Jhalakathi - ঝালকাঠী

District Statistics Jhalokati

District at a Glance Background: Jhalokati came into existence as a sub-division of Barisal district in 1972. It was upgraded to a district on February 1, 1984. It is generally believed that the present area of the district headquarters was full of dense forest. Once a group of Jelay (meaning fisherman in Bengali) settled here by cutting the forest. The name of the district is said to have been derived from the combination of the above words Jelay and Cutting. Jhalokati district is situated on the bank of the Sugandha River. Area and Location: Jhalokati district is bounded on the north and east by Barisal district, on the south by Barguna district and on the west by Pirojpur district. It lies between 22o 20' and 22o 47' north latitudes and between 90o 01' and 90o 23' east longitudes. The total area of the district is 706.76 sq. km (272.88 sq. miles). Township: Jhalokati Town Committee was established in 1875 and it was formed into a municipality in 1913. It consists of 9 wards and 47 mahallas. Temperature and Rainfall: The annual average maximum and minimum temperature in Jhalokati district varies from 33.3°C to 12.1°C. The annual average rainfall of this district is 2506 mm. Main Rivers:The Bishkhali, Sugandha, Dhansiri, Gabkhan, Jangalia and Bamanda are the main rivers of Jhalokati district. Administration: Jhalokati subdivision was established in 1972 and was turned into a district in 1984. The district consists of 4 upazilas, 32 unions, 396 populated mauzas, 455 villages, 2 paurashavas, 18 wards and 68 mahallas. The upazilas are Jhalokati Sadar, Kanthalia, Nalchity and Rajapur. Archaeological Heritage and Relics: Sujabad Kellah (fort), remnants of the Ghosal Rajbari, Old Municipal Building, Civil Court Building (1781), Surichora Jami Mosque, Madabar Mosque are the important archaeological heritage and relics of this district. Historical Events: During the British rule 17 Muslims were killed in an encounter with the British army at Kulkati. Due to navigation facilities the area attracted the Europeans; the East India Company, the Dutch and the French established their trade centres in phases. Because of its commercial importance Jhalokati was called the 'Second Kolkata'. During the War of Liberation Rezaul Karim of village Besain Khan (Jhalokati Sadar Upazila) formed the Manik Bahini consisting of 24 members to resist the Pak army. On 16 June 1971, the Pak army in collaboration with some local Razakars captured and killed them. On 27 April the Pak army set on fire in Jalokhati Town and caused heavy damages. Famous Personalities of the District: Jhalokati is the homeland of many national and international reputed heroic sons of the soil. Some of the renowned personalities are mentioned below: District Statistics 2011 4 Kamini Roy: She hailed from a elite family of Jhalokati. She was the first honors graduate in India. She became a leading Bengali poet, social worker and feminist. She always fought for the establishment of fundamental rights and privileges of women in all sphere of life. Kamini Roy worked nearly for fifty years in different manner for realizing her goal of women’s emancipation in reality. She was the first woman lyrist who composed many notable literary works which raise her to the highest peak of prominence in social and literary world. Shamsuddin Abul Kalam: He was a famous novelist of Bengali Literature. His literary works basically based on rural life of the people of Bengal. Emotion and romanticism are the main theme of his works. He was politically conscious from his early life as a result of which he was found working as an active participant in the independent movement of India. He was also involved in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Marks of the War of Liberation: There are 2 mass killing sight, 2 memorial plate and 1 memorial sculpture in the district. Main Crops: Transplanted Aman is the major rice crop preceded by aus and boro on more than half the area. Other crops include khesari, masur, mong, sesame, chilies, gram, jute, sweet-potato, turmeric, onion, garlic, mustard, potato and betel leaf. Main Fruits: The most common fruits are found in this area is mango (Mangifera indica), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), black berry (Syzygium cumini), banana (Musa sapienrum) and amra (Spondia pinnata). The most characteristic feature of the landscape is undoubtedly the palm, the commonest species being the country date or khejur (Phoenix sylvestris), the betelnut palm (Arca catechu), the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and the palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer). Traditional Transport: Palanquin, boat and bullock-cart are the traditional transports found in the rural area of Jhalokati district. