The river that swallowed an entire city's worth of land

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Named after the sacred lotus, the Padma River is a master of transformation. For decades, this Bangladeshi waterway has been reshaping itself, migrating across the landscape and eroding banks with such force that it has consumed a landmass roughly the size of Chicago.

The Padma is a dynamic system, characterized by its ability to change shape, width, and location. Since 1966, the river has eroded more than 66,000 hectares of land—an area comparable to Chicago. This geological instability is driven by a large, easily erodible sand bed and a lack of natural bank protection. Scientists track these shifts by measuring changes in the river's sinuosity—its tendency to snake in S-shapes—and its braiding, where multiple channels split and recombine.

The river's morphology is influenced by both sudden geological events and human intervention. Some researchers suggest that sediment loads may be remnants of a landslide triggered by a 1950 earthquake. More recently, the 1998 floods and the opening of the Farakka Barrage in India significantly altered flow patterns. While the river has recently shown a decrease in erosion rates due to processes like chute cutoffs, the ecosystem remains sensitive to any disturbance, including landslides or new construction.

The Padma is also a site of massive engineering ambition. The Padma Bridge, Bangladesh's largest bridge, was a US$3 billion project designed to connect the country's eastern and western regions, potentially reducing travel times from thirteen hours to just three. Though the project faced significant delays—including the 2012 cancellation of a $1.2 billion World Bank loan—the 6.15-kilometre structure was eventually inaugurated on 25 June 2022. While some fear erosion could threaten such infrastructure, others believe the bridge may eventually help stabilize the land.

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