Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution - SaciWATERs. Literature/Module 8_Stakeholder... · Reader...
Transcript of Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution - SaciWATERs. Literature/Module 8_Stakeholder... · Reader...
1
Reader : Kaliakoir Industrial Pollution
2
Table of Contents
1. Background ................................................................................................................. 3
2. Study Area: ................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Location .............................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Population .............................................................................................................. 5
2.3 Land use .................................................................................................................. 5
2.4 Agricultural Practice: ............................................................................................. 6
2.5 Type of farmers ...................................................................................................... 6
2.7 Irrigation water: ..................................................................................................... 7
2.7.1 Irrigation Service charges ....................................................................................... 8
2.8 Industries and Industrial water use .................................................................... 8
3 Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area .......................................................................... 10
3.1 Rainfall .................................................................................................................. 10
3.2 Water Level Variation in the Beels. ..................................................................... 11
4. Water Quality .......................................................................................................... 11
5 Pollution impacts and conflicts ............................................................................... 12
6 Water Management Institutions .............................................................................. 14
7 Environmental Law and Regulations ...................................................................... 16
Appendix 1 : Additional Information .......................................................................... 18
3
1. Background
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with
approximately 895 people per square kilometer, and a projected population of around
146 million by the year 2010. It is also one of the world’s poorest countries, with a per
capita Gross National Product (GNP) of $260, and in which approximately 60 percent
of the population live below the poverty line (World Bank, 1993). The population
remains largely rural with only around 20 percent living in urban areas. Rural
livelihoods are dominated by agricultural production but people’s livihood systems are
diverse with fishing either for purely subsistence use or commercial sales being
common. Fish accounts for approximately 63 percent of the animal protein in
people’s diet (BBS, 2004). Less 40 percent of the population has access to modern
primary health care (PHC) services beyond child immunisations and family planning
(BBS, 2000; Abedin, 1997).
The high population growth rate and poverty levels have led Bangladesh to set a
development target in the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (iPRSP) of a 7
percent growth in GDP to achieve its development goals by 2015. The iPRSP calls for
a “focus on employment-intensive industrialisation with emphasis on small and
medium enterprises and export oriented industries”.
The country still has a relatively small industrial sector contributing about 20 percent
of the GDP between 1996-97 but it is growing rapidly. The manufacturing sub-sector
accounts for about half of this and grew at a rate of five percent between 1972 and 1992
(Bhattacharya et al., 1995). There are now over 24,000 registered small-scale industrial
units in Bangladesh (SEHD, 1998) and it is generally accepted there are an equivalent
number unregistered. The growth of small-scale industrial activities in Bangladesh has a
positive development dynamic in macro-economic terms, for example the ready-made
garment (RMG) sector accounts for 76 percent of national export earnings and 9.5
percent of GDP, providing US$ 5 billion in revenue and employing around 10 million
people, however industrialisation has also brought with it a range of problems,
including pollution of water resources. Many are highly polluting and as a
consequence of their rapid and largely unregulated development, many ecosystems are
now under threat, and with them the livelihood systems of local people (Chadwick
and Clemett, 2002). Consequently whilst Bangladesh is, in industrial terms, a
relatively undeveloped country, “the problem of localised pollution is alarming”
(SEHD, 1998); a situation that is compounded by the high population density of the
country of around 800 people per square kilometre.
4
2. Study Area:
Kaliakoir Thana in Gazipur District is an industrial site where rapid industrial
expansion has led to serious local pollution. This area was historically a prime rice
growning area but the number of industries locating there has steadily grown over the
past 15 years. There are now serveral types of industry in the area but it is dominated
by textile manufacturers, including dyeing and printing units, as well as poultry farms,
some pharmaceutical industries and a tannery.
