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Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution

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Table of Contents

1. Background ................................................................................................................. 3

2. Study Area: ................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Location .............................................................................................................. 4

2.2 Population .............................................................................................................. 5

2.3 Land use .................................................................................................................. 5

2.4 Agricultural Practice: ............................................................................................. 6

2.5 Type of farmers ...................................................................................................... 6

2.7 Irrigation water: ..................................................................................................... 7

2.7.1 Irrigation Service charges ....................................................................................... 8

2.8 Industries and Industrial water use .................................................................... 8

3 Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area .......................................................................... 10

3.1 Rainfall .................................................................................................................. 10

3.2 Water Level Variation in the Beels. ..................................................................... 11

4. Water Quality .......................................................................................................... 11

5 Pollution impacts and conflicts ............................................................................... 12

6 Water Management Institutions .............................................................................. 14

7 Environmental Law and Regulations ...................................................................... 16

Appendix 1 : Additional Information .......................................................................... 18

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1. Background

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with

approximately 895 people per square kilometer, and a projected population of around

146 million by the year 2010. It is also one of the world’s poorest countries, with a per

capita Gross National Product (GNP) of $260, and in which approximately 60 percent

of the population live below the poverty line (World Bank, 1993). The population

remains largely rural with only around 20 percent living in urban areas. Rural

livelihoods are dominated by agricultural production but people’s livihood systems are

diverse with fishing either for purely subsistence use or commercial sales being

common. Fish accounts for approximately 63 percent of the animal protein in

people’s diet (BBS, 2004). Less 40 percent of the population has access to modern

primary health care (PHC) services beyond child immunisations and family planning

(BBS, 2000; Abedin, 1997).

The high population growth rate and poverty levels have led Bangladesh to set a

development target in the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (iPRSP) of a 7

percent growth in GDP to achieve its development goals by 2015. The iPRSP calls for

a “focus on employment-intensive industrialisation with emphasis on small and

medium enterprises and export oriented industries”.

The country still has a relatively small industrial sector contributing about 20 percent

of the GDP between 1996-97 but it is growing rapidly. The manufacturing sub-sector

accounts for about half of this and grew at a rate of five percent between 1972 and 1992

(Bhattacharya et al., 1995). There are now over 24,000 registered small-scale industrial

units in Bangladesh (SEHD, 1998) and it is generally accepted there are an equivalent

number unregistered. The growth of small-scale industrial activities in Bangladesh has a

positive development dynamic in macro-economic terms, for example the ready-made

garment (RMG) sector accounts for 76 percent of national export earnings and 9.5

percent of GDP, providing US$ 5 billion in revenue and employing around 10 million

people, however industrialisation has also brought with it a range of problems,

including pollution of water resources. Many are highly polluting and as a

consequence of their rapid and largely unregulated development, many ecosystems are

now under threat, and with them the livelihood systems of local people (Chadwick

and Clemett, 2002). Consequently whilst Bangladesh is, in industrial terms, a

relatively undeveloped country, “the problem of localised pollution is alarming”

(SEHD, 1998); a situation that is compounded by the high population density of the

country of around 800 people per square kilometre.

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2. Study Area:

Kaliakoir Thana in Gazipur District is an industrial site where rapid industrial

expansion has led to serious local pollution. This area was historically a prime rice

growning area but the number of industries locating there has steadily grown over the

past 15 years. There are now serveral types of industry in the area but it is dominated

by textile manufacturers, including dyeing and printing units, as well as poultry farms,

some pharmaceutical industries and a tannery.

2.1 Location

Kaliakair, is the second smallest upazilla of Gazipur District approximately 25

kilometres north-east of Dhaka. The area of the upazilla is 314.14 sq.km. including

1.22 sq.km. river and 79.72 sq.km. forest area (Appendix 1). It is situated between

24º15’ north latitudes and between 90º22’ east longitudes. The Upazilla is bordered,

on the south by Savar and Dhamrai thana of Dhaka district and on the west by

Mirzapur thana of Tangail zila.

The Upazilla consists of 9 unions, 181 mauzas and 283 villages. The average population

of union, mauza and village are 25,879, 1287 and 823 respectively.

