United News of Bangladesh

A fire broke out at the main power grid line in Satkhira, disrupting electricity supply in Satkhira district since Saturday morning. According to the Fire Service sources, the fire broke out at the Binapota 132/33 KV power grid line around 11:10 am as a transformer exploded with a big bang. On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after an hour. No casualties were reported. 17 shops gutted in Gazipur fire Russel Islam, in-charge of Satkhira power grid line, said the explosion led to a complete power outage across the district. Efforts are underway to restore electricity and supply is expected to return to normal by the evening, he said. Nurul Islam, warehouse inspector at Satkhira Fire Service, said in preliminary investigation shows that the fire originated due to overheating or an electrical short circuit in the transformer. The power outage has severely disrupted life in the district affecting mills, factories, businesses and daily activities.  

A Satkhira court on Tuesday sent former MP of reserved women seat Laila Parvin Sejuti to jail. Satkhira Chief Judicial Magistrate Court sent her to jail when she was produced before the court in a case filed over subversive activities. Shaminul Haque, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said police arrested Sejuti, also the Education and Human Resource Affairs secretary of Satkhira unit Awami League, from her residence early Tuesday.  2024 dummy election: Hasina among 193 sued in Tangail A case was filed against the former MP with Sadar Police Station after the July uprising. Police filed the case against Sejuti on February 18, 2025.  Anisul, 6 others shown arrested in more cases

A portion of the embankment in Anulia union of Ashashuni upazila, Satkhira, collapsed on the morning of March 31, causing approximately 150 feet of land to be washed away into the Khulpetua River. Although local residents attempted to construct a temporary ring embankment through voluntary efforts, the rising tidal pressure rendered their efforts unsuccessful, according to an ISPR press release. Subsequently, on April 1, the Deputy Commissioner of Satkhira, the Camp Commander of the Ashashuni Army Camp under the 55th Infantry Division, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer, and representatives from the Water Development Board visited the affected area to assess the situation and initiate urgent measures. Bangladesh sends fire service rescue team to Myanmar The release stated that currently, two patrol teams from the Ashashuni Army Camp are stationed in the area, providing full-scale assistance to local residents and the administration in repairing the embankment. Additionally, an engineering battalion team from the 55th Infantry Division has been deployed to aid in the restoration efforts, the release added.

Three people died and 18 others fall sick reportedly after taking toxic liquor on Eid day in Kadakati village of Ashashuni upazila of Satkhira district on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Nazmul Hossain, 35, son of Farhad Gazi, Tuitu Khan, 38, son of Zafar Sardar and Imran Hossain, 25, son of Kuddus Sardar of Tetulia village. Quoting locals, Noman Hossain, officer-in-charge of Ashashuni Police Station, said 15-20 friends drank liquor at Tetulia Bazar on Monday night and fell sick. They were taken to Ashashuni Upazila Health Complex and Satkhira Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday where three of them died on Wednesday morning. The condition of seven to eight people was stated to be critical.

A police constable died by suicide by hanging himself in Satkhira. The incident took place early Sunday around 3:00 am at his rented house in the Rasulpur area of Satkhira. The deceased was identified as Anupam Kumar Ghosh, 26, son of Ashish Kumar Ghosh from Durgapur Khoromkhali village in Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat district. His constable number was 1122. According to police sources, Anupam Kumar Ghosh was serving at Satkhira Police Lines. He lived in a rented house in Rasulpur with his wife. After returning home from duty around 2:00 am on Sunday, he reportedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan with a towel around 3:00 am. Woman killed, husband injured as truck hits them in Sirajganj Family members rushed him to Satkhira Sadar Hospital around 3:30 am, where the on-duty doctor pronounced him dead. Dr. Maruf Hasan, doctor of emergency department at Satkhira Sadar Hospital, confirmed that Anupam had died before being brought to the hospital. Shaminul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Satkhira Sadar Police Station, said, “We visited the scene early in the morning upon receiving the information. Initial investigations suggest that he died by suicide due to family disputes. The body has been sent to Satkhira Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Legal action will be taken after the investigation.”

