“I never knew there’s so much beauty and fun hidden inside a book,” said 44-year-old Salma Begum, who learned to read and write very recently. “I had to blindly trust anyone who could read to let me know the contents of important documents. Now I’m self-sufficient in that regard, and use my own signature instead of ... Read more
Nation
Barind farmers at mercy of DTW operators
Ethnic minorities suffer more Suzon Ali . Rajshahi Farmers in the Barind region are held hostage by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority deep tube well operators. Some farmers in the region said that deep tube well operators did not irrigate their land properly while others said that operators extracted extra money and ‘undue benefits’ from them. Talking ... Read more
Local seeds for local needs
Female farmers of Khulna exchange varieties at fair Dipankar Roy Seeds of local varieties – preserved by families for generations – have been the most adaptive way of cultivation for the distinct climatic conditions of the country’s coastal areas. In what is considered a yearly tradition, female farmers exchange the seeds at the “seed fair”, ... Read more
Ingenious indigenous innovation
Kabuljan Begum’s eco-friendly oven makes waves across Rajshahi Anwar Ali Fourteen years ago, Kabuljan Begum developed an environment-friendly oven to keep herself and her family safe from air pollution caused by open-fire ovens. Her solution has now become the go-to choice for hundreds of others in the rural areas of Rajshahi region, covering three districts ... Read more
Tow month long hilsha fishing ban imposes from today
In a bid to conserve Jatka or juveniles of hilsa, the government has imposed a two-month ban on netting, selling and transporting hilsa in six sanctuaries from today (March 1). Bimal Chandra Das, fisheries officer of Barishal, said the ban is going to be observed across 432km area of six districts, including three in Barishal division. ... Read more
Food crisis hits bee colonies
Thousands kill each other, climate change blamed Emran Hossain This year’s frequent, untimely winter rain left bees, a key pollinator, in an unprecedented conflict as they died in thousands fighting over food, beekeepers and government agricultural extension officials said. Affected beekeepers said that they never faced a crisis of food for bees to this extent ... Read more
Scientists expect Kakila will roam into water again
Freshwater garfish, known as Kakila in Bangladesh, once found in open water bodies, especially in rivers, canals, haors etc., is a delicious fish that is rich in nutrients, but now it is almost extinct, due to the effects of climate, natural disasters and various man-made habitats, damage to breeding grounds and the number of the ... Read more
The fastest Sailfish caught in the Bay of Bengal
Curious people rushed to see and touch the Sailfish caught in the fisherman’s nets on Wednesday Two marine fish have been caught in fishermen’s nets in the Bay of Bengal. Fishermen locally call it ‘golpata’ fish because of the shape of its back fins. Experts say, actually these are sailfish, members of the billfish family ... Read more
Bad days for good farmers in Bangladesh
Chemically grown pineapples see higher demand Consumers are falling for chemically grown eye-candy pineapples that look bigger and brighter than the naturally farmed ones but actually taste bland and have less nutrient content. This trend is hurting the farmers who are not using excessive chemicals while growing the fruit. To get a firsthand experience of ... Read more
Three in one
Cost effective agricultural tool made in Dinajpur A locally manufactured harvester in Dinajpur proves to be an all-in-one device, while the cost is relatively low. Anwar Hossain, a 51-year old quack at Dakkhin Basudevpur village under Phulbari upazila, designed the machine that can harvest, thresh and pack paddy or wheat simultaneously. The machine, which requires only ... Read more
Grabbers feast on Bakkhali river
Lax legal process encourages enchroachers in Cox’s Bazar Bakkhali river in Cox’s Bazar is getting narrower day by day as the land grabbers are out to encroach on both sides of the river by erecting illegal structures. Many of the grabbers have either built structures or hung signboards on the encroached land along the banks ... Read more
Unusual rain at end of monsoon
Just before the end of the monsoon, the country has been experiencing unusual October rains following three drier months in a row when the monsoon was supposed to be most active with heavy rainfalls. Usually, the country experiences a maximum of eight rainy days in October, the Met office website says. But this time around, ... Read more
Conqueror of odds
Pirojpur farmer prevails over salinity through innovation Defying the onslaught of salinity that had long been affecting rice cultivation, a farmer in Pirojpur is now excelling in fish and vegetable farming, setting an example for others to follow. “Making profits from the combined farming of fish and vegetables is a total shift from the loss ... Read more
Sylhet experiences this year’s highest rainfall
Sylhet experienced this year’s highest rainfall till date with over 247mm of rain falling in the nine hours preceding 3:00pm yesterday, states the regional Met office. Heavy rainfall since early morning caused waterlogging in different areas from two to five hours till 5:00pm, leading to a low presence of students in educational institutions and vehicles ... Read more
Jamuna devours part of Sirajganj town protection embankment
ABOUT 75-metre stretch of town protection embankment in Sirajganj was washed away by river Jamuna on Wednesday night. Locals and Water Development Board officials said that the concrete part of the guide-wall as well as its adjacent road on the embankment began to be eroded at about 10:00pm on Wednesday and the erosion continued till ... Read more
Erosion leaves thousands homeless
Floodwaters started receding but erosion by major rivers devoured vast areas leaving thousands of people homeless in several districts across the country. New Age correspondents depicted harrowing pictures of thousands of people rendered homeless by erosion in Faridpur, Chapainawabganj, Khulna, Sirajganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Barishal and Bogra caused by the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna and other major ... Read more
Sight to forget
Beautiful jhau woods along the beach now a torture to eyes The jhau woods along the Cox’s Bazar seashore are in decline, putting the future of the world’s longest sea beach in jeopardy. Setting up of illegal structures, indiscriminate felling of jhau trees[tamarisk], and leasing of land adjacent to the beach stand out as contributing ... Read more
Nalitabari people at high risk of arsenic
Alternative sources of water a dire need The people in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur are at dangerous risk of arsenic contamination. There are about 2.5 lakh people in 12 unions of the upazila. A considerable number of these people are at high risk of arsenic. There are a total of 22,150 tube wells in the ... Read more
Unauthorised fishing puts existence of Muria Haor in jeopardy
The existence of Muria Haor in Biyanibazar of Sylhet is now under threat for lack of a fish sanctuary along the vast water body, once bountiful with fish resources. Unabated fishing through use of current nets and mosquito nets not only disturbs fish breeding in the haor but it has also denuded the water body ... Read more
A teacher with a difference
Bahaz takes no day-off, no leave for 33 years Md Bahaz Ali Fakir, an English teacher of a secondary school, has not taken even a day’s leave for the past 33 years, setting an example of great devotion to his profession. Teaching at Shaheed Smrity High School and College in Tangail’s Madhupur upazila, Bahaz, 55, ... Read more