Sohrab Hossain

Patuakhali’s scenic coastal town of Kuakata is grappling with the persistent issue of non-biodegradable plastic waste, including one-time use plastic products and polythene, which are causing significant damage to the environment and neighbouring rivers.

Polytechnic Institute in Patuakhali is facing serious problems due to its shortage of teachers. While 93 of its 125 teacher posts have remained vacant for the last five years, 11 additional teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last three years.

In recent times, numerous houses, educational institutions, markets, cemeteries, and places of worship in Patuakhali’s Piprakhali have been displaced; and acres of land and embankments have been eroded by the mighty Payra river.

Boro cultivation has brought smiles to a good number of farmers at many coastal villages in Barguna, with a bumper yield of the paddy this season.

Many recreational places in the port city were seen abuzz with visitors of different walks of life on  Eid holidays.

At least 2 lakh tourists would visit Kuakata in Patuakhali during the holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, assumed local businessmen related to the tourism industry

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.

As Eid approaches, several lakh travellers from four upazilas of Patuakhali are facing severe inconvenience, as direct bus service between these upazilas and Dhaka have been suspended.

Farmers across two coastal districts of Bangladesh, namely Patuakhali and Barguna, as well as Tangail are increasingly growing oilseed crops in a bid to profit from the ever-higher prices of edible oil.

Around 600 illegal structures were evicted from Kuakata Beach in November 2022, thanks to the initiative of Patuakhali District Administration and Water Development Board (WDB). However, just four months later, illegal construction has resumed in different areas of the beach on government land.

A cluster of potters in Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila, some 240 kilometres south of capital Dhaka, say they have made sales of around Tk 1 crore of earthen products, including some abroad, centring Pahela Baishakh. 

Over 200 structures have sprung up ignoring HC directive

For the first time since opening around a decade ago, Payra Sea Port has been able to accommodate a vessel having a draught of 10.2 metres owing to the dredging of a channel connecting it to the sea. 

A foreign vessel with a depth of 10.2 metres arrived at the inner anchorage of Payra Port in Patuakhali on Thursday, the first anchoring of a larger water vessel at the country's third seaport.

Anyone in their forties with experience of visiting the countryside might recall the ways they travelled from one place to another.

The number of tourists flocking to Kuakata Beach has fallen drastically since the middle of March, forcing hotel and motel owners to offer up to 50 per cent discounts on rents in a desperate bid to attract holidaymakers and cut losses.

Although watermelon yields have been good this year, a section of farmers in Barishal and Khulna are facing heavy losses due to heavy hailstorms and poor market price amid the final stage of harvesting.

For many low-income families, affording a nutritious iftar meal is a challenge. The same goes for Ilias Mia, a rickshaw driver from Patuakhali’s Kalapara town.

Larger mother vessels will now be able to load or unload their goods directly from the jetty of Payra port as capital dredging of Ramnabad channel is now complete, according to port officials.

Payra port, the third seaport in Bangladesh, expects to see the arrival of larger ships from the first week of April, according to a statement from the shipping ministry issued yesterday.