Terokhada Upazila

Terokhada Upazila (khulna district) area 189.49 sq km, located in between 22°50' and 22°59' north latitudes and in between 89°34' and 89°45' east longitudes. It is bounded by kalia upazila on the north, rupsa upazila on the south, mollahat upazila on the east, dighalia upazila on the west.

Population Total 116709; male 58363, female 58346; Muslim 94477, Hindu 22220 and Christian 12.

Water bodies Main river: Atharobanki.

Administration Terokhada Thana was formed in 1918 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	6	32	99	11977	104732	616	52.0	48.1

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
10.17	2	11977	1178	52.0

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Ajugara 13	8472	7351	7358	49.1
Terokhada 81	5536	11003	10922	53.1
Barasat 27	10434	10896	11203	46.7
Madhupur 40	6889	10581	9673	42.4
Sachiadah 54	9054	8779	8817	51.0
Sagladah 67	6050	9753	10373	48.7

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation Terokhada was under Sector 9 during the war of liberation in 1971. The Pak army conducted heavy torture and plundering at villages Sahapara and Sachiadah. They also set many houses of these villages on fire. The freedom fighters of the upazila carried out operations in the entire north Khulna region from their Patla Camp. Notably, during the nine-month War of Liberation the Pak army could never took control of the Patla camp which was the main base of the freedom fighters. A memorial monument was built and there is a park named Swadhinata Uddan (Liberation park) in the upazila.

For details: See তেরখাদা উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation Bangla Version), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৪।

Religious institutions Mosque 314, temple 57. Noted religious institutions: Sakatibari Mosque, Poddarbari Mosque, Pantita Barabari Mosque, Nachunia Mosque, Mosque at Atlia, Kalibari at Atlia, Burimar Gachtala (sacred place).

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 48.5%; male 49.9%, female 47.0%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 16, primary school 98, madrasa 20. Noted educational institutions: North Khulna Degree College (1966), Chitra Mohila College (2002), Satadal College (2002), Ikhri Katenga Fazlul Haque Secondary School (1932), Sahidpur Khan A Sabur High School (1949), Pancha Palli Atiar Rahman High School (1995), Induhati Nepal Chandra Secondary School (1963), Atlia Siddiqia Alim Madrasa (1953).

Cultural organisations Library 1, theatre group 2.

Main sources of income Agriculture 68.50%, non-agricultural labourer 2.02%, industry 1.95%, commerce 10.61%, transport and communication 2.61%, service 8.31%, construction 0.72%, religious service 0.16%, rent and remittance 0.31% and others 4.81%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 65.25%, landless 34.79%; agricultural landowner: urban 57.06% and rural 66.09%.

Main crops Paddy, coconut, sugarcane.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Jute.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, plum, coconut, star apple.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 9225 including shrimp gher (enclosure for shrimp cultivation), dairy 107, poultry 42.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 88 km, semi-pucca 66 km, mud road 223 km; waterway 15 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin,' bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Rice mill, flour mill, oil mill, brick-field, ice factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, bamboo work, wood work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 16, fairs 3, most noted of which are Katengar Hat, Terokhada Hat, Joy Sena Hat, Patla Hat, Shekharpur Hat, Sagladah Hat, Terokhada Mela and Patla Mela.

Main exports Galda shrimp, Paddy, coconut, plum.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 42.6% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.8%, tap 0.1% and others 3.1%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila but it is of tolerable limit.

Sanitation 74.4% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 22.9% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 2.7% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 1, community clinic 12.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, CARE, proshika. [Ekramul Kabir]

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