‘Our struggle for water is never-ending’

Bidyut Kumar Mondol, a farmer from Kamardha village in Naogaon’s Porsha upazila, finds himself grappling with a challenging predicament. He had prepared 23 bighas of land for cultivating Aman paddy, but his dreams have been thwarted by a relentless lack of water.
28 July 2023, 18:00 PM

High Barind running out of water

Due to decades of excessive water extraction, over 40 percent of unions in the high Barind region are facing severe groundwater depletion.
28 July 2023, 18:00 PM

Arial beel under threat

Arial Beel, one of the largest wetlands located in Munshiganj, is facing an invasion by illegal real estate developers. These business entities have acquired portions of the wetland, filling them up with sand and strategically placing signboards to attract potential buyers for residential development.
21 July 2023, 18:00 PM

Farashganj: The French connection

In the heart of Old Dhaka, there lies a neighbourhood with a captivating history, centuries-old buildings and a thriving spice market. Farashganj is located on the northern bank of the Buriganga river. Established in 1780, its principal thoroughfares are BK Das Road and Ahsanullah Road. In today’s issue of the Weekend Read, we will explore the history, mystery, and spice of Farashganj.
14 July 2023, 18:00 PM

JUTE MILLS IN DISARRAY

Due to lack of maintenance, the once-vibrant mill compounds now appear to be haunted places with weeds and vines growing all over
8 July 2023, 06:18 AM

Remote palichara reflects overall reality

Palichara, a remote village in Rangpur district, is not an unknown name in the local football fraternity ever since it emerged as a breeding ground of female footballers in the country.
7 July 2023, 18:00 PM

Hatcheries take over traditional methods

Once upon a time, egg collectors used conventional earthen wells to hatch spawns after collecting eggs released by broodfish in the Halda.
23 June 2023, 18:00 PM

High hopes in Halda

It rained in Hathazari, and there was turbulence in the Halda. When the clock struck midnight, quite a few boats gently glided down the river.
23 June 2023, 18:00 PM

Shishu Park: once bustling, now fading from memory

The ever-memorable song starts playing while children, sitting on the metallic horsebacks, delightfully start going round and round -- this is a memory many Dhaka residents can still relate to.
15 June 2023, 18:00 PM

The silent demise of National Book Centre

In a shabby, derelict building located at Gulistan’s Bangabandhu Avenue, lies Bangladesh’s only state-run organisation that looks after non-government libraries and takes initiatives to popularise reading books.
9 June 2023, 18:00 PM

Gone are the days of glory

There was a time not so long ago when Bangladesh Film Development Corporation was abuzz with various activities -- from shooting films to dubbing and editing.
2 June 2023, 18:00 PM

A trip down Dhaka Derby lane

After joining Abahani from BJMC in 1984, I had to endure abusive words from the fans for some off-target shots during a practice session ahead of the match against Mohammedan.
26 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Abahani vs Mohammedan: Worth gold in nostalgia

Almost every major football crazy city in the world has a historic club rivalry that it can brag about. Kolkata, London, Manchester, Milan, Madrid – you name it and there’s at least one colourful and storied rivalry to whet the appetite of football fans.
26 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Need to protect mangroves for coastal people

Kamal Hossen is a recently retired professor at the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science of Chattogram University. In a conversation with The Daily Star, he emphasised the importance of the conservation of mangrove forests.
19 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Destroying the last line of defence

Coastal residents at great risk of cyclones as mangrove forests cut down, leased and grabbed for ‘development’
19 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Hiking through an ‘alien’ world

“Hey, what's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?”
12 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Fire safety in a precarious state

Fire safety in Dhaka’s market buildings is in a very precarious condition, which has increased vulnerabilities for people and properties associated with these markets. The recent fire incidents in Bangabazar and Dhaka New Super Market are testimonies of these harsh realities prevailing in the capital, said Dr Adil Mohammed Khan, executive director of Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), during an interview with The Daily Star yesterday.
12 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Fire hazard in city markets: No lesson learnt

When one enters the building of Sharif Market on Chittaranjan Avenue in Sadarghat, there is a feeling of suffocation, despite the empty spaces between the eight-storey building. The building has been identified as risky in terms of fire safety. However, it only has nine fire extinguishers.
12 May 2023, 18:00 PM

Childhood trapped in ‘leguna’

“This is Mohammadpur, get off,” a child yelled out to the passengers of a leguna, otherwise known as human hauliers, which had reached the area as early as 7:00am.
5 May 2023, 18:00 PM

No place to call ‘home’

Dhalpur’s Telegu community evicted without financial assistance, resource allocation
28 April 2023, 18:00 PM