2.1 Location
Kaliakair, is the second smallest upazilla of Gazipur District approximately 25
kilometres north-east of Dhaka. The area of the upazilla is 314.14 sq.km. including
1.22 sq.km. river and 79.72 sq.km. forest area (Appendix 1). It is situated between
24º15’ north latitudes and between 90º22’ east longitudes. The Upazilla is bordered,
on the south by Savar and Dhamrai thana of Dhaka district and on the west by
Mirzapur thana of Tangail zila.
The Upazilla consists of 9 unions, 181 mauzas and 283 villages. The average population
of union, mauza and village are 25,879, 1287 and 823 respectively.
5
Figure 1: Gazipur District map showing study area
2.2 Population
The population of the area is 232,915 of which 119,265 are males and 113,650 are
females. According to 1991 data, the sex ratio of the Upazilla is 105 males per 100
females. The decadal population growth ratio is 40.51% and annual compounded
growth rate is 3.46%. The decadal growth rates over the last 110 years are shown in
table Table 1 below:
Table 1: Decadal Growth of Population : 1881-1991
Decade Growth Rate Decade Growth Rate
1881-1891 14.4 1941-1951 (-)3.6
1891-1901 9.5 1951-1961 28.6
1901-1911 11.9 1961-1974 42.9
1911-1921 8.3 1974-1981 21.9
1921-1931 8.8 1981-1991 40.5
2.3 Land use
Land use data of the study area is given in Table 4. It is found that Boro rice
cultivation is predominant though a large area remains fallow and as settlement area.
Table 4 Land use of study area, March 2001
Land use Area in ha.
Boro 4414
Settlement 5750
Forest 952
Fisheries 48
Industries 92
Khal and Beel 226
Pond 161
Current Fallow 7487
Total 19130
Table 5 shows land use pattern by household classes. It shows that the distribution of
the land area is very uneven. The landless farmers have lowest area of land. Each
6
household in the area use land as homestead, cultivation, orchard and pond. However,
major portion of the land is used for cultivation.
Table 5 Land use pattern by household classes in Turag-Bongshi
Homestead
(Dec)
Cultivatable
(Dec)
Orchard
(Dec)
Pond
(Dec)
Fallow
(Dec)
Land less 8.94 7.42 0.07 0.60 0.33
Marginal
Farmers
16.36 98.69 0.00 6.15 0.00
Small Farmers 23.30 196.71 0.00 5.79 3.03
Medium
Farmers
28.69 341.20 0.00 8.88 13.40
Large Farmers 29.07 837.14 0.00 33.79 59.64
2.4 Agricultural Practice:
Crops grown by the households are categorized into three cropping sequence i.e. Rabi,
Kharip I, Kharip II. Boro, wheat, pulses and mustard are known as rabi crop, Aush
and jute is known as Kharip I and Aman known as Kharip II. During Rabi season 97%
household were found to cultivate Boro crop. The next widely grown crops in Rabi
season were found to be Mustards (25%) and wheat (15%).
2.5 Type of farmers
Table 2 shows that the farmers in the area are classified into five categories1
. This
categorization is based on the land holding size of a household. A household having 0-
50 decimal land is considered as landless farmer.
In the area most of the dwelling households depend on agriculture which is the main
source of household income. Other sources of household income are from non
agricultural source such as fishing, trading etc (Table 3).
Table 2 Type of farmers
Household class Holding size
(Dec.)
HHs No % of household
Land less 0-50 159 56.7
1 This was categorized based on the information of a baseline survey carried out in September, 1999 by
MACH-CNRS. The survey was conducted in 8 villages (280 household) in the area.
