The Mathabhanga River originates from the right bank of the Padma, at Munshiganj in
Kushtia District in Bangladesh. It bifurcates near Majidia in
Nadia District in India, creating two rivers, Ichamati and
Churni. After traversing a length of in India, the Ichamati enters Bangladesh near Mubarakpur. It flows for in Bangladesh and again enters India at Habaspur Village near Duttaphulia in Nadia district. It forms the international border between India and Bangladesh for from Angrail to Kalanchi, and again from Goalpara to the Kalindi-
Raimangal outfall into the
Bay of Bengal.
River bed raised While the bed of the Ichamati river is higher than that of the Mathabhanga, that of the Churni is lower than Mathabhanga by . During the lean period, the level of water in the Mathabhanga is higher than that of the Padma. As a result, no water enters the Ichamati during the dry season. One of the causes of silting of the river was construction of guard wall for railway over bridge. The river beds in the area need to be excavated to facilitate the flow of water during the lean season. Since this is required to be done both in India and Bangladesh, there is need for accord on this point. The matter has been discussed at the ministerial level, the area surveyed to have better idea of the problems of the people in the affected area, and decisive action is expected in the near future. The river zone also faces the problem of industrial pollution and forcible occupation of land by people. Arresting environmental hazards resulting from lack of sanitation facilities, encroachment, groundwater contamination like arsenic pollution, destruction of aquatic flora, fauna are some of the burning problem of the areas that needs to be tackled through participatory mechanism. ==Naming==