Road to Kuakata in awfully bad shape for years The 14-kilometre-long road from Pakhimara to Kuakata on Patuakhali-Kuakata highway has remained in an awfully dilapidated condition due to lack of renovation for years. Vehicles ply amid risk the rundown and potholed road connecting Kuakata, an important tourism centre in the southern region, with the rest ... Read more
Nation
Karnaphuli shrinking
Losing navigability due to heavy siltation, creating scope for land grabbers The Karnaphuli river, a lifeline for Chittagong city and the port, is gradually losing navigability with its width already shrunk by 50 to 270 metres at several points in the last two decades. Its depth reduced sharply for heavy siltation, disposal of huge quantity ... Read more
30,000 trees felled there
Patuakhali forest officials estimate a day after mindless destruction of mangrove forest Forest officials yesterday visited Char Bestin in the coastal areas of Patuakhali and Bhola and found over 30,000 trees of the mangrove forest have been chopped down by around 400 locals on Thursday. Of these trees, over 10,000 were in Patuakhali and the ... Read more
Tidal Surge, Incessant Rain in Bagerhat
Over 6,000 shrimp, other fish enclosures washed away Over six thousand shrimp and sweet water fish enclosures in Bagerhat were washed away by tidal waves amid incessant rain in the last three days, reports our correspondent. District Fisheries Officer Bazlur Rashid said, farmers incurred a loss of Tk 4.6 crore as 6,271 ponds and shrimp ... Read more
Mangrove forest plundered
2.5km road project in a Bhola char gets AL lawmaker’s blessings; flouts HC order, environmental law Within hours after a court judgement that clearly directed the authorities to abide by the forest and environment acts, groups of people have chopped down thousands of trees inside a mangrove forest and a designated wildlife sanctuary to build ... Read more
Solar power raises farmers’ hope
Solar power has brought hopes to thousands of farmers of the country, who have long been fighting with severe power crisis and high diesel price to run water pumps for irrigation of their farmlands. “I am no longer worried by frequent power-cuts or increasing diesel price. My solar panel gives me enough electricity to pump ... Read more
Halda carp spawning ground under threat
The river Halda, the only natural carp breeding ground in the world and major source of major carps like Rui, Katla and Mrigel, is facing a threat to its existence. Man-made problems and natural disasters brought the spawning ground to this position of decline. Interference from man include cutting bends in the river to slow ... Read more
No writing on taka, please
Bangladesh Bank has requested all concerned to refrain from writing on currency notes as it causes financial loss to its bearer, destroys security features and wears out the notes. The BB in a release yesterday said it noticed different types of writing, including mobile phone numbers, on currency notes. Such writing destroys the notes’ security ... Read more
Six hours of abuse
School kids kept standing under the sun as state minister shows up for 5 mins Some 130 children of Vatapara Non-government Primary School at Durgapur union of Aditmari upazila were kept standing in the scorching sun on Sunday for as long as six hours to welcome the state minister for primary and mass education. The ... Read more
Halda fishes act unusually
Release eggs before rain; fishermen see salty water intrusion as reason Even in weather adverse to laying eggs, a number of fish species yesterday started releasing spawns in the Halda river at Hathazari and Raozan upazilas, the only natural fish breeding centre of sweet water in the subcontinent. Mother fishes depend on special factors like ... Read more
Grabbers choke Karatoa
57km of the river encroached by locals A huge chunk of the Karatoa river has allegedly been occupied by local people at several important areas in Gaibandha and Bogra districts, according to Bangladesh Water Development Board and the Department of Environment. Sources at BWDB Bogra circle office say about 57 kilometres of the 86.75 km ... Read more
Mismatch in salt prices
Tk 2 at field, Tk 18 at market “You eat that with everything every day. That is salt, nothing else,” said the driver pointing at the pile of snow-white substance in a barren field on way to Cox’s Bazar. The salt farmers, seeming long deprived, in torn cloths, were working barefoot making piles of sun ... Read more
Defining Images of Pahela Baishakh
The coming of Kalbaishakhi (Nor’wester) is welcomed by the biggest secular festival of Bangladesh, Pahela Baishakh. Named after the star ‘Bishakha’, in line with the names of other Bengali months also named after constellations, romanticised notions of Baishakh were embedded in the hearts of millions, primarily due to Rabindranath Tagore’s love for the month. Pahela ... Read more
20-sq km sanctuary in Padma river
hilsha breeding A 20-square kilometre area down stream of the river Padma in Shariatpur district will be declared as a sanctuary for hilsha breeding. Fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas announced this in Dhaka on Sunday. The nation will observe Jhatka Week between April 4 and April 10. The fisheries minister will inaugurate the ... Read more
Plunderers now protectors
Stealing of Modhupur forest resources marks significant fall because of positive steps by the authorities The number of cases filed for stealing resources in Madhupur forest sees a significant fall during the last several months as once forest resource plunderers are now serving as community forest workers, helping protection and development of the traditional sal ... Read more
Where thousands of birds chirp, flutter wings without fear
Thousands of migratory birds are chirping and fluttering wings at Panipara, locally known as ‘Pakheer Gram’ (birds’ village), attracting a large number of visitors and tourists. Different native and exotic birds hover around their roost, a vast water body covering an area of 60 acres of land, some 40 km away from the district headquarters. ... Read more
Navigability in Padma diminishing
Manikganj: The plying of water vessels in the river Padma near Paturia ghat is at stake, as navigability in the river of Padma between Paturia and Daulatdia ghats dwindles on a rapid decline of the water level. Consequently, ferries are risking accidents and frequently being stuck in shoals. About 1,000 vehicles were seen waiting on ... Read more
Sundarbans best habitat
Finds joint study The Bangladesh portion of Sundarbans is the best habitat for tigers as this beast of prey here can hunt within the radius of only 15 square kilometres, one of the smallest home range in the globe. This reflects that a tigress here has ample supply food and the forest can potentially support ... Read more
Govt plans to redesign Dhaka Zoo
The government plans to redesign Dhaka Zoo and import more animals and birds to make it ‘one of the best in Asia,’ according to one of the designers. Dr Khandakar Shabbir Ahmed, a BUET professor involved in the redesign, told New Age that the landscape on which the zoo was located could allow the zoo ... Read more
Nipah virus identified as culprit for deaths
The deadly Nipah virus has been identified as the culprit behind the mysterious disease that claimed more than a dozen lives in Lalmonirhat, over the last few days. Mahmudur Rahman, the director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), confirmed the finding. According to Rahman, the disease is referred to as encephalitis, ... Read more