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Figure 1: Gazipur District map showing study area

2.2 Population

The population of the area is 232,915 of which 119,265 are males and 113,650 are

females. According to 1991 data, the sex ratio of the Upazilla is 105 males per 100

females. The decadal population growth ratio is 40.51% and annual compounded

growth rate is 3.46%. The decadal growth rates over the last 110 years are shown in

table Table 1 below:

Table 1: Decadal Growth of Population : 1881-1991

Decade Growth Rate Decade Growth Rate

1881-1891 14.4 1941-1951 (-)3.6

1891-1901 9.5 1951-1961 28.6

1901-1911 11.9 1961-1974 42.9

1911-1921 8.3 1974-1981 21.9

1921-1931 8.8 1981-1991 40.5

2.3 Land use

Land use data of the study area is given in Table 4. It is found that Boro rice

cultivation is predominant though a large area remains fallow and as settlement area.

Table 4 Land use of study area, March 2001

Land use Area in ha.

Boro 4414

Settlement 5750

Forest 952

Fisheries 48

Industries 92

Khal and Beel 226

Pond 161

Current Fallow 7487

Total 19130

Table 5 shows land use pattern by household classes. It shows that the distribution of

the land area is very uneven. The landless farmers have lowest area of land. Each

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household in the area use land as homestead, cultivation, orchard and pond. However,

major portion of the land is used for cultivation.

Table 5 Land use pattern by household classes in Turag-Bongshi

Homestead

(Dec)

Cultivatable

(Dec)

Orchard

(Dec)

Pond

(Dec)

Fallow

(Dec)

Land less 8.94 7.42 0.07 0.60 0.33

Marginal

Farmers

16.36 98.69 0.00 6.15 0.00

Small Farmers 23.30 196.71 0.00 5.79 3.03

Medium

Farmers

28.69 341.20 0.00 8.88 13.40

Large Farmers 29.07 837.14 0.00 33.79 59.64

2.4 Agricultural Practice:

Crops grown by the households are categorized into three cropping sequence i.e. Rabi,

Kharip I, Kharip II. Boro, wheat, pulses and mustard are known as rabi crop, Aush

and jute is known as Kharip I and Aman known as Kharip II. During Rabi season 97%

household were found to cultivate Boro crop. The next widely grown crops in Rabi

season were found to be Mustards (25%) and wheat (15%).

2.5 Type of farmers

Table 2 shows that the farmers in the area are classified into five categories1

. This

categorization is based on the land holding size of a household. A household having 0-

50 decimal land is considered as landless farmer.

In the area most of the dwelling households depend on agriculture which is the main

source of household income. Other sources of household income are from non

agricultural source such as fishing, trading etc (Table 3).

Table 2 Type of farmers

Household class Holding size

(Dec.)

HHs No % of household

Land less 0-50 159 56.7

1 This was categorized based on the information of a baseline survey carried out in September, 1999 by

MACH-CNRS. The survey was conducted in 8 villages (280 household) in the area.

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Marginal Farmers 51-150 68 24.2

Small Farmers 151-250 20 7.1

Medium Farmers 251-500 25 8.9

Large Farmers 500+ 8 2.8

All classes 280

Table 3 Percentage distribution of household by occupation

Occupation Landless Marginal Small Medium Large All

household

(HH)

Farmer 11.95 44.93 60.00 84.00 87.50 32.03

Share Cropper 11.32 8.70 5.00 4.00 0.00 9.25

Day labourer 11.32 2.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.12

Fisherman 23.90 1.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.88

Boatman 5.03 1.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.20

Trading 15.73 11.59 5.00 4.00 12.50 12.81

Industrial worker 4.40 4.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.60

Others 16.35 24.27 30.00 8.00 0.00 18.11

2.6 Drinking water:

In the, 90.48% of the dwelling households use tube-well, 0.87% use tap, 8.46% use dug-

well, 0.09% use pond and 0.10% use canal/river as main source of drinking water.

However, only 48% households own tubewell.

2.7 Irrigation water:

In the area crop is produced in rainfed and irrigated lands. 52% of farmers use ground

water, 18% use river water, 23% use beel water and rest use canal or pond water for

irrigating their fields.

In the area, farmers with small land holdings obtain higher yields than larger holders.

This is because the poor farmers use the available water more efficiently, grow better

quality rice and irrigate more intensively than farmers with more land.

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2.7.1 Irrigation Service charges

Water charges in the area are not based on the volume of water used but on (1) area

irrigated and (2) type of crop grown. Charges average around Tk 500 per acre. But,

collection rates are poor in the system.

2.8 Industries and Industrial water use

There are about 274 industries in the area, of which 166 is textile related industries

(Figure 2). It has been estimated that number of industries in the area has increased from

80 to 274, of which textile related factories have increased from around 20 to 166

between 2003 and 2005 (out of which 51 industries are directly involved in dyeing).

