the
north-east region, but towards the northeast;
• the Tura range lying of the north-east region, but northwest;
• th M
the Madhapur
dh T
Tractt lying
l i tto th
the southwest
th t off the
th north-east
th t
region;
• the north-east region plain comprised of the north-east region
itself,, except
p for its Tripura
p border area.
• Indo Burman ranges
Indo-Burman
• Shillong plateau
• T
Tura range
• Madhapur Tract
• Climate
¾ The Monsoon
¾ South-West Monsoon (wet season)
¾ North East Monsoon (dry season)
North-East
¾ Inter Monsoon Transitions (pre-and post-monsoon seasons)
• Regional River System
¾ Barak system
¾ Kushiyara system
¾ Kangsha-Baulaieystem
¾ Meghna system
¾ Old Brahmaputra- Lakhya system
¾ Surma system
9 Surma
9 Lubha
9 Sarigowain
9 Piyain
9 Umium
9 Dhalai
9 Jhalukhali
9 Jadukata
 Flood Routing
• Lumped System Routing
• Level Pool Routing
• Di t ib t d Fl
Distributed Flow R
Routing
ti
• Dynamic Wave Routing
Saint--Venant Equationsassumptions
Saint

1. The flow is one-dimensional: depth and velocity vary only in the longitudinal
direction of the channel. This implies that the velocity is constant and the
water surface is horizontal across any section perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis
axis.
2. Flow is assumed to vary gradually along the channel so that hydrostatic
pressure prevails and vertical accelerations can be neglected (Chow. 1959).
3. The longitudinal axis of the channel is approximated as a straight line.
4 Th
4. The b bottom
tt slope
l off the
th channel
h l iis smallll and
d th
the channel
h lbbed
d iis fifixed:
d th
thatt
is. the effects of scour and deposition are negligible.
5. Resistance coefficients for steady uniform turbulent flow are applicable so
that relationships such as Manning's equation can be used to describe
resistance effects
effects.
6. The fluid is incompressible and of constant density throughout the flow.
 Computer Programme and
A li i
Application
Introduction
I this
In hi step we hhave ddeveloped
l d a programme b by Vi
Visuall B
Basic,
i
which is user friendly to calculate time and space derivative of
flow rate and water stage (,,,) for solving Saint Venent equation
based on weighted four point implicit finite difference
approximation.
i ti
Initial input
¾ Known water level (h) and discharge (Q) of two station of same
time.
time
¾ Distance (d) of the two stations.
Output
¾ Dischargeg and water level of unknown distance.
¾ Rate of change of discharge and water level.
¾ Compute lead time.
 Computer Programme and
A li i
Application
Case study
 Conclusion and Recommendation
• 7.1 Recommendation
• Need more station for the effectively prediction of flood and specially flash flood in
north East region.
• Need to use modern technology for updating the water level and rainfall data.
• To develop our program for the forecast of flash flood and lead time.
• Frequently check the cross section of the flashy river
river.
• Need easy access of global hydrological data.
• 7.2 Limitation
• Lack of literature and research on flash flood.
• Lack of available data of river characteristic of north east region
region.
• Lack of hydrological data in short duration gap.
• It is not possible to collect the upstream (Indian Catchment) data.
 Conclusion and Recommendation
Concluding Remark
Initially our aim was to calculate the lead time of flash flood which is the major
portion of forecasting of flash flood, which is destractive for the Robi crops in the
north east region. As there is no suitable system to forecast flash flood in the present
world and we feel that it is a long term supervision work with more analytical job. The
forecasting system depends on not only hydrological, geological and topographical
parameter of the regional area but also depend on the global parameter
parameter. Which is not
possible to collect the relative data from other neighbor country, for the lack of
government collaboration and legislation.

As the initial p
part of the forecasting
g of flash flood which occur in p
pre-monsoon season
(March to May) in the north east region of Bangladesh, we have study the
hydrological, topographical, and river system of the north east region as well as
Bangladesh. Our analysis part is highly related with flood routing, which is helpful to
the further study of the forecasting of flash flood.

Our study is comprise with a computer programme which calculate the rate of change
water level and discharge and water level of any distance of the down stream, which
is a major portion to find out the lead time of flash flood.

And finally we hope that it is possible to go ahead from this point to reach the goal that is
forecasting of flash flood.