7
Marginal Farmers 51-150 68 24.2
Small Farmers 151-250 20 7.1
Medium Farmers 251-500 25 8.9
Large Farmers 500+ 8 2.8
All classes 280
Table 3 Percentage distribution of household by occupation
Occupation Landless Marginal Small Medium Large All
household
(HH)
Farmer 11.95 44.93 60.00 84.00 87.50 32.03
Share Cropper 11.32 8.70 5.00 4.00 0.00 9.25
Day labourer 11.32 2.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.12
Fisherman 23.90 1.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.88
Boatman 5.03 1.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.20
Trading 15.73 11.59 5.00 4.00 12.50 12.81
Industrial worker 4.40 4.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.60
Others 16.35 24.27 30.00 8.00 0.00 18.11
2.6 Drinking water:
In the, 90.48% of the dwelling households use tube-well, 0.87% use tap, 8.46% use dug-
well, 0.09% use pond and 0.10% use canal/river as main source of drinking water.
However, only 48% households own tubewell.
2.7 Irrigation water:
In the area crop is produced in rainfed and irrigated lands. 52% of farmers use ground
water, 18% use river water, 23% use beel water and rest use canal or pond water for
irrigating their fields.
In the area, farmers with small land holdings obtain higher yields than larger holders.
This is because the poor farmers use the available water more efficiently, grow better
quality rice and irrigate more intensively than farmers with more land.
8
2.7.1 Irrigation Service charges
Water charges in the area are not based on the volume of water used but on (1) area
irrigated and (2) type of crop grown. Charges average around Tk 500 per acre. But,
collection rates are poor in the system.
2.8 Industries and Industrial water use
There are about 274 industries in the area, of which 166 is textile related industries
(Figure 2). It has been estimated that number of industries in the area has increased from
80 to 274, of which textile related factories have increased from around 20 to 166
between 2003 and 2005 (out of which 51 industries are directly involved in dyeing).
It is estimated that textiles and dying industries use about 240 L of water for processing
1 kg of fabric. Ground water is used for this purpose. In the area, most textiles and
dying industries have 5 -10 tons capacity per day.
9
Figure 2: Industries in Kaliakair area
10
3 Hydrology of Turag-Bangshi Area
The “Turag-Bangshi” river basin is located in the North Central “Hydrological
Region” of Bangladesh. This region is bounded by the Jamuna, Padma, Old
Brahmaputra and the Sitalakha river system; Jamuna being on the west, Old
Brahmaputra on the north and northeast, and Sitolakha on the east. Other important
waterways are the Dhaleswari-Kaliganga River, which crosses the southwestern part of
the region. Besides these main rivers, the region is drained by many small rivers such
as, Bangshi, Pungli, Banar etc. The study area consists of a portion of the Turag-
Bangshi River and their adjacent wetlands within Kaliakair Upazila of Gazipur
District.
Typical of most low-lying floodplains of Bangladesh, the Turag-Bangshi River runs
through numerous beels on either side of the river. At the beginning of the rainy
season, as floodwaters enter the upstream portions of the Bangshi, water spills over the
riverbanks through canals/khals that connect the river to those adjacent beels. Fish,
for the most part, move from the rivers to the beel/floodplain areas for spawning or
nursing and then into the deeper perennial portions of the beels or back into the river
as water recedes after the rains. Dry season water level reduction in khal and beel is
caused by the ground and surface water extraction for boro rice irrigation, and reduced
flows due to deforestation in local and upper-watershed areas (MACH, 2001). During
this period, fish remain only in river pools (called 'kum's) and in the deepest portions
of the beels (called 'doha').
Within the Turag site, a total of 26 beels having water surface area of approximately
10,000 ha during full flood, which is reduced to less than 700 ha. at the end of the dry
season. The river Turag runs approximately 30 km through the site and there are
another 28km of khals which exist within the area. The hydrology of the Turag-Bangsi
Flood Plain, like those of similar areas of Bangladesh, is determined principally by the
monsoon occurring from May-October followed by a dry period from November-
April. The availability of water determines fish production, agriculture cycle and life
style of the people in the area.
3.1 Rainfall
In the area, on an average there is less than 3% of annual rainfall during December-
March, less than 20% of annual rainfall during the pre-monsoon period (March-May)
and the remainder during the period June-October. In Mokesh beel, Alua beel and
Turag River flows shown to have maintained the same levels over the last 50 years
during rainy season. But in dry season water level has shown to have declined
(MACH, 2001).