It is estimated that textiles and dying industries use about 240 L of water for processing

1 kg of fabric. Ground water is used for this purpose. In the area, most textiles and

dying industries have 5 -10 tons capacity per day.

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Figure 2: Industries in Kaliakair area

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3 Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area

The “Turag-Bangshi” river basin is located in the North Central “Hydrological

Region” of Bangladesh. This region is bounded by the Jamuna, Padma, Old

Brahmaputra and the Sitalakha river system; Jamuna being on the west, Old

Brahmaputra on the north and northeast, and Sitolakha on the east. Other important

waterways are the Dhaleswari-Kaliganga River, which crosses the southwestern part of

the region. Besides these main rivers, the region is drained by many small rivers such

as, Bangshi, Pungli, Banar etc. The study area consists of a portion of the Turag-

Bangshi River and their adjacent wetlands within Kaliakair Upazila of Gazipur

District.

Typical of most low-lying floodplains of Bangladesh, the Turag-Bangshi River runs

through numerous beels on either side of the river. At the beginning of the rainy

season, as floodwaters enter the upstream portions of the Bangshi, water spills over the

riverbanks through canals/khals that connect the river to those adjacent beels. Fish,

for the most part, move from the rivers to the beel/floodplain areas for spawning or

nursing and then into the deeper perennial portions of the beels or back into the river

as water recedes after the rains. Dry season water level reduction in khal and beel is

caused by the ground and surface water extraction for boro rice irrigation, and reduced

flows due to deforestation in local and upper-watershed areas (MACH, 2001). During

this period, fish remain only in river pools (called 'kum's) and in the deepest portions

of the beels (called 'doha').

Within the Turag site, a total of 26 beels having water surface area of approximately

10,000 ha during full flood, which is reduced to less than 700 ha. at the end of the dry

season. The river Turag runs approximately 30 km through the site and there are

another 28km of khals which exist within the area. The hydrology of the Turag-Bangsi

Flood Plain, like those of similar areas of Bangladesh, is determined principally by the

monsoon occurring from May-October followed by a dry period from November-

April. The availability of water determines fish production, agriculture cycle and life

style of the people in the area.

3.1 Rainfall

In the area, on an average there is less than 3% of annual rainfall during December-

March, less than 20% of annual rainfall during the pre-monsoon period (March-May)

and the remainder during the period June-October. In Mokesh beel, Alua beel and

Turag River flows shown to have maintained the same levels over the last 50 years

during rainy season. But in dry season water level has shown to have declined

(MACH, 2001).

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3.2 Water Level Variation in the Beels.

The water level of Mokesh Beel was monitored for four years (2000-2003). During this

period, the same trend was observed from January to May. However, it was found that

water level began to rise in May of 2002 though in the previous year, water level was

far below during the same period. At the end of June 2002, water level exceeded 2001's

level due to the heavy downpour during this month. In 2003, water level followed the

same trend of the previous year.

Dry season Water Area

The dry season water area has been estimated for the months March-April 2001.

Spatial distribution of dry season water area is given in Table 6.

Table 6: Estimated dry season water area of Mokesh Beel Catchment

Types of water area Area in ha

Khal and beel (dry season)

Mokesh and kaliadaha

39.70

Pond (Adjustcent to Mokesh and Kaliadaha) 9.20

Total 48.90

4. Water Quality

Mokesh Beel is one of the biggest wetlands in the area covering approximately 1,100 ha

(2,700 acres) in the wet season, but holding only 40 ha (100 acres) of water in the dry

season, when it receives most of its water from Ratanpur Khal, which is fed almost

entirely by industrial effluent (Figure 1). As a result, water quality has gradually

deteriorated to a level which was reportedly unsuitable for certain types of aquatic life.

It is found that water in the khal has high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical

oxygen demand (COD), pH and sulfide levels (Table 4). This pollution was found to

be a serious problem affecting the livelihoods of local people. In an initial

participatory problem census, conducted in 1999 by the Management of Aquatic

Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH) project (USAID and GOB

funded project), local people reported that the fish they caught had a bad smell and

were difficult to sell or eat (Chowdhury and Clemett, 2006).

It is estimated that approximately 30 billon liters per year of wastewater entering into

the Mokesh beel and adjustcent water bodies of the area. These wastewaters contained

a number of chemicals. On the basis of inputs to the textile dyeing process it was

calculated that several hundred metric tons of acetic acid, soda ash, glauber salt,

common salt and dyes are contributed to the system annually (Table 7). Given the

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huge increase in the number of textile dyeing units in the area over the past six years,

this figure is likely to have increased several-fold.

