Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Nijhum Dwip or Nijhum Island



Nijhum Dwip or Nijhum island is a small island of Bangladesh under Hatiya upazila. It is situated in Noakhali District. At one time it was called Char Osman.


Its people did not come here for settlement until 1970. Many lived there on purely seasonal basis and the territory, popularly called Nijhum Dwip (the quiet island) was included in the Hatiya constituency in early 1970s. At about the same time, a large number of people losing their lands and homes because of riverbank erosion in nearby areas, especially Hatiya, Shahbajpur and Ramgati migrated to the island as new settlers.
Nijhum Dwip has six big bazaars with mainly the grocery shops, small restaurants and drug stores. These bazaars are the only places in the islands to have electricity from generators.
The forest department of the government of Bangladesh created mangrove forests in Nijhum Dwip and the main attraction in these forests is the herd of about 5000 spotted dear. The most important type of tree planted in the island is Keora, also known as Kerfa, which has fast growing roots holding the sandy land. The plant also supplies pillars for houses, materials for making boats and agricultural implements, and fuel for domestic use. In 2001, the government of Bangladesh declared Nijhum Dwip forests as National Park.

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