Patharghata Upazila

Patharghata Upazila (barguna district) area 387.36 sq km, located in between 22°14' and 22°58 north latitudes and in between 89°53' and 90°05' east longitudes. It is bounded by mathbaria and bamna upazilas on the north, bay of bengal on the south, barguna sadar and the bishkhali river on the east, sarankhola upazila and the Haringhata river on the west.

Population Total 162025; male 82687, female 79338; Muslim 143466, Hindu 18464, Buddhist 18, Christian 21 and others 56.

Water bodies Main rivers: Bishkhali, Haringhata, Baleshwari.

Administration Patharghata thana, now an upazila, was formed in 1925.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	7	42	66	24488	137537	418	67.4	62.4

Municipality

Area (sq km)

Ward

Mahalla

Population

Density (per sq km)

Literacy rate (%)

13.11

9

14275

1089

71.1

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
13.95	3	10213	455	62.1

Union

Name of union and GO code

Area (acre)

Population

Literacy rate (%)

Male

Female

Patharghata 71

12521

14534

13750

64.56

Kalmegha 35

12431

13021

13059

62.25

Kakchira 23

6519

10006

9882

60.20

Raihanpur 83

6114

7724

7772

57.79

Char Duanti 11

8921

12385

11664

59.52

Kanthaltali 47

5793

9799

9720

64.71

Nachna Para 59

5551

7415

7019

67.87

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Religious institutions Mosque 443, temple 56.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 63.2%; male 63.9%, female 62.4%. Educational institutions: college 3, secondary school 24. Noted educational institution: Patharghata KM Secondary School (1929).

Newspapers and periodicals Regular: Sangkalpa, defunct: Patharghata Barta.

Cultural organisations Library 1, club 35, women organisation 7, cinema hall 5.

Main sources of income Agriculture 60.3%, non-agricultural labourer 3.87%, industry 0.55%, commerce 15.88%, transport and communication 2.21%, service 6.42%, construction 1.46%, religious service 0.19%, rent and remittance 0.25% and others 8.87%.

Main crops Paddy, potato, khesari, mug, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sweet potato, futi, water melon, sesame, tobacco.

Main fruits Jackfruit, papaya, banana, pineapple, lemon.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 61, dairy 6, poultry 10.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin.

Noted manufactories Saw mill, rice mill, ice factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, embroidery, cane work, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 16, most noted of which are Patharghata Bazar, Kakchira Bazar, Rupdan Bazar, Haringhata Bazar, Char Duanti Bazar.

Main exports Paddy, hilsha fish, shrimp.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 5.43% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 81.34%, tap 15.76%, pond 1.75% and others 1.15%.

Sanitation 47.64% (rural 44.02% and urban 67.63%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 46.66% (rural 49.82% and urban 29.24%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 5.7% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health centre 1, union health and family planning centre 5, clinic 1.

Natural disasters About 400 people were victims of the tidal bore of 12 November 1971 and the tornado of 17 September 2006; these natural disasters also caused heavy damages to settlements, crops, livestock and other properties of the upazila.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa, caritas. [Safiuddin Ahmed]

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