Table 7 Quantities of Five Auxiliaries Entering Textile Dyeing Wastewater

Auxiliaries Mass used per year (metric tons)

Acetic Acid 105

Soda Ash 432

Glauber salt 1550

Common salt 115

Dyes 167

Table 4 Range of Water Quality Analysis Results

Sediment samples analyzed in the area were found to contain high sulphur. The high

sulphur levels however are almost certainly related to the high quantities of sodium

sulphate that are used in textile dyeing.

Fish samples had very low metal concentrations but this may not to be indicative of

the pollution load as the fish were very small and of young age of the fish.

5 Pollution impacts and conflicts

Due to the high dependence on natural water resources in the area, and the goods and

services that the locals produce, the availability of clean water has become the main

issue of concern and conflict among the users. In this particular case, water is

availability but its use is extremely limited by of the quality of the water.

The high BOD and COD of the effluents, and the resultant high BOD, COD and low

DO of the khal and beel appear to have impacted on the quantity and quality of fish

stocks. Local fisherman report that fish stocks in the areas have gone down, which

Parameter National Standard for

effluent Khal Beel

COD (ppm) 200 200 - 1500 32 – 300

BOD (ppm) 50 100-600 20 – 130

DO (ppm) 4.5 – 8.0 0 0 – 100

pH 6.5 9.0 7.7 – 10.9 9.2 – 9.5

Sulphide (ppm) .001 0.004 –0.3 0 – 0.066

Sulfate (ppm) - 96 – 460 115 – 310

TDS (ppm) 100 1000 - 2500 450 – 1700

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means that they can no longer fully depend on fishing and have to look for alternative

income generating activities. In addition, they were blamed for selling tainted fish in

the market and say that people will not buy fish if they know that it has been caught

in Mokesh Beel.

Farmers interviewed as part of a livelihoods study also claim that the water pollution is

impacting on their crops. They are particularly concerned about the polluted

sediments that are left on their land after the rainy season, which analysis has shown

contain high sulphur levels. In addition they are sometimes compelled to irrigate their

land with beel water due to groundwater shortages or lack of access to tube wells.

These problems they say reduce yields on some plots of land and also give the crops a

bad taste.

Skin diseases and diarrhoea are most predominant health problems in the area.

Community members and health workers interviewed claimed that there may be an

association between pollution and health problems. It has been reported that children

and factory workers suffer the most from skin diseases, and some health workers noted

that fishermen and those who have frequent contact with beel water also suffer.

5.1 Emergence of conflict

In the beginning the pollution problem was a silent issue as the economy of the area

was highly dependent on the industries. It is observed that most of the household in

the area have one or two members working in the industries. Also, the area became a

centre of interest for outsiders and many businesses were brought in the area,

therefore, people were hesitant to raise this problem publicly.

The situation worsened further in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when there were a large fish

kill in the areas that decimated the fish population, including the fish in one of the fish

sanctuaries. After this the community became even more active on this issue.

Conflict of interests in the area

Actors Interest

Community Use clean water for domestic use

Job in industries

Clean environment for new generation

Stay healthy

Enforcement of law

Farmers Safe water for cultivation

Same yield and quality

Fisherman Carry out fishing in all areas

Stay in fishing profession

Sell clean fish in the local market

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Industries Stay in business, earn foreign currency

Comply with buyers criteria

Department of environment Maintain the quality of water

Environmental Activist Save environment

6 Water Management Institutions

Local level

There is no formal water management association in the area. However, there are 4

Resource Management Organizations (RMO) in the area. Their prime responsibilities

are sustainable management of a particular wetland ecosystem within their respective

jurisdictions. Within the two RMOs, there are two water quality monitoring groups

who are involved in monitoring the water bodies of the area. These RMOs were

formed with the help of MACH project (GOB and USAID funded project). Since

1999 MACH project is working in this area. Their goal is to promote ecologically

sound management of floodplain resources for the sustainable supply of food to the

poor.

There is one “Local Government committee” in the area responsible for local level

planning and resource management. This committee consists of Upazila Nirbahi

Officer (UNO), Upazila Fisheries Officer, Upazilla Agriculture Officer, MACH’s site

coordinators, Resource Management Organization (RMO) representatives and union

Chairman.

“Pollution Abatement Team” of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), University

of Leeds (UK), and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) are also working

in this area to identify and implement mitigation measures to reduce pollution in the

area.

