Dighinala Upazila
Dighinala Upazila (khagrachhari district) area 694.11 sq km, located in between 23°04' and 23°44' north latitudes and in between 91°56' and 92°11' east longitudes. It is bounded by tripura state of India on the north, langadu upazila on the south, baghaichhari upazila on the east, panchhari and khagrachhari sadar upazilas and Tripura state on the west. Golamoon, Karmi Mura, Lutiban, Kuradia hills are notable.
Population Total 103392; male 53054, female 50338; Muslim 34641, Hindu 9650, Buddhist 58679, Christian 416 and others 6. Indigenous communities such as chakma, santal, tripura, marma belong to this upazila.
Water bodies Main river: Maini.
Administration Dighinala Thana was formed in 1916 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 | ||||||
| - | 5 | 22 | 245 | 15610 | 87782 | 149 | 62.4 | 43.2 | |
| Upazila Town | ||||||||
|
Area |
Mouza |
Population |
Density |
Literacy rate | ||||
| 10.36 | 1 | 15610 | 1507 | 62.4 | ||||
| Union | ||||
| Name of union and GO code | Area (acre) | Population | Literacy rate (%) | |
| Male | Female | |||
| Kabakhali 63 | 11520 | 8048 | 7573 | 49.2 |
| Dighinala 47 | 10880 | 6660 | 6533 | 46.2 |
| Babuchhara 15 | 53120 | 7311 | 6795 | 40.1 |
| Boalkhali 31 | 7680 | 10620 | 9863 | 56.6 |
| Merung 79 | 56320 | 20415 | 19574 | 41.5 |
Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
War of Liberation There had been no direct encounter with the Pak army in the upazila during the War of Liberation. However, the freedom fighters fought against the razakars, mujahids, mizos and Pakistani soldiers at the beginning of December, 1971 and forced them to flee from the area.
For details: see দীঘিনালা উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৪।
Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.2%; male 52.9%, female 39.1%. Educational institutions: Dighinala Government College, Dighinala Government High School, Dighinala Model Girls' School, Hashinpur High School, Anath Ashram Abashik High School, Babuchhara High School, Udal Bagan High School, Rasik Nagar Dakhil Madrasa.
Main sources of income Agriculture 65.53%, non-agricultural labourer 8.51%, commerce 9.70%, service 5.01%, construction 0.42%, religious service 0.20%, rent and remittance 0.10% and others 10.53%.
Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 46.96%, landless 53.04%; agricultural landowner: urban 25.85% and rural 50.57%.
Main crops Paddy, ginger, garlic, mustard, nut, sesame, potato, vegetables.
Main fruits Banana, jackfruit.
Fisheries, dairies and poultries Poultry 6.
Communication facilities Pucca road 108 km, semi-pucca road 109 km, mud road 280 km; waterway 5 km.
Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Bullock cart.
Noted manufactories Rice mill, saw mill.
Cottage industries Goldsmith, weaving, wood work.
Hats, bazars and fairs Dighinala, Babuchhara and Kalyanpur bazars are notable.
Access to electricity All the unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 31.1% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.
Sources of drinking water Tube-well 65.9%, tap 0.5% and others 33.6%.
Sanitation 33.6% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 61.2% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 5.2% of households do not have latrine facilities.
Health centres Upazila health complex 1. [Atikur Rahman]
References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Dighinala Upazila 2007.
