KM Habibur Rahman

The sun rises over the marshlands of Pirojpur’s Nazirpur, casting golden ripples across the still waters.

Farmers in Pirojpur are delighted with this year’s bumper betel nut harvest but frustrated over the sharp fall in prices.

Thousands of people, including students, have to cross the Baleshwar river near Tarabuniya Bazar in Pirojpur’s Nazirpur upazila every day using a makeshift passage, as the construction of a 35-metre girder bridge over the river remains incomplete.

Hundreds of commuters in Pirojpur’s Nazirpur upazila have been suffering for the past two months as an iron bridge that partially collapsed is yet to be repaired.

At dawn on Fridays and Mondays, the marshlands of Pirojpur’s Nazirpur upazila come alive with the movement of over a hundred boats carrying fresh vegetables, fish, rice, and other goods to the lone Manoharpur haat.

A severe shortage of doctors and staff is hampering healthcare services at Pirojpur Sadar Hospital, leaving patients to suffer.

A 20-kilometre stretch along the Pirojpur–Nazirpur–Gopalganj road is so narrow that vehicles face severe difficulties navigating it. The stretch is too tight to allow two fast-moving vehicles to pass each other simultaneously.

Residents of Pirojpur town are suffering immensely due to the lack of adequate drainage facilities. The problem becomes particularly acute during the rainy season, when even moderate rainfall leaves roads waterlogged and impassable.