Country Bangladesh District Barisal District Area 435.8 km² | Division Barisal Division Time zone BST (UTC+6) | |
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Website Official Map of the Mehendiganj Upazila | ||
Mehendigonj (Bengali: মেহেন্দিগঞ্জ) is an Upazila of Barisal District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh. Mehendigonj is popularly known as Patarhat (Bengali: পাতারহাট) by the local people.
Contents
Map of Mehendiganj, Bangladesh
Geography
Mehendigonj is located at 22.8319°N 90.5333°E / 22.8319; 90.5333 . It has 55,128 households and a total area of 435.79 km². The river Meghna is surrounded by this small island causing erosion every year during the monsoon season. The popular towns such as Ulania, Kaliganj in the east are in serious danger. About 9,480 people of 1,343 families have become homeless due to erosion. The rivers have expanded to cover 10,501 acres (42.50 km2) of land, 17 schools and colleges, 3 madrasas, 22 mosques and temples, 1,222 ponds, 18 kilometer roads, 42 business establishments, 3 big hats and 500 acres (2.0 km2) of betel nut groves.
Mehendigonj has a history of its own in education and culture, trade and commerce, agriculture and artistry. But the Meghna, the Tentulia and the Mashkata have become the 'fait accompli' of three lakh people of the upazila. The rivers have already swallowed most of the areas of several unions including Gubindapur, Jagalia, Darirchar-Khajuria, Bhashanchar and Andermanik.
There is a documentary titled Mehendigonj of Barisal at Estuary of Meghna based on river erosion directed by Fuad Chowdhury. The documentary portrays the severity of river erosion in monsoon season (July–September). Only in 2007, 12,000 acres (49 km2) of land was engulfed by the river Meghna, making around forty thousand people landless, especially affecting women's privacy and security. Hardly any initiative can be seen to rehabilitate these affected people and to stop the river erosion. Local people are helping each other with their limited resources. In the last 300 years, the feudal landlord (Jamidars) of Ulania of Mehendigonj built an estate of 100 buildings which are also under the threat of Meghna erosion.
Demographics
According to the 2001 Bangladesh census, Mehendigonj had a population of 304,364. Males constituted 154,400 of the population, and females 149,964. Mehendigonj had an average literacy rate of 62.5% (7+ years), against the national average of 46.5%.
Administration
Mehendigonj thana was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of one municipality, 9 Wards, 13 Unions, 11 Mahallas, 124 Mauzas, 155 villages and 58,719 households.
Unions
Notable residents
Notable people born in this upazila include; Asad Chowdhury (a poet), Abdul Gaffar Choudhury (writer of Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano) and Shah M. Abul Hussain (former BNP MP and State Minister of Finance & Planning from 2001-2006).