Derai Upazila

Derai Upazila (sunamganj district) area 420.93 sq km, located in between 24°39' and 24°53' north latitudes and in between 91°10' and 91°28' east longitudes. It is bounded by dakshin sunamganj and jamalganj upazilas on the north, sulla, baniachang and nabiganj upazilas on the south, jagannathpur upazila on the east, Sulla, khaliajuri and Jamalganj upazilas on the west.

Population Total 202791; male 105252, female 97539; Muslim 144136, Hindu 58576, Buddhist 33 and others 46.

Water bodies Main rivers: surma, kushiyara, Dahuka; Ainal, Tatua, Jalaldi, Haria and Bhogdoba beels are notable.

Administration Derai Thana was formed in 1942 and it was turned into an upazila in 1982.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	9	165	222	29104	173687	782	49.8	32.9

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
6.50	9	29	22680	3489	52.11

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
2.90	4	6424	2215	41.65

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Karimpur 47	10159	1196	10022	38.52
Kulanj 57	13293	12002	11479	37.02
Charnar Char 19	10918	11023	10217	30.56
Jagaddal 38	13097	13257	12302	40.16
Taral 85	9600	9236	8781	33.79
Derai Sarmangal 28	7388	6608	6293	29.90
Bhatipara 17	8297	9143	8486	26.66
Rafinagar 66	12764	10442	9523	28.21
Rajanagar 76	10577	10419	9682	29.31

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001,Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Shyamar Char Akhra, Mazar of Wakil Shah, Mazar of Lengta Shah, Bhatipara Mosque, Hosenpur Mosque.

Historical events Nankar Rebellion was held in this upazila in 1938. On 25 August 1971 an encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army in which Muktijoddhas like Azim Ullah, Kuti Miah and Gopendra Das were killed and while Adul Khaleque and Company Commandar Ataur Rahman were wounded.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 1; Mass killing site 1.

Religious institutions Mosque 253, temple 15, tomb 6.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 35.4%; male 38.4%, female 32.2%. Noted educational institutions: Derai Degree College (1979), Derai Boys' High School (1915), Derai Girls' High School (1958), Fakir Mohammad Ideal High School (1987), Rajanagar Krishnachandra Public Secondary School (1903), Derai Ideal Government Primary School (1805), Derai Jamea Hafizia Hossainia Madrasa (1978).

Cultural organisations Club 80, Library 1, cinema hall 2, theatre stage 1, jatra group 4, women organisation 2, cultural organisation 5.

Main sources of income Agriculture 74.85%, non-agricultural labourer 5.30%, industry 0.24%, commerce 8.14%, transport and communication 0.26%, service 3.19%, construction 0.64%, religious service 0.38%, rent and remittance 0.70% and others 6.30%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 49.11%, landless 50.89%; agricultural landowner: urban 43.25% and rural 50.04%.

Main crops Paddy, chilli, potato, onion, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Jute.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, wood-apple, banana, litchi, blackberry, guava.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 150, hatchery 5, poultry 120.

Communication facilities Pucca road 20 km, mud road 520 km; waterway 46 nautical miles.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage.

Noted manufactories Rice mill 12, flour mill 2, saw mill 8, brick-field 5, ice factory 3, pipe factory 1.

Cottage industries Weaving and bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 20, fairs 2, most noted of which are Derai, Rajanagar, Tanakhali, Ratanganj, Bhatipara, Shyamar Char, Banglabazar and Dhalbazar and Dhal Mela.

Main exports Fish.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 9.93% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 76.30%, pond 13.23%, tap 7% and others 3.47%. The presence of arsenic in an intolerable level has been detected in 3% shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 26.36% (rural 22.62% and urban 49.94%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 58.78% (rural 61.43% and urban 42.13%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 14.86% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health centre 1, health and family planning welfare centre 13, satellite clinic 2, tuberculosis (TB) hospital run by brac 1, leprosy hospital run by HEED Bangladesh 1, community clinic 15, veterinary hospital 1.

Natural disasters The floods of 1974 and 1988 and the tsunami of 2004 caused heavy damages to settlements and properties of the upazila.'

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, HEED Bangladesh, Grameen Janakolyan Sangstha. [Jiban Kumar Chanda]

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