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct. Now-a-days, all the upazilas are connected with the district headquarters with metaled roads. Bus, minibus, three wheelers ply over the district. Religious Institutions: The numbers of religious institutions of this district are mosque 2631, eidgah 549, temple 435, church 1, tomb 4. Educational Institutions: are Government college 2, non-government college 19, government high school 2, non-govt. high school 190, junior school 3, madrasah 123, kawmi madrasah 20, government primary school 364, registered primary school 186, non-government primary school 8, kindergarten 21. Cultural Organizations: The numbers of cultural organizations of this district are club 416, public library 4, theatre group 7, literary society 2, playground 344, community centre 3, Shilpakala academy 1, women's organisation 3. Locally Published Newspapers and Periodicals: Locally Published newspapers and periodicals are Daily Shatakantha, weekly Suryadaya, weekly Ajana Khabar etc. District Statistics 2011 5 NGO Activities: Operationally important NGOs are BRAC, ASA, CARE, Abirvab, Annesha, JDS, Parshi, South Bengal Development Society, Social Welfare Organisation, Popular Development Society, CIDA, Proshika, Palli Unnayan Sangstha etc. Economic situation: The economy of Jhalakati is predominantly agricultural. Out of total 133,204 holdings of the district, 96616 holding are farms that produce varieties of crops namely local and HYV rice vegetables, spices, cash crops, pulses, oilseeds, betel leaves and others. Various fruits like banana, guava, coconut, etc. are grown. Guava is grown in the northern part of the Jhalakati sadar upazila. Fish of different varieties abound in this district. Varieties of fish are caught from rivers, tributary channels and creeks and even from paddy fields during rainy season. Some prawn and Hilsha fish are available in the district. Various types of timber and forest trees are grown in this district. Jhalakati is famous for business center for different kinds of consumable goods. Non-farm activities are also significant in ths district. The following table-1 shows total establishments in the urban and rural areas and persons engaged by s*x and activity in Jhalakati. Table-1: Number of Establishments and Population Engaged by Activity Activity Establishments Persons Engaged Total Urban Rural Total Male Female Mining and quarrying 0 0 0 0 0 0 Manufacturing 1159 255 904 4729 4386 343 Electricity, gas and water supply 6 4 2 46 44 2 Construction 1 1 0 8 8 0 Wholesale & retail trade 8704 3061 5643 15232 14982 250 Hotels and restaurants 1881 446 1435 4063 3923 140 Transport, storage and communication 142 29 113 346 335 11 Bank, insurance and financial institution 194 108 86 1457 1360 97 Real estate and renting 268 192 76 503 495 8 Public administration and defence 200 144 56 1311 1259 52 Education 1087 97 990 7202 6114 1088 Health and social works 227 73 154 837 686 151 Community, social and personal services 3283 521 2762 5567 5337 230 Jhalakati Zila 17152 4931 12221 41301 38929 2372 Source: Census of Non-Farm Economic Activities 2001-2003 According to the above table, there are 17,152 establishments in the district in which 41,301 persons are engaged in different types of non-farm activities. Female participation in non-farm activities is very poor. They constitute about 5.74 % as against 94.26 % of the males. Wholesale & retail trade emerges as the single largest activity (50.75%) with 8704 establishments and 15,232 persons engaged (36.88%) in Jhalakathi district. District Statistics 2011 6 Flora and Fauna Flora: Jhalakati district lies in the non-saline tidal flood plain area. It is a part of the vast stretch of flat land builds up by the enormous load of alluvial deposits laid down by the three mighty river systems with their numerous tributaries and distributaries. Since the land, regarded as very fertile on account of rich alluvial soils, it is suitable for cultivation of various crops. Transplanted Aman is the major rice crop preceded by aus and boro on more than half the area. Other crops include khesari, masur, moog, sesame, chillies, gram, jute, sweet-potato, turmeric, onion, garlic, mustard, banana, sugarcane, potato and betel leaf. Coconut and betal nut are also grown abundantly. The most common tree of the area is the mango (Mangifera indica). It is the principal tree in the groves that surrounds the viallage homesteads. Along water courses and water tanks, the mandar (Erythrina variegata), jiol or bhadi (Jatropha gossypifolia) and hijol (Barringtonia acutangula) are the common trees. Within the gorves the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), black berry (Syzygium cumini), banana (Musa sapientum), kadam (Anthocephalus cadamba), amra (Spondia pinnata) etc. are other common trees. The most characteristic feature of the landscape is undoubtedly the palm, the commonest species being the country date or khejur (Phoenix