Araihazar Upazila

 township, fourth-level administrative division

Araihazar Upazila (Narayanganj district) with an area of 183.35 sq km, is bounded by narsingdi sadar upazila on the north, banchharampur upazila on the east, homna upazila on the south and rupganj and sonargaon upazilas on the west. The meghna flows by the east of the upazila.

Araihazar (Town) consists of 3 mouzas with an area of 1.49 sq km. It has a population of 3216; male 56.75%, female 43.25%. The density of population is 2158 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 40%. The town has one dakbungalow.

Administration: Araihazar thana was established in 1921 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 12 union parishads, 182 mouzas and 315 villages.

Population 299855; male 51.75%, female 48.25%; Muslims 96.08%, Hindu 3.76%, others .16%.

Religious institutions: Mosque 355, temple 7.

Literacy and educational institutions: Average literacy 23.6%; male 28.6% and female 17%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 17, primary school 114, community school 11, satellite school 7, madrasa 36, maktab 460. Noted educational institutions: Araihazar Pilot High School (1897), Duptara C C High School (1912), Gopaldi High School (1919), Satgram Government High School (1910).

Cultural organisations: Public library 1, club 65, cinema hall 3, community centre 8, playground 25.

Main occupations: Agriculture 24.68%, fishing 1.65%, agricultural labourer 10.96%, wage labourer 8.53%, commerce 14.45%, service 3.84%, weaving 20.73%, industry 1.57% and others 13.59%.

Land use: Cultivable land 14895.59 hectares and fallow land 3383.63 hectares; single crop 21%, double crop 51%, treble crop 28%; land under irrigation 55%.

Land control: Landless peasants 29.69%, marginal peasants 31.15%, small peasants 20%, medium peasants 14.65% and 0.94% rich.

Main crops: Paddy, jute, wheat, corn, potato, kalai, sesame, mustard, vegetables. Pan cultivation, which was once quite extensive, is now almost extinct.

Dairies, poultries Dairy 15, poultry 53.

Transportation- Roads: pucca 117 km, semi pucca 45 km and mud road 234 km; water ways 14 nautical mile. Palanquin and Bazra boat, which were once popular, are now extinct.

Main exports: Broad cloths, sari.

NGO activities: Most active are grameen bank, asa, brac, proshika, SIDA, Sofa.

Health centre: Hospital 1, family welfare centre 4, union family welfare centre 7.