11
3.2 Water Level Variation in the Beels.
The water level of Mokesh Beel was monitored for four years (2000-2003). During this
period, the same trend was observed from January to May. However, it was found that
water level began to rise in May of 2002 though in the previous year, water level was
far below during the same period. At the end of June 2002, water level exceeded 2001's
level due to the heavy downpour during this month. In 2003, water level followed the
same trend of the previous year.
Dry season Water Area
The dry season water area has been estimated for the months March-April 2001.
Spatial distribution of dry season water area is given in Table 6.
Table 6: Estimated dry season water area of Mokesh Beel Catchment
Types of water area Area in ha
Khal and beel (dry season)
Mokesh and kaliadaha
39.70
Pond (Adjustcent to Mokesh and Kaliadaha) 9.20
Total 48.90
4. Water Quality
Mokesh Beel is one of the biggest wetlands in the area covering approximately 1,100 ha
(2,700 acres) in the wet season, but holding only 40 ha (100 acres) of water in the dry
season, when it receives most of its water from Ratanpur Khal, which is fed almost
entirely by industrial effluent (Figure 1). As a result, water quality has gradually
deteriorated to a level which was reportedly unsuitable for certain types of aquatic life.
It is found that water in the khal has high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical
oxygen demand (COD), pH and sulfide levels (Table 4). This pollution was found to
be a serious problem affecting the livelihoods of local people. In an initial
participatory problem census, conducted in 1999 by the Management of Aquatic
Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH) project (USAID and GOB
funded project), local people reported that the fish they caught had a bad smell and
were difficult to sell or eat (Chowdhury and Clemett, 2006).
It is estimated that approximately 30 billon liters per year of wastewater entering into
the Mokesh beel and adjustcent water bodies of the area. These wastewaters contained
a number of chemicals. On the basis of inputs to the textile dyeing process it was
calculated that several hundred metric tons of acetic acid, soda ash, glauber salt,
common salt and dyes are contributed to the system annually (Table 7). Given the
12
huge increase in the number of textile dyeing units in the area over the past six years,
this figure is likely to have increased several-fold.
Table 7 Quantities of Five Auxiliaries Entering Textile Dyeing Wastewater
Auxiliaries Mass used per year (metric tons)
Acetic Acid 105
Soda Ash 432
Glauber salt 1550
Common salt 115
Dyes 167
Table 4 Range of Water Quality Analysis Results
Sediment samples analyzed in the area were found to contain high sulphur. The high
sulphur levels however are almost certainly related to the high quantities of sodium
sulphate that are used in textile dyeing.
Fish samples had very low metal concentrations but this may not to be indicative of
the pollution load as the fish were very small and of young age of the fish.
5 Pollution impacts and conflicts
Due to the high dependence on natural water resources in the area, and the goods and
services that the locals produce, the availability of clean water has become the main
issue of concern and conflict among the users. In this particular case, water is
availability but its use is extremely limited by of the quality of the water.
The high BOD and COD of the effluents, and the resultant high BOD, COD and low
DO of the khal and beel appear to have impacted on the quantity and quality of fish
stocks. Local fisherman report that fish stocks in the areas have gone down, which
Parameter National Standard for
effluent Khal Beel
COD (ppm) 200 200 - 1500 32 – 300
BOD (ppm) 50 100-600 20 – 130
DO (ppm) 4.5 – 8.0 0 0 – 100
pH 6.5 9.0 7.7 – 10.9 9.2 – 9.5
Sulphide (ppm) .001 0.004 –0.3 0 – 0.066
Sulfate (ppm) - 96 – 460 115 – 310
TDS (ppm) 100 1000 - 2500 450 – 1700
13
means that they can no longer fully depend on fishing and have to look for alternative
income generating activities. In addition, they were blamed for selling tainted fish in
the market and say that people will not buy fish if they know that it has been caught
in Mokesh Beel.
