Desk Report,
Where you can see 8 rivers in a two and a half hour boat ride
Dhan River Canal – Barisal in Three’, this is an old saying. Greater Barisal is surrounded by many rivers. If you go from Barisal to Bhola by river for two and a half hours, you will see eight rivers.
Where you can see 8 rivers in a two and a half hour boat ride
After finishing work on Sunday, I ran to the ghat and bought a ticket. I boarded the MV Beauty of Ima Express launch. The purpose was to go from Barisal to Bhola. I was very hungry, so I ate at the rice hotel on the launch. The launch left at 1:30 pm. When I went behind the two-story building, I saw a big blue sky above my head.
The Kirtankhola River is all around. Nature is surrounded by greenery. Before 1801, this river was called the Barisal River, Sugandha River. It starts from Shayestabad in Barisal and ends near Nalchiti in Jhalakathi. The Kirtankhola originates from the ancient Padma stream.
After traveling for about two and a half kilometers, the launch turns right into the Bukhainagar River. On the left side of this river is Charmonai and on the right side is Kauwar Char. Greenery on both sides. It seems to have become even more refreshing after being wet in the monsoon. Hoglaban, almond, raintree, palm, tamal, shirish, Kalakhet, Dhanchekhet, jutekhet, betel barrage, fish farm, amaranth orchard. Colorful dates on the date palms. The houses and buildings facing erosion seem to have come closer to the river. The former wetlands are becoming cultivated land and settlements day by day. The number of ghats for crossing the river has increased. This 12-kilometer launch from Charmonai to Laharhat Bukhainagar river runs a little slowly. Although launches are often stuck in this river in winter, now the water is overflowing the banks during heavy rains.
Laharhat Launch Ghat at the confluence of Bukhainagar and Bighai rivers. H. Beverage wrote in his book ‘District of Bakerganj’, ‘The Barisal River is a continuous form of the Bighai River.’ It flows southwards through Mirzaganj in Patuakhali and Gulishakhali in Amtali in Barguna. The Bighai flows southwards past Laharhat and merges with the Kalabadar, Tentulia and Ganeshpura rivers.
When the launch anchors at Laharhat Ghat and heads towards Bhola, one can see a vast char area on the right side of the Bighai River on the east bank of Bukhainagar. Hundreds of fishermen have anchored their boats along its banks. They are busy cooking lunch in the boats. Fishermen are sailing from this river to another river, this is the meeting point of many rivers. Hundreds of buffalo herds and waterfowl are along the banks of the river.
Our launch is moving towards Sripur, after Sripur, Beduria Ferry Ghat, then Beduria Launch Ghat. After Bheduriya, Bhola Kheyaghat. Once, launches from Kheyaghat used to go to Bhola city up to Kashishwar Bridge. Now, passengers go down to Bheduriya Launch Ghat to save time. They go down to Bhola city by car. Each ghat has a river. Launches from Sripur to Bheduriya will run on the waters of the Tentulia River. To go to Kheyaghat, the Jangalia River. To go to Bhola city, the Betua River, which has now become the ‘Bhola Canal’, is the one and only river. Even if you go to Bhola city by car, you will have to climb over the bridges built over these two rivers. On the Bhola-Barisal waterway, there is only river and river.
