Bangladesh has officially counted 1,415 rivers, but knowing how many waterways the country has done little to arrest a deepening crisis threatening their flow, ecology and the livelihoods of millions of people.
From the Buriganga and Shitalakkhya around Dhaka to the Karnaphuli in Chittagong and Kopotakkho in the southwest, rivers are struggling under mounting pressure from encroachment, industrial pollution, siltation, unplanned development, declining dry-season flows and the effects of climate change.
The consequences extend far beyond the rivers themselves.
Agriculture, fisheries, navigation, biodiversity, public health and the livelihoods of river-dependent communities are all increasingly at risk.
The government published a comprehensive national inventory in April 2025 identifying 1,415 rivers.
The list was prepared through a process involving the Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), National River Conservation Commission (NRCC), local administrations and river activists.
The government reiterated the figure in Parliament in June this year.
But experts say counting the rivers is only the beginning.
A meaningful national river database, they argue, must establish boundaries and regularly track water flows, pollution, navigability, ecological conditions and encroachment.
Without that information, assessing degradation and designing effective restoration programs will remain difficult.
Rivers around Dhaka under severe pressure
The Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya surrounding the capital have for years faced industrial pollution, untreated sewage, solid waste, encroachment and rapid urbanisation.
The Buriganga, once central to Dhaka’s trade and transport, has become one of the most visible examples of the country’s river crisis. Industrial effluent, untreated sewage, plastic and other waste have severely affected water quality in sections of the river.
The Turag and Balu face similar pressure from urbanisation, waste dumping and occupation of riverbanks, while industrial activity along the Shitalakkhya has heightened concerns over wastewater entering the river.
The problem is not confined to Dhaka.
The Karnaphuli, crucial to Chittagong and the country’s principal seaport, faces pressures from industrialisation, urban expansion, port activities and waste.
The Halda, one of the country’s ecologically important natural breeding grounds for freshwater fish, is vulnerable to pollution, altered flows and disruption of its aquatic environment.
Siltation choking waterways
Siltation presents another major challenge.
Sediment accumulation can reduce river depth, restrict flows and navigation and aggravate drainage congestion and waterlogging.
The Kopotakkho in southwestern Bangladesh is among the rivers associated with persistent navigability and waterlogging problems.
Dredging is frequently prescribed as the solution, but water experts warn that excavation alone cannot restore rivers sustainably.
They say dredging must be based on scientific assessments of sediment movement, river morphology, upstream conditions and connections among rivers, canals, wetlands and floodplains.
Without addressing disrupted flows and the underlying causes of sedimentation, repeated dredging may provide only temporary relief.
Downstream country, upstream pressures
Bangladesh’s river crisis also extends beyond its borders.
The country officially has 57 transboundary rivers, 54 shared with India and three with Myanmar.
As a downstream country, Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to upstream water management.
Withdrawals, dams and other interventions can alter the volume and timing of water reaching its rivers, affecting irrigation, fisheries, navigation and ecosystems.
The 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty provides a framework for dry-season sharing of the Ganges, while management of the Teesta and other shared waterways remains a major transboundary challenge.
Experts say stronger water diplomacy, transparent data sharing and basin-wide cooperation are essential, alongside maintaining the environmental flows rivers require to survive.
Climate change is adding another layer of pressure.
Changing rainfall, flash floods, upstream runoff, sea-level rise and salinity intrusion are altering river systems.
In coastal areas, salinity threatens freshwater ecosystems, agriculture and drinking-water sources, while sudden upstream surges can devastate communities and farmland in northern and northeastern Bangladesh.
Experts caution, however, against blaming climate change for a crisis also driven by human actions. Encroachment, pollution, unplanned infrastructure and poor water management can magnify climate impacts.
‘Entire river basins’ must be considered
Water and environmental expert Professor Ainun Nishat said Bangladesh needs an integrated, basin-wide approach that protects natural flows and addresses interconnected water systems rather than treating individual rivers as isolated entities.
Professor Dr Md Sabbir Mostafa Khan, chairman of Dhaka WASA and professor and head of BUET’s Department of Water Resources Engineering, echoed that assessment.
“River management must consider entire river basins and interconnected water flows rather than focusing on individual waterways,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
“Without ensuring natural river flows, controlling encroachment and pollution, and integrating water management with urban planning, river conservation initiatives will not be effective in the long term.”
He called for a reliable national database reconciling inventories maintained by different government agencies, digital mapping of river boundaries, tougher action against encroachment and pollution and protection of canals, wetlands and floodplains.
Scientific assessments of water and sediment flows should precede dredging projects, he said, while stronger water diplomacy is needed to protect transboundary rivers.
Living entities, but protection remains elusive
Bangladesh already has a powerful legal foundation for river protection.
In a landmark 2019 judgment involving the Turag, the High Court accorded rivers the status of legal or living entities and designated the NRCC their legal guardian. The full judgment extended that status to all rivers in the country.
Yet effective protection remains a challenge.
Bangladesh River Foundation Chairman Mohammad Monir Hossain said implementation of the court’s recognition had yet to be fully ensured.
“Recognising rivers as living entities is an important step, but protecting them requires more than government initiatives. Effective and coordinated participation from all relevant stakeholders is essential,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
He called for cooperation among ministries, local administrations, elected representatives, civil society, NGOs, industries, educational and religious institutions and river-dependent communities.
Buriganga Riverkeeper and Waterkeepers Bangladesh Coordinator Sharif Jamil said the stakes extend beyond protecting individual waterways.
“Rivers are the lifelines of our forests, ecosystems and communities,” he said. “Protecting rivers means protecting water, livelihoods and life itself.”
For a country shaped by rivers, experts say the challenge is therefore no longer simply identifying how many remain on the map, but ensuring that those 1,415 rivers remain flowing, functioning ecosystems rather than names on a government list.