Farmers interviewed as part of a livelihoods study also claim that the water pollution is
impacting on their crops. They are particularly concerned about the polluted
sediments that are left on their land after the rainy season, which analysis has shown
contain high sulphur levels. In addition they are sometimes compelled to irrigate their
land with beel water due to groundwater shortages or lack of access to tube wells.
These problems they say reduce yields on some plots of land and also give the crops a
bad taste.
Skin diseases and diarrhoea are most predominant health problems in the area.
Community members and health workers interviewed claimed that there may be an
association between pollution and health problems. It has been reported that children
and factory workers suffer the most from skin diseases, and some health workers noted
that fishermen and those who have frequent contact with beel water also suffer.
5.1 Emergence of conflict
In the beginning the pollution problem was a silent issue as the economy of the area
was highly dependent on the industries. It is observed that most of the household in
the area have one or two members working in the industries. Also, the area became a
centre of interest for outsiders and many businesses were brought in the area,
therefore, people were hesitant to raise this problem publicly.
The situation worsened further in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when there were a large fish
kill in the areas that decimated the fish population, including the fish in one of the fish
sanctuaries. After this the community became even more active on this issue.
Conflict of interests in the area
Actors Interest
Community Use clean water for domestic use
Job in industries
Clean environment for new generation
Stay healthy
Enforcement of law
Farmers Safe water for cultivation
Same yield and quality
Fisherman Carry out fishing in all areas
Stay in fishing profession
Sell clean fish in the local market
14
Industries Stay in business, earn foreign currency
Comply with buyers criteria
Department of environment Maintain the quality of water
Environmental Activist Save environment
6 Water Management Institutions
Local level
There is no formal water management association in the area. However, there are 4
Resource Management Organizations (RMO) in the area. Their prime responsibilities
are sustainable management of a particular wetland ecosystem within their respective
jurisdictions. Within the two RMOs, there are two water quality monitoring groups
who are involved in monitoring the water bodies of the area. These RMOs were
formed with the help of MACH project (GOB and USAID funded project). Since
1999 MACH project is working in this area. Their goal is to promote ecologically
sound management of floodplain resources for the sustainable supply of food to the
poor.
There is one “Local Government committee” in the area responsible for local level
planning and resource management. This committee consists of Upazila Nirbahi
Officer (UNO), Upazila Fisheries Officer, Upazilla Agriculture Officer, MACH’s site
coordinators, Resource Management Organization (RMO) representatives and union
Chairman.
“Pollution Abatement Team” of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), University
of Leeds (UK), and Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) are also working
in this area to identify and implement mitigation measures to reduce pollution in the
area.
There is a “National Steering Committee” for MACH project to provide guidance and
advice on managing the natural resources of the area. This committee is chaired by the
Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MOFL). The Ministry of Land
(MOL) representative is the vice-chairperson, and the Department of Fisheries (DOF),
Department of Environment (DOE), External Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of
Environment and Forestry (MOEF), Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation
Division (IMED), Planning Commission, USAID, and MACH have all been
represented in this committee. The committee met at least once a year or as often as
required.
15
National Level
The overall responsibility for the administration and management of government-
owned land and water bodies is vested in the Ministry of Land (MoL), in accordance
with the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act (1950) . Any ministry or government
agency requiring any land or water bodies for execution of its projects must obtain it
through MoL. As such, MoL has passed authority to MoFL to lease several water
bodies in the country as part of its Community Based Fisheries Management
Programme. Generally, however, the management of land and water bodies is
conducted through the local government administration.
Government ownership of water bodies generally falls into two categories: open access
waters and closed access waters. All water bodies that have a continuous flow of water
throughout the year are managed as open access resources. The government collects no
revenue from these and anyone may use them. All other water bodies, i.e. those which
are only seasonally connected to rivers and canals are available for lease-hold and
known as closed access waters. Generally, lease is issued for 3 year period for the
purpose of aquaculture. The lease is given to the highest bidder through auction
process.
