Kanthalia Upazila

Kanthalia Upazila (jhalokati district) area 151.29 sq km, located in between 22°20' and 22°31' north latitudes and in between 90°01' and 90°12' east longitudes. It is bounded by rajapur and bhandaria upazilas on the north, bamna upazila on the south, betagi upazila on the east, bhandaria and mathbaria upazilas on the west.

Population Total 124271; male 60515, female 63756; Muslim 107122, Hindu 17142, Christian 6 and others 1.

Water bodies Main rivers: bishkhali, Gajalia.

Administration Kanthalia Thana was formed on 6 August 1918 and it' was turned into an upazila in 1985.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	6	47	52	10161	114110	821	74.8	64.4

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
7.42	2	10161	1369	74.8

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Awrabunia 31	5032	8227	8674	69.0
Amua 15	6194	11736	12317	58.4
Kanthalia 63	4324	9376	9957	72.9
Chenchri Rampur 47	8441	12193	12851	69.0
Patikhalghaaata 79	4414	7709	8068	64.1
Saulajalia 94	8981	11274	11889	60.3

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation In 1971 the Pak army conducted mass killing and plundering; they also set many houses of the upazila on fire. During the war of liberation a fierce encounter was held between the Pak army and the freedom fighters at Amua on the south border of the upazila in which many people were killed and wounded. A memorial monument (Martyr Hemayet Uddin Memorial) has been built at a place near the Amua Union Parishad Office.

For details: see কাঁঠালিয়া উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৭।

Religious institutions Mosque 460, temple 108, sacred place 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 65.3%; male 66.6%, female 64.1%. Noted educational institutions: Kanthalia Pilot Secondary School, Kanthalia Girls' Secondary School, Chinrakhali Secondary School, Chinrakhali Senior Alim Madrasa (1924).

Cultural organisations Library 19, club 48, cinema hall 1, women organisation 1, playground 30.

Main sources of income Agriculture 56.83%, non-agricultural labourer 3.71%, commerce 14.93%, transport and communication 1.16%, service 10.42%, construction 1.88%, religious service 0.38%, rent and remittance 1.09% and others 9.60%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 76.05%, landless 23.95%; agricultural landowner: urban 60.81% and rural 77.18%.

Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, pulse, betel leaf, onion, garlic, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, mustard, sweet potato.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, coconut, litchi, banana, papaya, hog-plum, guava.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries This upazila has a number of fisheries, dairies, poultries, hatcheries and nurseries.

Communication facilities Pucca road 55.01 km, semi-pucca road 82.34 km, mud road 568.84 km; waterway 130 km; bridge 28; culvert 585.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Flour mill, ice factory, salt factory.

Cottage industries Weaving, potteries, bamboo work, tailoring, welding factory.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 25, fairs 5, most noted of which are Amua Hat, Gosher Hat, Kaikhali Hat, Aura Hat, Marichbunia Hat, Taltala Hat and Chhonauta Ghoradaha Mela.

Main exports Paddy, betel leaf, onion, garlic, banana, papaya.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 40.1% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 78.5%, tap 1.1% and others 20.4%. A survey was conducted on all the deep and shallow tube wells of the upazila in 2002 in which the presence of arsenic in an intolerable level has been detected in 5% of the tube well water. At present about 72% shallow tube well water of the upazila contain intolerable arsenic.

Sanitation 87.7% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 10.8% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.5% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 7, community clinic 20, satellite clinic 3.'

Natural disasters The courses of rivers of the region were changed due to the earthquake of 1763. Many people were victims of the flood of 1786 and the cyclones and tidal bores of 1822, 1876, 1960, 1965 and 1970. These natural disasters also caused heavy damages to settlements, livestock and other properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, Dik. [Shah Muhammad Habibullah Abuadi]

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