There is a “National Steering Committee” for MACH project to provide guidance and

advice on managing the natural resources of the area. This committee is chaired by the

Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MOFL). The Ministry of Land

(MOL) representative is the vice-chairperson, and the Department of Fisheries (DOF),

Department of Environment (DOE), External Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of

Environment and Forestry (MOEF), Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation

Division (IMED), Planning Commission, USAID, and MACH have all been

represented in this committee. The committee met at least once a year or as often as

required.

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National Level

The overall responsibility for the administration and management of government-

owned land and water bodies is vested in the Ministry of Land (MoL), in accordance

with the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act (1950) . Any ministry or government

agency requiring any land or water bodies for execution of its projects must obtain it

through MoL. As such, MoL has passed authority to MoFL to lease several water

bodies in the country as part of its Community Based Fisheries Management

Programme. Generally, however, the management of land and water bodies is

conducted through the local government administration.

Government ownership of water bodies generally falls into two categories: open access

waters and closed access waters. All water bodies that have a continuous flow of water

throughout the year are managed as open access resources. The government collects no

revenue from these and anyone may use them. All other water bodies, i.e. those which

are only seasonally connected to rivers and canals are available for lease-hold and

known as closed access waters. Generally, lease is issued for 3 year period for the

purpose of aquaculture. The lease is given to the highest bidder through auction

process.

The Ministry of Water Resources through several of its agencies, particularly the

Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO) and the Bangladesh Water

Development Board (BWDB), are responsible for all other forms of water management

in Bangladesh. The BWDB is principally responsible for implementation, operation

and maintenance of water related projects, whilst WARPO is mandated to advice on

policy, planning and regulation of water resources. The responsibility for control and

abatement of water pollution falls to the DoE (Department of Environment) within

the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). DoE is mandated to set and enforce

environmental regulations for all forms of pollution and media (air, water and soil).

Specifically in relation to water pollution, DoE are responsible for: pollution control;

setting water quality standards (WQS) for water use and discharge; defining

environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures; issuing environmental clearance

permits; and declaring and protecting degraded ecosystems (UNEP, 2001).

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), through its Department of Fisheries

(D0F), has overall responsibility for fisheries and aquaculture development,

management and conservation. Its functions, which are both regulatory and

development oriented, and the coordination of national policy in respect of fisheries,

the prevention of fish disease, the conservation, management and development of

fisheries resources, the management of fish farms and training and collection of

information.

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7 Environmental Law and Regulations

The Environmental Conservation Act and Rules are in force for Bangladesh for quite a

long time. There have been a number of acts and laws introduced environmental

protection. However, the present available rules and regulations etc. not as

comprehensive and extensive like those in western world.

The Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance 1977 (Ordinance XIII of 1977) was

the first official regulatory framework to provide for the control, prevention and

abatement of pollution of the environment of Bangladesh. The ordinance was enacted

on March 31, 1977 repealing the previous Water Pollution Control Ordinance, 1970

(E. P. Ordinance V of 190). When realizing the gradual degradation of the

environment, the Government of Bangladesh upgraded the Environmental Pollution

Control Ordinance 1977. In February, 1995 the Parliament passed the Environmental

Conservation Act and it became enacted in June, 1995 repealing the previous

Environmental Pollution control Ordinance 1977. To enforce the Act, government

developed rules, which came into force in 1997. These rules are called Environmental

Conservation Rules which focuses the role of Department of Environment and

responsibility of industries. To enforce the Act, the government has established an

organisation under Ministry of Environment and Forest. This organisation is known

as Department of Environment and it is headed by a Director General.

Reference:

Abedin, M. N. (1997) Health and Population Sector: An Overview and Vision Papar

for the Logical Farmework (Log-Frame) Workshop for the Fifth Health and

Population Programme (HAPP-5) 23-25 February 1997. Government of Bangledesh.

BBS (2000) Report of Health and Demographic Survey (2000). Bangladesh Bureau of

Statistics, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dhaka, Bangladesh.

BBS (2004) Fisheries Statistical yearbook 2003-2004. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics,

Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) 2005

Bangladesh Apparel and Textile exposition, 29 September to October, 2005. Dhaka.

Bangledesh.

BBS (1993) Bangladesh Population Census, 1991, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics,

Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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MACH (2001) Hydrology Study Report

Ullah, A.N. A., Clemmett, A, Chowdhury, N., Chadwick, M., Huq, T and Sultana, R

(2006) Human health and Industrial Pollution

Chowdhury, N and Clemett, A (2006) Industrial pollution and its threat to Mokesh

Beel wetland in Kaliakoir, MACH Technical Paper 3.

