Sapahar Upazila

Sapahar Upazila (naogaon district) area 244.48 sq km, located in between 25°01' and 25°13' north latitudes and in between 88°26' and 88°38' east longitudes. It is bounded by west bengal state of India on the north, porsha upazila on the south, patnitala upazila on the east, West Bengal state of India on the west.

Population Total 161792; male 81304, female 80488; Muslim 150882, Hindu 7877, Buddhist 1, Christian 739 and others 2293. Indigenous communities such as santal, oraon and Mahali belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main river: punarbhaba.

Administration Sapahar Thana was formed in 1979 and it was turned into an upazila on 1 March 1985.

Upazila
Municipality Union Mouza Village Population Density (per sq km) Literacy rate (%)
Urban Rural Urban Rural
- 6 142 232 12696 149096 662 63.9 40.3
Upazila Town

Area (sq km)

Mouza

Population

Density (per sq km)

Literacy rate (%)

8.38 3 12696 1515 63.9
Union
Name of union and GO code Area (acre) Population Literacy rate (%)
Male Female
Aihai 17 9393 10567 10512 39.4
Goala 39 14304 17878 17926 36.5
Tilna 94 9965 11378 11486 47.1
Pathari 63 7064 12670 12658 30.8
Shiranti 79 10006 14179 13801 45.1
Sapahar 71 9684 14632 14105 53.9

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation Sapahar upazila was under Sector 7 during the war of liberation. On 14 August the freedom fighters killed 5 Pakistani soldiers and destroyed a jeep by dynamite explosion on the Hapania Road. In retaliation, the Pak army conducted indiscriminate mass killing at Hapania and the nearby villages. The Pak army conducted mass killing at village Pahari Pukur of Aihai union and at Hatidanga on the back yard of Sapahar Mohila College. A mass grave has been discovered at Hatidanga village of the upazila.

For details: see সাপাহার উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ১০।

Religious institutions Mosque 225, temple 23, keyang 67, church 1. Noted religious institutions: Tilna Mosque, Alinagar Jami Mosque, Cremation Centre and Mandir on the bank of the Punarbhaba river.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 42.2%; male 43.1%, female 41.2%. Educational institutions: college 6, secondary school 38, primary school 114, kindergarten 3, computer training centre 1, madrasa 51. Noted educational institutions: Sapahar Government Degree College (1973), Sapahar Mohila College (1995), Kata Para ML High School (1929), Tegharia High School (1958), Tilna High School (1958), Sapahar Pilot High School (1962), Mirapara High School (1964), Kochkurulia High School (1964), Chalk Gopal High School (1964), Sapahar Government Girls' High School (1973), Pathari Fazil Madrasa (1961).

Newspapers and periodicals Irregular: Yuger Bani.

Cultural organisations Library 3, club 55, cinema hall 1, theatre stage 1, theatre group 4, playground 30.

Main sources of income Agriculture 79.03%, non-agricultural labourer 2.23%, commerce 7.46%, transport and communication 1.32%, service 3.76%, construction 0.37%, religious service 0.10%, rent and remittance 0.07% and others 5.66%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, mustard, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Aus paddy, sesame, linseed, arahar.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, papaya, watermelon.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 11, dairy 8, poultry 32.

Communication facilities Pucca road 217.14 km, semi-pucca road 6.61 km, mud road 165.45 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage.

Noted manufactories Rice mill, flour mill, ice factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, wood work, weaving, bamboo work, nakshi kantha, nakshi pakha.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 23, fairs 2, most noted of which are Sapahar Hat, Dighi Para Hat, Mirapara Hat, Pora Madhail Hat, Nischintapur Bazar, Shiranti Bazar, Pathari Bazar, Tilna Bazar and Gopalpur Bazar.

Main exports Paddy, wheat, mustard, watermelon.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 24.4% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 68.6%, tap 10.8% and others 20.6%.

Sanitation 18.3% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 37.2% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 44.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, union health and family welfare centre 9, clinic 1, community clinic 17.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa, Ujjiban, caritas. [Md. Mukhlesur Rahman]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Sapahar Upazila 2007.