Mintu Deshwara

Sylhet division is littered with numerous haors, waterfalls, swamp, hills, and tea gardens that make it an attractive tourist destination.

Twenty-five-year old Khadija Akter of Moulvibazar’s Barlekha upazila got married in Chauddagram of Cumilla. She moved to her father’s house a few months ago as she was pregnant.

Haor areas of Sylhet division usually remain inundated for most of the year but there are high grounds where Boro paddy can be grown.

Weavers and clothing entrepreneurs in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar usually take on loans to make Manipuri clothing items as they get ready for higher sales ahead of Eid festivals.

Centenarian Sami Lakachiang is considered the oldest person in Kakrachhara Punji, an indigenous village located in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila.

A number of seasonal cattle farms have sprung up at villages found in Sylhet’s haor areas thanks to the availability of naturally-grown grass in the region, providing a much-needed alternative to paddy cultivation.

Watermelons of all shapes and sizes are currently available in the market but other than satisfying a customer’s craving for the refreshing fruit, its cultivation provides a spectacular view.

While cases of Covid-19 infection are rising every day amid the ongoing countrywide lockdown of most businesses and factories, the labour-intensive tea plantations remain open without ensuring minimal health rules.

An age-old “Kathaler Haat”, or jackfruit market, in Brahmanbazar area of Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila is seeing poor sales this year as recent restrictions on public movement aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19 have kept buyers at bay.

Balikandi of Moulvibazar sadar upazila has a long history of being a hub for leather trade in the greater Sylhet division. Even a few years ago, hundreds of people were making a living out of it.

Tea garden owners in Bangladesh have urged the government to keep the industry out of the purview of the strict nationwide lockdown beginning on July 23.

When the death toll due to the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 has been on the rise across the country, the largest weekly livestock market in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj continue to be arranged without ensuring any health safety rules.

A proposal to build the country's third safari park in Lathitila forest of Moulvibazar has raised concerns among environmentalists as the construction of roads and structures will threaten the biodiversity of the forest area.

Covid-19 patients suffer immensely as there is no intensive care unit (ICU) facility at the hospitals in Habiganj.

Deaths of rare and endangered species of wildlife under the wheels of vehicles and on train tracks are rampant in Moulvibazar’s Lawachhara forest.

Tea garden workers have rejected the recent minimum wage recommendations of a government-led tripartite body.

In a first for the country, rose tea recently joined the white and yellow blends for sale in local markets.

An LGED project to excavate a six-kilometre-long and 100-foot-wide channel in the middle of a river -- 15 kilometres long and roughly 600 feet wide -- is causing an outcry from residents of Nabiganj upazila in Habiganj.

The destruction of Borshijora Eco-Park -- a protected forestland spread out on 326.07 hectares of land near Moulvibazar stadium -- by the hands of the town mayor has brought to light the question whether any forest or wildlife in the country are protected at all.

The authorities of a private tea garden allegedly cut down around 1,000 trees at a punji (village) in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila without permission from Forest Department.