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.