Transboundary river

A transboundary 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 international boundaries.

Transboundary rivers

River	Length (km)	Countries
Brahmaputra	2,900	India  Bangladesh  China  Bhutan
Colorado	2,333	United States  Mexico
Danube	2,860	Germany  Austria  Slovakia  Hungary  Croatia  Serbia  Romania  Bulgaria  Moldova  Ukraine
Euphrates	2,800	Turkey  Syria  Iraq
Ganga	2,525	India  Bangladesh
Indus	3,180	China  India  Pakistan
Irrawaddy	2,210	China  Myanmar
Mekong	4,350	China  Myanmar  Laos  Thailand  Cambodia  Vietnam
Niger	4,180	Guinea  Mali  Benin  Nigeria
Nile	6,853	Rwanda  Burundi  Uganda  Congo DR  Tanzania  Kenya  Ethiopia  Eritrea  South Sudan  Sudan  Egypt
Rhine	1,230	Germany  Austria   Switzerland  France  Netherlands  Liechtenstein
Rhône	813	Switzerland  France
Tigris	1,850	Turkey  Syria  Iraq
Zambezi	2,474	Zambia  Angola  Namibia  Botswana  Zimbabwe  Mozambique

Transboundary rivers of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has at least 58 major rivers that enter the nation from India or Myanmar. The hydrologic and political effects of rivers that cross significant boundaries are enormous. Rivers have positive effects in that they carry a significant amount of sediment, which aids in building land in estuarine regions. However this sediment raises the height of riverbeds, thereby causing flooding. International conventions governing water sharing have led to complex political disputes.[1]

India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers, of which agreement has been reached only on sharing of waters of the river Ganges. The India-Bangladesh Treaty on the Sharing of the Ganges Waters was signed on December 12, 1996 and is based on a sharing formula of the flows measured at Farakka, during the lean season each year, from 1 January to 31 May. The 30-year treaty is renewable by mutual consent.[2]

See also

• Dharla River
• Jaldhaka River

External links

• Global Transboundary Protected Areas Network
• Universities Partnership for Transboundary Waters
• Publication and Information Resources
• Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law. Peace Palace Library

Notes

1. Maxwell, Daniel M (28 October 2012). "Exchanging Power: Prospects of Nepal-India Cooperation for Hydropower Development". Keck Journal of Foreign Affairs, Forthcoming. SSRN 2193796.
2. "India-Bangladesh Political Relations" (PDF). Sharing of River Waters. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, February 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-25. Retrieved 2007-12-18.