WaterAid Bangladesh on Thursday organised a national-level workshop titled 'Addressing resilience losses of climate-induced migrants in Southwest Bangladesh affected by COVID-19 pandemic', for sharing the learnings from a project to ensure its replication at governmental and other levels. The workshop was part of the project which aims to address the socio-economic vulnerability and exclusion of the climate-induced migrants, which has been further compounded by COVID-19, living in urban slums in Khulna and Satkhira. It was held at Lakeshore Heights, Dhaka. The event united leading voices in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and climate change sector to showcase the overall project, including its interventions, learnings and prospects for replication. This involves providing a comprehensive overview of what the project aimed to achieve, the key deliverables that were produced, the results and how the work can be carried forward. The learning-sharing workshop created a unique platform to connect relevant stakeholders catering to climate-induced migrants, allowing them to share their experiences, insights, and challenges. Old, polluting buses in Dhaka to be scrapped to combat air pollution: Rizwana It aimed to highlight the project’s contributions in addressing the plights of climate migrants clustered on the urban fringe, highly exposed and vulnerable to floods and waterlogged soil. As the project nears its end, ICDDR,B has conducted an endline evaluation to portray empirical evidence and learning from the field. Programme Lead-Universal Access Babul Bala’s presentation on the project’s rationale, visual representation of interventions, challenges and learnings,after  ICDDR,B shared graphical representations, statistics, comparison with baseline evaluation and recommendations that they have accumulated from the field. WaterAid Bangladesh adopts a bottom-up approach to zoom in on the real-life accounts of beneficiaries and engaging relevant authority to help foster institutional ownership in order to implement this project. Two beneficiaries- Rupali Begum (Shastho Surokkha Station and Grant Support recipient) and Jannatul Ferdous Irani (IGA Training and Material support) shared their back stories, current living standards and how they experience financial freedom and empowerment while Salim Sarower, Assistant Engineer-Satkhira Municipality, emphasized on misuse of water in daily activities. Parvez Mollah, Assistant Director-Department of Youth Development, expressed his willingness to support the youth in rural areas to deter migration to urban areas. Timely information more vital than food during disasters: Experts The chief guest of the workshop, Professor Emeritus Dr Ainun Nishat, Member, Advisory Committee of Climate Bridge Fund (ACCF), emphasised forgoing callousness of COVID-19 vaccination dosage, installation of Pond Sand Filters (PSF) and the importance of Rainwater Harvesting in high salinity regions. He stated, "Just like the heatwave we experienced this year, there can also be cold waves that we could anticipate. This is climate change, and its unpredictability, due to the lack of patterns, makes it even more challenging. To support people's livelihoods, we must focus on addressing these uncertainties.” Special guest Dr Md Golam Rabbani, Head of Secretariat, CBF, BRAC, appreciated the triangulation modality of the workshop and described it as “first-hand example of a multi-sectoral approach”. Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh Hasin Jahan warranted the need to weigh in on their failures and stated, "We often avoid failures, but it is important to reflect on our work and identify them, so we have something to improve on in the future. My key takeaway from this project is how we can scale up our learning in behaviour change more effectively. While resources are limited, we must allocate them wisely to ensure we prioritise WASH as an integral part of climate funds.” The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks from Nabolok Parishad’s Executive Director, Kazi Rajeeb Iqbal.

Three people were killed in a road accident on Satkhira-Khulna highway in Satkhira Sadar upazila early Thursday, said police. The deceased are Arizul Gazi, 28, son of Akbar Ali Gazi, of Jashore’s Jhikargacha upazila, Asadul Islam Fakir, 55, son of Shamsur Kabir of Satkhira’s Tala upazila, and Abdus Selim, 35, son of Abdul Aziz of the same (Tala) upazila. Confirming the matter, Sadar police station’s Sub-Inspector Biswajit Sarkar said a speeding truck ran over a motorbike leaving a biker and two pillion passengers killed on the spot in Binerpota BSCIC area on the highway in the early morning. Read: Two college students die in Moulvibazar road accident After recovery, the bodies were sent to Satkhira Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said. The bodies will be handed over to the families upon autopsy, he said, adding that no one so far has been detained in this connection.

Under the influence of the impending cyclonic storm Dana, coastal district of Satkhira has been experiencing rainfall intermittently since early Thursday. The weather is currently severe, with heavy cloud cover and darkness increasing with the passage of time. Considering the situation, leaves of all government officials and employees have been cancelled. A total of 887 cyclone shelters having capacity of accommodating 443, 000 people have been opened. There are around 700 kilometers of embankments in the district with 5 kilometers considered at risk. Read: Cyclone Dana: Maritime ports asked to hoist local cautionary signal no 3 Efforts to repair the risky dam are ongoing. Essential supplies, including baby food, dry rations, clean drinking water, emergency relief items, and geo-bags, along with boats, have been prepared. Zulfikar Ali, acting officer of Satkhira Meteorological Department, said that this district will experience heavy rainfall due to the cyclone with rising river waters in coastal areas. The cyclone is moving towards neighbouring India's Odisha and West Bengal states and it may not have a severe impact on the district, strong winds are anticipated. Explaining the preparedness, Satkhira Deputy Commissioner Mostak Ahmed said extensive measures have been taken so that people can take refuge at shelter centres.

The coastal areas of Satkhira district have been experiencing rainfall since Wednesday morning as Cyclonic storm "Dana" has formed in the Bay of Bengal. The coastal areas in Shyamnagar upazila including areas adjacent to the Sundarbans’s Gabura, Padmapukur, and Burigoalini are experiencing rain. Zulfikar Ali Ripon, acting officer of the Satkhira Weather office, said the depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone on Wednesday and named ‘Dana.’  

Some 50 metric tonnes of mango of different varieties was exported to Europe on till Monday, authorities said. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 50 metric tonnes of mangoes of Himsagar and Gobindobhog varieties are exported in the market of European countries including England, Sweden and Italy. Later, Lengra and Amrapali varieties will be exported in phases. Mango harvest in Natore begins today with Gopalbhog variety This year, the local administration has set a target to export 300 metric tonnes of mango and training was given to the mango growers in Kalaroa, Sadar and Debhata upazilas. But this year, the size of mango is not appropriate due to low yield of mango in Satkhira caused by the cyclonic storm Remal and drought, which is feared to achieve the export target this season. Saiful Islam, deputy director of Satkhira DAE, said this year the mango of Satkhira failed to achieve the standard export quality as spots were found in mangoes. Besides, the size of mango is not up to the mark. As a result, it will be difficult to fulfill the target set by the authorities. Special mango rail to start operation on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route June 10 Rafiqul Islam, a mango grower of Bakal area, said he has 25 bighas of land under mango cultivation. He however, managed to export four metric tonnes of Gobindobhog variety and two metric tonnes of Himsagar variety mango to the European countries. Besides, the price of the exported mango is better than the previous year as he is selling per maund of mango at Tk 3200-3400, which was Tk 2400-2500 in the last year. Satkhira started to export mango in European countries and the Middle East in 2015. Read more: Naogaon district sets ambitious Tk 2500 crore target for mango sales