Batiaghata Upazila

Batiaghata Upazila (khulna district) area 248.31 sq km, located in between 22°34' and 22°46' north latitudes and in between 89°24' and 89°37' east longitudes. It is bounded by kotwali and sonadanga thanas and dumuria upazila on the north, dacope, paikgachha and rampal upazilas on the south, Rampal, fakirhat and rupsa upazilas on the east, Dumuria and Paikgachha upazilas on the west.

Population Total 171691; male 86685, female 85006; Muslim 109591, Hindu 61708, Buddhist 6 and Christian 386.

Water bodies Main rivers: Kazibachha, Shoilmari, Jhapjhapia, pasur, rupsa; noted canals: Aria, Batiaghata and Halia; noted beels: Jhalma, Jhalbari, Basurabad, Ginirabad and Bhatgati.

Administration Batiaghata Thana was formed in 1892 and it was turned into an upazila in 1984. '

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
-	7	127	172	7675	164016	691	65.7	54.4

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
8.31	2	7675	924	65.7

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Amirpur 11	4593	8254	8028	49.4
Gangarampur 59	9272	9004	9164	62.4
Jalma 71	12934	30638	28387	56.9
Batiaghata 35	8535	9644	9816	63.8
Baliadanga 23	4839	8424	8389	45.9
Bhanderkote 47	6966	7888	7946	48.3
Surkhali 83	10986	12833	13276	51.0

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

War of Liberation During the war of liberation in 1971 the Pak army killed 3 persons at village Badamtali near Upazila sadar. An encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army when the Pak army attacked the camp of the freedom fighters at Jalsa High School. One person was killed in this encounter. Two freedom fighters were martyred in an encounter between the freedom fighters and the rajakars at Baroaria Bazar on 29 November. On 10 December birsrestha mohammad ruhul amin was killed by Pak air raid in Kazibachha river adjacent to village Mathabhanga on his way to Khulna from Mongla. One mass killing site was discovered at Gollamari and a memorial monument was built in the upazila.

For details: see বটিয়াঘাটা উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation Bangla Version), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৬।

Religious institutions Mosque 123, temple 84, church 1, pagoda 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 54.9%; Male 59.0%, female 50.7%. Noted educational institution: Khulna University (1991), Batiaghata College (1973), Shahid Abul Kashem College (1995), Boyarbhanga Biswambar Secondary School (1945), Chakrakhali Secondary School (1957), Batiaghata Headquarter Government Primary School (1973), Phulbari Senior Madrasa (1937).

Newspapers and periodicals Monthly: Upazila Darpan (defunct periodical), Rashni, Annesha.

Cultural organisations Club 20, library 2, women's organisation 1.

Main sources of income Agriculture 57.45%, non-agricultural labourer 8.72%, commerce 13.21%, transport and communication 4.63%, service 6.45%, construction 1.69%, religious service 0.22%, rent and remittance 0.16% and others 7.47%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 52.46%, landless 47.54%; agricultural landowner: urban' 62.19% and rural 51.92%.

Main crops Paddy, oil seed, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Jute.

Main fruits Mango, coconut, betel nut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries fishery 1000, dairy 185, poultry 85.

Communication facilities Pucca road 89 km, semi-pucca road 135 km, mud road 343.4 km; waterways 16 km.

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

Noted manufactories Rice mill, saw mill, ice factory, brick-field, bidi factory, shoe factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, weaving, blacksmith, potteries, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 50, most noted of which are Hatbari Hat, Kutir Bazar, Kaiya Bazar, Bara Aria Hat, Baintala Bazar, Joypur Bazar, Sadal Bazar and Katianangla Bazar.

Main exports Prawn (Galda and Bagda).

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 39.3% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.4%, tap 0.1% and others 3.5%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of this upazila.

Sanitation 87.4% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 9.7% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 2.9% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Heath centres 'Hospital 1, satellite clinic 2, family planning centre 6, veterinary hospital 1.

NGO activities brac, CSS, World Vision. [Shah Siddiq]

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