Mintu Deshwara

Tea farmers in Bangladesh are concerned about seeing lower yields this year as much of their trees have been afflicted by various diseases and pests amid the ongoing heatwave and insufficient rain.

The lush forests of Moulvibazar in Bangladesh are home to a variety of wildlife, including the rare and endangered Phayre’s Leaf Monkey.

The Parer Tong village in Ashidron union under Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar is widely known as Korola’r Gram, or bitter gourd village, by vegetable wholesalers and traders all over Bangladesh.

Hundreds of temporary tea workers in the country are suffering due to a poor pay structure. Many of them are paid around 30 to 50 percent lower wages than permanent workers.

The topsoil of agricultural land is being sold to brick kilns in Kulaura upazila of Moulvibazar, causing damage to the fertility of earth and subsequent less production of crops.

With an olive-grey coat decorated with black spots and stripes, fishing cats have fascinated wildlife enthusiasts for a long time.

Thousands of people from seven villages have been suffering as a concrete bridge remains without approach roads in Kaerchak area of Kulaura upazila in Moulvibazar district for three years.

While hotel, resorts, and restaurants in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal were fully prepared to welcome travellers during this Eid vacation, only a few visitors have confirmed their bookings

While tourism related businesses in Kuakata of Patuakhali are expecting an onrush of travellers amid the ongoing Eid holiday, those in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar have been left disappointed by the low number of advance bookings.

Weavers of traditional Monipuri-style clothing in greater Sylhet passed busy days ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr as sales and prices have been good amid the ongoing festive season, which contributes most of their annual earnings.

When it rains a little, almost all the roads in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura Municipality get flooded. On top of that, the road towards the railway station through Dakshinbazar gets inundated, causing locals to suffer.

The Gogalichara canal in Kulaura municipality of Moulvibazar, the only means to drain water, has been a victim of filling and encroachment for many years. As a result, even a little rain causes waterlogging on the roads in the area, creating public nuisance.

Boats are the only means of transportation for people of several villages in Kauadighi Haor, one of the largest haors of Moulvibazar, during monsoon. But, due to the construction of an unplanned box culvert, people of at least 30 villages in the haor, under Sadar and Rajnagar upazilas, are facing untold suffering and damage to their crops.

The Sutang river, which was a blessing of nature for the people surrounding it, has now become a curse due to extreme pollution.

Cassava, known as shimul alu in Bangladesh, is a root vegetable widely consumed in many countries across the globe for its dietary benefits, which include healthy carbohydrates and vitamin C.

Abdus Salek, a 62-year-old resident of Habiganj town’s Khowai Mukh area, used to spend his childhood fishing in the Khowai river. However, he no longer visits its banks as it has now turned into a dumping ground for household and commercial waste.

In the heart of the green Fulchhara tea garden, the air was filled with a riot of colours and joy as thousands of tea workers gathered to celebrate the Fagua festival yesterday. It was a rare moment of respite from their otherwise arduous and monotonous lives.

All trains running through the Lawachara National Park in Moulvibazar have been instructed to run at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour to ensure the safety of the wildlife in the area.

The tea workers demanded Tk 30,000 in arrears for 20 months in line with the hiked wages that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked tea garden owners to pay in August last year

The year was 1971. Odoitto Sen Odhikary was just a tenth-grader preparing for his board exams.