sylvestris), the betelnut palm (Areca catechu), the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and the palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer). Wayside trees are banyan (Ficus benghalensis), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), karoy (Albizzia procera), neem (Azadirachta indica), palash (Butea monosperna), pitraj (Aphanamixls polystachia), oshat or pipal (Ficus religiosa) and rain tree (Albizia saman) etc. The swamps, ditches and many of the water tanks contain a rich variety of species. The duckweed (Lemna minor), nilshapla (Nymphaea nouchali), makhna (Euryale ferox), kalmishak (Iponoea aeuatica), kochuri pana (Telanthera philoxeroides), vallisnera sprifalis, hydrilla, najas etc. are common. Fauna Mammals: Mammals that are commonly seen this area are rat or indur (Bandicota bengalensis), nengti rat (Mus musculus), metho rat (Mus booduga), chika (Suncus murinus), dora katbirali (Funambulus pennanti), benji (Herpestes edwardsi), shial (Canis aureus), Indian pipestrelle (Pipistrellus coromandra), tickel’s bat (Hesperoptenus tickelli), etc. Mammals like shushuk (Viverra zibetha), ud (Lutra perspicillata), jackle (Canis aureus), ban biral (Belis chaus), khatash (Viverra zibetha), mechi bagh (Prionailurus viverrinus) and bagdas (Viverra zibetha) once frequently seen in the area are now rare. Birds: The avi fauna is represented by both resident and migrant birds. Among resident birds, six are ubiquitous in the cultivated and urban areas. These are the house crow (Corvus splendens), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), bhat shalik (Acridotheres tristis), black drango (Dicurus macrocercus), redvented bulbul (Picnonotus cafer) bengalensis and the pariah kite (Milnus migrans). Nearly as common as these are the doel (Copsychus saularis), tailor bird (Orthotomus sutorius), pied myna (Sturnopaster contra), common weaverbird (Ploceus phillippinus), the common king fisher (Alcedo atthis), pond heron (Ardeola grayii), white breasted water hen (Oriolus xanthornus), green pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera), spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis), District Statistics 2011 7 rose ringed parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), barn owl (Tyto alba), house swift (Apus affinis) and lesser golden backed wood pe**er (Picus myrmecophoneus). A large number of migratory birds come to visit Bangladesh during winter. Some of them are also seen in different water bodies of the district. Of the winter migrants from Tibet, China and Siberia the most notable are the ducks (gadwall, widgeon, sheldrake, pochard, etc.). Reptiles and Amphibians: Reptiles that are usually found in this area are tiktiki (Hemidactylus brooki), shanda (Gekko gecko), dhumkasim (Trionys hurum), kori kaitta (Kachuga tecta), kaldy koitta (Marenia petersi), gui shap (Verana bengalensis), gharginni shap (Lydodon jara), dhora shap (Xenochrophis piscator), paina shap (Enhydris enhydris) and gokhra (Naja naja). Some of the reptiles like anjon, dumukha shap, dudhraj, decho shap, laodoga, chandrabora hap, mecho kumir and gharial are now rare in this area. Of the amphibians, kotkoti bang (Rana cyanophlyctis), china bang (Mirohyla ornata), venpu bang (Kaloula pulchra), bhawa bang (Rana tigerina), jhi-jhi bang (Rana limnocharis) and kuna bang (Bufomelanostictus) are the most common. Fishes: A large variety of fish is found in different water bodies of the district. Some of the commonly available fishes are ruhi or salmon (Labeo rohita), mrigel (Chirrhinus mrigala), kalbous (Labeo calbaso), katla or carp (Catla catla), etc. shoal fish (Channa striatus), shing (Heteropenustes fossilis), scorpion-fish or singi are also found in large quantity in beels and khals, Many other spieces of river and fresh water fishes are also found in the district. Of these the principal varieties are boal/sheet fish (Wallago atttu), hilsa (Hilsa ilisa), koral, tapsi (Polynemus paradiscus), dhain, chital (Notopterus chitala), ghona, airh (Mystus aor), bagair, pangas (Pangasius pangasius), rita (Rita rita), bain or eel, chapila (Gadusia chapra), bhagna, nandail bacha, pon, gargle, kaulia,kapali, khorsols mehsir, gulsha, chanda, rupchanda (Pampas chinensis), poa (Pama pama), shrimp, tekchanda, kachki, baila, bheda, batashi, ghausa, kakila, ph**li or flat fish (Notopterus notoppterus), tatkeni, pabda, chela, gangchela, gazar (Channa marulius), koi (Anabas testudineus), kholisha (Calisa lalius), puti (Barbus puntius), sharputi (Puntius sarana), taki (Channa punctatus), walking fish (Ophicephaalus striaxtus), malandi, bashpata, kakra (Scylla serrata), meani, shrimps, and prawn are found in the district. However , some of these varieties, specially those which inhabit the marshes and tanks, are dwindling due to over catching and other reasons such as use of insecticides and pesticides for crop production, etc.