Kachua Upazila (Bagerhat District)

Kachua Upazila (bagerhat district) area 131.63 sq km, located in between 22°34' and 22°45' north latitudes and in between 89°49' and 89°56' east longitudes. It is bounded by chitalmari upazila on the north, morrelganj upazila on the south, nazirpur and pirojpur sadar upazilas on the east, bagerhat sadar upazila on the west.

Population Total 97011; male 47778, female 49233; Muslim 78645, Hindu 18347 and others 19.

Water bodies Main rivers: Baleshwari, Taleswar, bishkhali; Larar Canal are notable.

Administration Kachua Thana was formed in 1886 and it was turned into an upazila on 14 September 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	7	80	102	9473	87538	737	62.5	56.2

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
8.32	3	9473	1139	62.5

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Kachua 57	3732	6988	7280	60.7
Gazalia 38	4943	8063	8348	48.6
Gopalpur 47	3317	4585	4767	54.2
Dhopakhali 28	3134	6319	6667	51.3
Badhal 15	5246	7159	7406	53.6
Maghia 66	4908	6354	6420	65.0
Raripara 76	5227	8310	8345	63.4

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Shibpur Shivabari (1300 AD), Kali Mandir adjacent to the Zamindar Bari at Maghia.

War of Liberation On 3 May 1971 the Pak army brutally killed 42 villagers at Shankharikathi Hat of Badhal Union. The Pak army in collaboration with the razakars captured 60 persons from the Bhasa Bazar of Maghia Union and later shot them dead at a place near the Bhasarhat Bridge of village Maghia. Freedom fighters of the upazila did not have any direct encounter with Pak army but had carried out operations on a number of camps of the local collaborators of the enemy forces. There are mass graves at 7 places including at Shankharikathi, Maghia and Kachua; memorial monuments had been built at 2 places.

For details: see কচুয়া উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ২।

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 56.8%; male 57.6%, female 56.0%. Educational institutions: college 3, secondary school 17, primary school 94, madrasa 8. Noted educational institutions: Kachua Degree College, Kachua Mahila Degree College, Majeda Begum Krishi Projukti College, Moshni Secondary School (1915), Goalmath Rashikpal High School (1916), Baroikhali Government Primary School (1918), Madhabkati Ahmadia Fazil Degree Madrasa (1915).

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Khanjahan, Sujanesu International, Dipayan, Tritiya Nayan, Sundarban, Kabikantha, Partha Sarathi (religious peroidical); periodical: Muktijuddhe Kachua (1999).

Cultural organisations Library 4, club 58, cinema hall 1, theatre group 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 58.66%, non-agricultural labourer 3.67%, industry 0.6%, commerce 17.57%, transport and communication 5.43%, service 7.05%, construction 1.48%, religious service 0.20%, rent and remittance 0.29% and others 5.05%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 63.75%, landless 36.25%; agricultural landowner: urban 41.50% and rural 66.13%.

Main crops Paddy, sugarcane, wheat, jute, cotton, betel leaf, pulse, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Mustard, sesame, sweet potato, ground-nut, tobacco.

Main fruits Coconut, banana, sapodilla, water-melon, betel nut, plam.

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

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 142.2 km, semi-pucca 88.3 km, mud road 308.27 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Rice mill, saw mill.

Cottage industries Jute work, nakshi kantha, cane work, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 14, fairs 11, most noted of which are Kachua Hat, Bairagi Hat, Signboard Bazar, Goalmat Bazar, Bishkhali Baruni Mela and Shivabari Mela.

Main exports Coconut, betel nut, banana, palm molasses.

Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 40.8% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 58.4%, tap 2.7% and others 38.9%.

Sanitation 89.7% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 9.1% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.2% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Hospital 1, union health and family welfare centre 7, satellite clinic 2, community clinic 10, clinic 1.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are Onnesha, Prodeepan, asa, brac, CARE, CODEC. [Partho Dev Shaha]

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