Sarishabari Upazila

Sarishabari Upazila (jamalpur district) area 263.48 sq km, located in between 24°34' and 24°50' north latitudes and in between 89°43' and 89°56' east longitudes. It is bounded by madarganj and jamalpur sadar upazilas on the north, bhuapur upazila on the south, gopalpur and' dhanbari 'upazilas the east, sariakandi, kazipur and sirajganj sadar upazilas on the west.

Population Total 316007; male 161683, female 154324; Muslim 307222, Hindu 8692, Buddhist 39 and others 54.

Water bodies Main rivers: jamuna, Jhinai; Balakuria Beel and Kauamara Beel are notable.

Administration Sarishabari Thana was formed in 1960 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	12	120	146	17320	222763	588	43.8	31.3

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
3.58	9	17	17320	4838	43.8

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Karnibari 56	12920	12356	11136	38.42
Kazla 55	16509	8644	8116	13.23
Kamalpur 44	5336	12118	11970	26.07
Kutubpur 63	4836	12533	11943	33.05
Chandan Baisha 25	3180	5216	5165	36.81
Chaluabari 19	14454	7588	6979	17.25
Narchi 75	3881	9005	8816	36.40
Fulbari 31	5876	16042	15418	39.66
Bohail 12	17155	7251	6522	29.35
Bhelabari 11	3644	8059	7665	26.25
Sariakandi 88	6328	7188	6953	36.28
Hat Sherpur 37	6813	8063	8017	31.33

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Five domed Raspal Jami Mosque (nineteenth century), Narapara Fort (sixteenth century).

History of the War of Liberation In 1971 the Pak army in collaboration with their local agents conducted mass killing, plundering and torturing; they also set many houses of the upazila on fire.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 8 (adjacent to Baushi bridge, Muktijoddha Samsad compound, Aramnagar, Outer signal, Shaicharpara, Kandharpara, Checheabadha, Pingna Shahi Mosque, Parpara).

Religious institutions Mosque 530, temple 19.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 39.2%; male 42.9%, female 35.3%. Educational institutions: college 9, homeopathy college 1, technical college 2, secondary school 35, primary school 117, community school 4, mass education centre 55, madrasa 23. Noted educational institutions: Alhaj Riajuddin Talukder Degree College (1967), Pingna English High School (1879), Pingna High School (1896), Doail High School (1911), Chaparkona Mohesh Chandra High School (1919), Sarishabari Rani Nidmoni Model High School (1920), Sarishabari RDM High School (1920), Balaridia Primary School (1869), Pogaldigha Primary School (1890), Aramnagar Kamil Madrasa (1922), Pingna Madrasa (Emperor Shahjahan's period),

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Nabatan.

Cultural organisations Library 76, club 65, theatre group 1, cinema hall 2, women's organisation 32, playground 17.

Main sources of income Agriculture 63.84%, non-agricultural labourer 2.76%, industry 1.31%, commerce 12.29%, transport and communication 2.91%, service 8.06%, construction 1.28%, religious service 0.22%, rent and remittance 0.36% and others 6.97%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 65.90%, landless 34.10%; agricultural landowner: urban 47.56% and rural 69.39%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard, sugarcane, ground nut, sweet potato, musuri, betel leaf, turmeric, chilli, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops China, kaun, sesame, linseed.

Main fruits Mango, coconut, betel nut, banana, papaya.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 5, poultry 15, hatchery 3, cattle breeding centre 4.

Communication facilities Pucca road 119 km, semi-pucca road 27 km, mud road 296 km; railway 17 km; waterway 16 nautical miles.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, dhuli.

Noted manufactories Jute mill, fertiliser factory, welding factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, weaving, nakshi kantha, wood work, bamboo work, cane work, jute and cotton work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 60, fairs 3, most noted of which are Aramnagar Hat, Boira Hat, Pingna Hat, Bhatara Hat, Bagarpar Mela and Baushi Panchapir Mela.

Main exports Jute, jute made goods, mustard, rice, chilli, fertiliser, milk.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 23.55% (urban 40.05% and rural 20.47%) of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 92.16%, tap 1.83%, pond 0.09% and others 5.92%. The presence of arsenic has been detected in shallow tube-well water of the upazila.

Sanitation 21.71% (rural 21.78% and urban 21.32%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 50.99% (rural 51.06% and urban 50.61%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 27.30% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 8, satellite clinic 4, diagnostic centre 2.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, caritas, CARE, DANIDA. [Sayed Md. Abdullah Al Mamun Chowdhury]

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