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Appendix 1 : Additional Information

Kaliakair Upazilla at a Glance

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Items 1991 1981 Growth Rate (%)

Decadal Annual

1. AREA

In Sq. Km 314.14 314.14

In Sq. mile 121.29 121.29

2. HOUSEHOLDS 45,565 26,575 71.46 5.54

Rural 43,285 26,165 66.75 5.25

Urban 2,280 410 372.20 16.79

3. HOUSEHOLD SIZE (Dwelling Unit)

Thana 5.1 6.2 (-) 17.74 (-) 1.93

Rural 5.1 6.2 (-) 17.74 (-) 1.93

Urban 4.9 6.6 (-) 25.76 (-) 2.93

4. POPULATION

Male 232,915 165,766 40.51 3.46

Female 119,265 85,038 40.25 3.44

113,650 80,728 40.78 3.48

Rural 222,541 163,497 36.11 3.13

Male 113,288 83,557 35.58 3.09

Female 109,253 79,940 36.67 3.17

Urban 10,374 2,269 357.21 16.42

Male 5,977 1,481 303.58 14.97

Female 4,397 788 457.99 18.76

5. DENSITY

Per Sq. km 741 528 40.34 3.46

Per Sq. mile 1,920 1,367 40.45 3.46

6. SEX RATIO (M/F)

Thana 105 105 0.00 0.00

Rural 104 105 (-) 0.95 (-) 0.10

Urban 145 188 (-) 22.87 (-) 2.56

7. LITERACY (7 Years & Over)

Thana 28.7 22.8 25.88 2.33

Male 37.1 32.0 15.94 1.49

Female 19.8 13.1 51.15 4.22

8. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE (5 to 24 Years

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Thana 41,845 15,325 173.05 10.57

Male 24,472 10,001 144.70 9.36

Female 17,373 5,324 226.31 12.55

9. URBAN POPULATION (%) 4.45 1.37 224.82 12.50

10. Geographic Unit

Union 9 9

Mauza* 181 181

Village 283 281

Municipality - -

Ward - -

Mahalla - -

Geology

Most of the area falls within Pleistocene terrace of North Central region of

Bangladesh. It is locally known as Madhupur tract. It is a semi rural area site and

representative of Jamuna Flood plain. The river Turag divides the study area into two

parts, north and south. Aowla and Mokesh Beel is located in the northern and

southern side of the Turag River respectively. Topographically the eastern Kaliakair

thana is a steep sided valley surrounded by many low-heights red soil hills make the

area undulated. Two major land types are predominant, high and low land. Locally

high land known as Chala and low land is known as Baid. Degraded forest and

settlement primarily occupy high land. On the other hand Baid area is use mainly for

agriculture. The western part of the Kaliakair upazilla and Mirzapur and Basail thana is

more flat.

Household size

The average household size for the Upazilla is 5.1 persons, for rural area the size is

same i.e. 5.1 and for urban area the size is small i.e. 4.6. The household size in

dwelling, institution and other units are 5.1, 11.1 and 3.1` persons respectively.

Electricity

All the unions of the Upazilla have been brought under Rural Electrification

Programme. According to the 1991 census, 13.37% of the total households and 11.83%

of the dwelling households reported to have electricity connection in the entire

Upazilla.

Roads and highways

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The main Dhaka Tangail highway passes through Kaliakair and new railroad is also

constructed through Kaliakair. In the dry season, most of the area is accessible through

these rural roads. However, country boat is widely use as a means of communication

in monsoon season.

Literacy

The literacy (7 years and over) is 28.7% for both sexes, 37.1% for male and 19.8% for

female. In case of urban area, it is 56.0% for both sexes, 63.2% for male and 44.9% for

female which are higher as compared to the corresponding rates in rural area of 27.6%

for both sexes, 35.9% for male and 19.0% for female. In the Upazilla, the literacy is

highest i.e. 40.3% in Sreefaltali union and the lowest i.e. 14.2% in Fulbaria union.

Sanitation:

In Kaliakair upazilla , 9.64% of dwelling households have sanitary latrines with 8.38%

in rural area and 42.16% in urban area. A total of 47.44% of the households have non-

sanitary latrines with 47.65% in rural area and 41.91% in urban area. In this than,

42.93% of the households have no toilet facility at all.