Hizla Upazila HQ

 township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Hizla Upazila (Barisal district) with an area of 515.36 sq km, is bounded by Gosairhat and Haimchar upazilas on the north, Mehendiganj upazila on the south, Raipur upazila on the east, Muladi upazila on the west. Main rivers are Lower Meghna, Jayanti, Naiya, Bhanga and Azimpur.

The location of the Hizla town is 22.9000°N 90.5083°E. Hizla (Town) consists of 2 mouzas. The area of the town is 7.58 sq km. It has a population of 10047; male 52.64% and female 47.36%. Literacy rate among the town people is 38.7%. The town has one dakbungalow.

Hizla thana was established in 1911 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. It consists of 6 union parishads, 139 mouzas and 105 villages.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census: Population 166265; male 53%, female 47%; Muslim 98%, Hindu 2%.

Literacy rate and education institutions: Average literacy 27.4%; male 32.3% and female 22.5%. Educational institutions: college 1, high school 11, junior school 5, government primary school 59, non-government primary school 29, madrasa 41.

Religious institutions: Mosque 320, temple 12.

Cultural organisations: Club 14, public library 1, cinema hall 1, women's organisation 2, playground 10.

Main occupations: Agriculture 49.5%, agricultural labourer 25.17%, wage labourer 1.81%, commerce 7.09%, service 3.76%, fishing 6.18% and others 6.49%.

Land use: Cultivable land 5155.8 hectares; single crop 25%, double crop 75%. Cultivable land under irrigation 75%.

Land control: Among the peasants 50% are landless, 25% small, 20% intermediate and 5% rich; cultivable land per head 0.05 hectare.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Poultry 30, dairy 20, fishery 4.

Communication facilities- Roads: pucca 2 km, semi pucca 30 km and mud road 120 km; waterways 108 nautical mile.

Cottage industries: Hogla making, bamboo work, fishing net making, jute handicraft, date molasses processing, shital pati making.

NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are grameen bank, Bastahara Kalyan Samity, Disha, Alor Disha.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 3, satellite clinic 1.