The Ministry of Water Resources through several of its agencies, particularly the
Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO) and the Bangladesh Water
Development Board (BWDB), are responsible for all other forms of water management
in Bangladesh. The BWDB is principally responsible for implementation, operation
and maintenance of water related projects, whilst WARPO is mandated to advice on
policy, planning and regulation of water resources. The responsibility for control and
abatement of water pollution falls to the DoE (Department of Environment) within
the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). DoE is mandated to set and enforce
environmental regulations for all forms of pollution and media (air, water and soil).
Specifically in relation to water pollution, DoE are responsible for: pollution control;
setting water quality standards (WQS) for water use and discharge; defining
environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures; issuing environmental clearance
permits; and declaring and protecting degraded ecosystems (UNEP, 2001).
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), through its Department of Fisheries
(D0F), has overall responsibility for fisheries and aquaculture development,
management and conservation. Its functions, which are both regulatory and
development oriented, and the coordination of national policy in respect of fisheries,
the prevention of fish disease, the conservation, management and development of
fisheries resources, the management of fish farms and training and collection of
information.
16
7 Environmental Law and Regulations
The Environmental Conservation Act and Rules are in force for Bangladesh for quite a
long time. There have been a number of acts and laws introduced environmental
protection. However, the present available rules and regulations etc. not as
comprehensive and extensive like those in western world.
The Environmental Pollution Control Ordinance 1977 (Ordinance XIII of 1977) was
the first official regulatory framework to provide for the control, prevention and
abatement of pollution of the environment of Bangladesh. The ordinance was enacted
on March 31, 1977 repealing the previous Water Pollution Control Ordinance, 1970
(E. P. Ordinance V of 190). When realizing the gradual degradation of the
environment, the Government of Bangladesh upgraded the Environmental Pollution
Control Ordinance 1977. In February, 1995 the Parliament passed the Environmental
Conservation Act and it became enacted in June, 1995 repealing the previous
Environmental Pollution control Ordinance 1977. To enforce the Act, government
developed rules, which came into force in 1997. These rules are called Environmental
Conservation Rules which focuses the role of Department of Environment and
responsibility of industries. To enforce the Act, the government has established an
organisation under Ministry of Environment and Forest. This organisation is known
as Department of Environment and it is headed by a Director General.
Reference:
Abedin, M. N. (1997) Health and Population Sector: An Overview and Vision Papar
for the Logical Farmework (Log-Frame) Workshop for the Fifth Health and
Population Programme (HAPP-5) 23-25 February 1997. Government of Bangledesh.
BBS (2000) Report of Health and Demographic Survey (2000). Bangladesh Bureau of
Statistics, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BBS (2004) Fisheries Statistical yearbook 2003-2004. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics,
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) 2005
Bangladesh Apparel and Textile exposition, 29 September to October, 2005. Dhaka.
Bangledesh.
BBS (1993) Bangladesh Population Census, 1991, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics,
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
17
MACH (2001) Hydrology Study Report
Ullah, A.N. A., Clemmett, A, Chowdhury, N., Chadwick, M., Huq, T and Sultana, R
(2006) Human health and Industrial Pollution
Chowdhury, N and Clemett, A (2006) Industrial pollution and its threat to Mokesh
Beel wetland in Kaliakoir, MACH Technical Paper 3.
