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 of the river, stretching over an area of five kilometres from Uttar Nuniachhara to Majhirghat in the town.
The grabbers are also active to grab about 15 kms of river banks in the suburbs, locals sources said.
At least 1,000 illegal
Nation
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, the country has already had around 14 rainy days and as per the weather forecast, like yesterday, rainfall may occur today also at
places in the country.
“At the moment, the
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 era of rice farming,” said Azizur Rahman Mollah alias Hanif, 50, of Uttar Mithakhali village in Mathbaria upazila.
He told The Daily Star that they have 24 acres of land, and rice cultivation was traditionally their main works. But with increased
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 on the roads.
The affected areas include Electric Supply Road, Loharpara, Hawapara, Darga Mohalla, Sonarpara, Tantipara, Sagardighirpar,
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 Thursday morning.
The erosion was, however, controlled after six-hour efforts through dumping concrete blocks and geotextile sand bags
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 rivers swollen by torrential rains.
The rivers continue to
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 factors to the decline of the woods.
Around 1000 people, mostly Rohingyas, are living in two slums and a village inside the jhau forest that stretches over a four-kilometre area from Naziratek in the north to Hotel Sea
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 upazila.
Of them, water of 7,000 tube wells was examined and presence of arsenic was found in 1022 of them.
The arsenic contaminated tube wells were marked with red sign and those free from arsenic were marked with green.
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 of majority of the fish species once it had.
Once upon a time, the haor was home to at least 115 species of fish, most of which are now absent here.
Several spices of fish
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, has been off work only on weekends and national holidays over the years, despite many difficulties along the way.
Headmaster of the school Mohammad Bazlur Rashid Khan said
Deforestation causes embankment erosion in Sitakunda
Rampant deforestation on the coastal green belt at Sonaichhari union of Chittagong’s Sitakunda upazila for establishing ship breaking yards is causing the breakdown of
the union’s embankment.
Subsequently seawater from the Bay of Bengal is inundating the adjoining villages at every high tide, causing immense suffering to the residents.
Nityananda Jaladas, resident of one of the villages, Ghoramara, said the whole coastal area was a big government forest
Eid brings no joy to the poor
In Arabic Eid means ‘festivity’. Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslims, is observed after a month-long ‘siam’ (fasting). Although Eid is all about feast and festivity, it does not carry the same meaning for the poor and homeless.
On the day of Eid, people traditionally wear new clothes, eat delicacies, and enjoy the day with their family and friends, while many poor people in the country virtually starve on the day. Wearing of new clothes on the Eid day is a daydream for them.
Jamila Khatun, who lives
Lawachhara National Park at risk
The eco-system of Lawachhara National Park in Moulvibazar is at risk because of indiscriminate destruction of forest resources, a heavy rush of visitors even into the deep forest and lack of proper maintenance and scarcity of wild animals.
The district administration has already expressed concern about the worrying state of the environment protection system in the park.
In a letter to the forest and environment ministry, the district administration made a number of recommendations to
Kuakata boat has historical value
Says expert
A French-born Bangladeshi expert on local traditional boats has examined an ancient boat that surfaced from beneath the sandy beach in Kuakata recently and said it was a national heritage bearing ethnic history.
“I have never seen such an unusual traditional boat,” Yves Marre told The Daily Star after examining it on the beach Monday afternoon. “It is important to preserve it now, as it is lying at an insecure state,” he said. Marre initiated a traditional boat museum under the banner “Protection
Rubber dam inflates hope in Dinajpur
An inflatable rubber dam being built on the Atrai river in Dinajpur will be completed by the end of this year, facilitating irrigation using surface water instead of underground water as well as fish cultivation.
The dam — 135-metre long and four-metre high– will create a 44- km long reservoir in the river that usually dries up in the lean season.
In this of type of dams, cylindrical rubber fabrics are placed across channels, streams and weir or dam crests to raise the upstream water level when inflated. Agriculture
Fishes spawn in Halda amid rain
Hundreds of spawn collectors with their boats and nets started collecting released eggs of indigenous species of carps from the Halda river in Chittagong for the second time this year, ignoring incessant shower yesterday morning.
The Halda, which flows through Hathazari and Raozan upazilas, is one of the world’s major natural sweet water fish breeding spots.
It is also the major source of carp fishes like ruhi, katol, mrigel and kalbaush in the country.
Heavy rain accompanied
Newly built bridge undergoes repair well before handover
Most of the upper surface of a nearly completed bridge over the Buri Teesta River at Soillaghat in Dimla upazila under the district had to undergo repair as the contractor used low quality materials for the construction work, said officials.
The Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) in the district decided to construct the 171-metre-long and 5.12-metre-wide bridge over the Buri Teesta River at a cost of Tk 4.14 crore to facilitate easier road communication between Dimla and Domar upazilas in the
‘Protect Jadunath’s palace complex from grabbers’
Locals formed a human chain on Friday urging the government to take necessary steps for protection of the historic palace of Raja Jadunath Roy at Balasur in Bhagyakul under Sreenagar upazila.
An NGO named ‘Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation’ took ‘illegal’ lease of 5.71 acres of land at the archaeological site and causing damage to its heritage in the name of building a museum and cultural complex there, said speakers at the programme.
They demanded cancellation of the
Lathi Khela to celebrate Tangail Free Day
Lathi Khela (A traditional Bangladeshi martial art form) was held in Tangail town last Sunday to celebrate Tangail Free Day (December 11). Tangail district was freed from the Pakistani Armed Forces on this day during the Liberation War.
Lathial Mohammad Azhar and his group from Aloa Bhabani village, Tangail staged a performance at Shaheed Memorial Municipal Park in the town. The group performed various acts like Baoi Jhak (group fight), Nori Bari (mock fight with sticks), Fala Khela and Dao Khela (mock
Cheers for a noble bid
Mid-day meal introduced in school set up by day labourers
It does not matter how old the saying, “Unity is strength”, is. The truth is that the outcome of a collective effort has never lost its glory. Do you remember the primary school that was set up by 17 enthusiastic day labourers in a remote area of Madhupur in Tangail district ? Well, it finally did manage to draw the government’s attention.
The Uttar Aronkhola Non-Government Primary School yesterday introduced free lunches for its 228 students under the government’s feeding programme for students