Sohrab Hossain

The villagers used the canal's water for irrigating their croplands, and for numerous domestic purposes. It also served as a waterway connecting different areas in the upazila

Once a vibrant waterbody crisscrossing through Barguna’s Amtali town, the century-old Basugi canal is now on its deathbed due to rampant encroachment and pollution.

On November 17 last year, as Cyclone Midhili crossed the coast of Bangladesh, 25 fishermen from Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila, who were in three trawlers in the Bay of Bengal, went missing.

A tributary of Rabanabad river merges with the Andharmanik river to form an estuary in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali before the rivers descend to the Bay of Bengal.

Saidul Islam, a 25-year-old from Dashmina upazila in Patuakhali, once dreamed of building a stable life for his family. But the light of that dream has been extinguished -- both figuratively and literally.

Just six months after Tk 6,500 crore was spent on capital dredging, Payra Port’s Rabnabad channel has lost much of its navigability, pushing up coal transport costs for the power plants in the area.

Fish farming in Patuakhali has taken a new turn with increasing interest in coral fish farming through artificial feeding

Amid the backdrop of all other coal-based power plants in the country, including India’s Adani, the production of a unit of Payra Thermal Power Plant went into maintenance today

The Kalapara-Dhankhali road in Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila has begun collapsing in several areas, with cracks forming in many sections.

The 40-kilometre regional road connecting Amtali, Taltali, and Fakirhat in Barguna has fallen into disrepair just 11 months after an extensive repair project, causing significant hardship for over 100,000 residents in Amtali and Taltali upazilas.

The country’s third seaport, Payra Port, has been witnessing a steady increase in marine traffic over the years as major local conglomerates are opting to bring in bulk cargo through this port located in the southern district of Patuakhali -- 272 kilometres from the capital.

The Dumki Upazila Post Office in Patuakhali is in a state of disrepair, with large cracks appearing throughout the building due to years of neglect and lack of renovations.

The Local Government Engineering Department initiated construction of a bridge over Gazipur Canal in Barguna’s Amtali upazila on January 1, 2019 at a cost of Tk 4.23 crore.

Each fisherman will get 25 kgs of rice under the VGF scheme during the ban beginning on October 13

Fishermen demand cash assistance including increase in quantity of rice under VGF scheme

Construction work of a bridge on Madarbunia Canal in Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila is still incomplete even though more than a year passed since its stipulated deadline.

While many seek shelter from the harsh coastal weather, 55-year-old Kamal Hossain of Kumirmara village in Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila’s Neelganj union can be found planting palm saplings along the roadsides, day in and day out.

The recent rise in travellers comes as a relief for the tourism industry in Cox's Bazar, Kuakata and Sylhet as these regions were suffering from low turnout in July, August and September this year.

The 12-kilometre-long Patuakhali River, with an average width of 250 metres and a spiral flow, has faced significant degradation due to encroachment and pollution over the years

Barely five kilometres away from Patuakhali district town, an earthen road lies neglected for decades.