18
Appendix 1 : Additional Information
Kaliakair Upazilla at a Glance
19
Items 1991 1981 Growth Rate (%)
Decadal Annual
1. AREA
In Sq. Km 314.14 314.14
In Sq. mile 121.29 121.29
2. HOUSEHOLDS 45,565 26,575 71.46 5.54
Rural 43,285 26,165 66.75 5.25
Urban 2,280 410 372.20 16.79
3. HOUSEHOLD SIZE (Dwelling Unit)
Thana 5.1 6.2 (-) 17.74 (-) 1.93
Rural 5.1 6.2 (-) 17.74 (-) 1.93
Urban 4.9 6.6 (-) 25.76 (-) 2.93
4. POPULATION
Male 232,915 165,766 40.51 3.46
Female 119,265 85,038 40.25 3.44
113,650 80,728 40.78 3.48
Rural 222,541 163,497 36.11 3.13
Male 113,288 83,557 35.58 3.09
Female 109,253 79,940 36.67 3.17
Urban 10,374 2,269 357.21 16.42
Male 5,977 1,481 303.58 14.97
Female 4,397 788 457.99 18.76
5. DENSITY
Per Sq. km 741 528 40.34 3.46
Per Sq. mile 1,920 1,367 40.45 3.46
6. SEX RATIO (M/F)
Thana 105 105 0.00 0.00
Rural 104 105 (-) 0.95 (-) 0.10
Urban 145 188 (-) 22.87 (-) 2.56
7. LITERACY (7 Years & Over)
Thana 28.7 22.8 25.88 2.33
Male 37.1 32.0 15.94 1.49
Female 19.8 13.1 51.15 4.22
8. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE (5 to 24 Years
20
Thana 41,845 15,325 173.05 10.57
Male 24,472 10,001 144.70 9.36
Female 17,373 5,324 226.31 12.55
9. URBAN POPULATION (%) 4.45 1.37 224.82 12.50
10. Geographic Unit
Union 9 9
Mauza* 181 181
Village 283 281
Municipality - -
Ward - -
Mahalla - -
Geology
Most of the area falls within Pleistocene terrace of North Central region of
Bangladesh. It is locally known as Madhupur tract. It is a semi rural area site and
representative of Jamuna Flood plain. The river Turag divides the study area into two
parts, north and south. Aowla and Mokesh Beel is located in the northern and
southern side of the Turag River respectively. Topographically the eastern Kaliakair
thana is a steep sided valley surrounded by many low-heights red soil hills make the
area undulated. Two major land types are predominant, high and low land. Locally
high land known as Chala and low land is known as Baid. Degraded forest and
settlement primarily occupy high land. On the other hand Baid area is use mainly for
agriculture. The western part of the Kaliakair upazilla and Mirzapur and Basail thana is
more flat.
Household size
The average household size for the Upazilla is 5.1 persons, for rural area the size is
same i.e. 5.1 and for urban area the size is small i.e. 4.6. The household size in
dwelling, institution and other units are 5.1, 11.1 and 3.1` persons respectively.
Electricity
All the unions of the Upazilla have been brought under Rural Electrification
Programme. According to the 1991 census, 13.37% of the total households and 11.83%
of the dwelling households reported to have electricity connection in the entire
Upazilla.
Roads and highways
21
The main Dhaka Tangail highway passes through Kaliakair and new railroad is also
constructed through Kaliakair. In the dry season, most of the area is accessible through
these rural roads. However, country boat is widely use as a means of communication
in monsoon season.
Literacy
The literacy (7 years and over) is 28.7% for both sexes, 37.1% for male and 19.8% for
female. In case of urban area, it is 56.0% for both sexes, 63.2% for male and 44.9% for
female which are higher as compared to the corresponding rates in rural area of 27.6%
for both sexes, 35.9% for male and 19.0% for female. In the Upazilla, the literacy is
highest i.e. 40.3% in Sreefaltali union and the lowest i.e. 14.2% in Fulbaria union.
Sanitation:
In Kaliakair upazilla , 9.64% of dwelling households have sanitary latrines with 8.38%
in rural area and 42.16% in urban area. A total of 47.44% of the households have non-
sanitary latrines with 47.65% in rural area and 41.91% in urban area. In this than,
42.93% of the households have no toilet facility at all.