Dipankar Roy

After dusk, an eerie silence descends on Khulna city. Fear creeps into homes, roads, and alleyways alike -- fear of another murder, another lifeless body found somewhere.

More than 40 hours after the collapse of an embankment on the Dhaki river in Khulna’s Dacope upazila, authorities have yet to take any step for repairs, while water continues to inundate vast areas, submerging homes, croplands, and fish enclosures.

In the southwestern delta of Bangladesh, where roads vanish under monsoon waters, boats are critical for survival. Whether it is fishing, visiting the local bazaar, harvesting crops, or going to school, the rainy season demands one thing above all — a boat. This necessity has made the vessel an indispensable part of the rural economy. For those looking to buy one, the best destination remains the century-old Sheikhpura boat market in Khulna’s Terokhada upazila.

For more than a decade, Shipyard Road stretching from Khulna’s Rupsha Traffic Intersection to Khan Jahan Ali (Rupsha) Bridge has been a nightmare for commuters, businesses and students. What was once a bustling artery of trade and transport has turned into a pothole-ridden stretch.

The Khulna-Satkhira highway, one of the most important trade routes in the country’s southwest, now resembles a patchwork of broken bricks and gaping craters rather than a road.

KDA avenue, one of Khulna city’s busiest and most developed roads, has long been blighted by an ongoing problem -- it has served as an open garbage dumping site for the past 15 years.

Animal rights groups demand sterilisation, vaccination; some locals cite attacks

On the saline fringes of Bangladesh’s southwest coast, where seawater intrusion and freshwater scarcity have long dictated the fate of crops, a quiet agricultural revolution is ripening.