One of the sources of water in our country are the rivers. Rivers are everywhere in our life, literature, economy and culture. But are the rivers in good shape? Unfortunately, they are not. A few are already dead and several are going through the pangs of death. The river Buriganga is an example of a dying river. A report published in the Daily Sun describes what has happened to the river Buriganga and why. It's water is polluted and a perpetual stench fills the air around it. But that is not what it was like before.

The report says that the river had a glorious past. Once it was a tributary of the mighty Ganges and flowed into the Bay of Bengal through the river Dhaleswari. Gradually. It lost its link with the Ganges and got the name Buriganga. The Mughals marvelled at the tide level of the Buriganga and founded their capital Jahangirnagar on its banks in 1610. The river supplied drinking water and supported trade and commerce. Jahangirnagar was renamed Dhaka which grew into a heavily populated city with a chronic shortage of space.

The city paid back the bounty of the river by sucking life out of it! According to newspaper report, the Buriganga is dying because of pollution. Huge quantities of toxic chemicals and wastes from mills and factories, hospitals and clinics and households and other establishments are dumped into the river everyday. The city of Dhaka discharges about 4500 tons of solid waste every day and most of it is directly released into the Buriganga. According to the Department of the Environment (DOE) 20.000 tons of tannery waste, including some highly toxic materials are released into the river every day. Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city as the primary sources of river pollution: Tongi, Tejgaon, Hazaribagh, Tarabo, Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur, Dhaka Export Processing Zone and Ghorashal.

Folk music consists of songs and music of a community that are uninfluenced by any sophisticated musical rules or any standard music styles. Bangladesh has a heritage of rich folk music which includes both religious and secular songs. Folk music may be described as that type of ancient music which springs from the heart of a community, based on their natural style of expression uninfluenced by the rules of classical music and modern popular songs. Any mode or form created by the combination of tune, voice and dance may be described as music. Thus, the combination of folk song, folk dance and folk tune may be called folk music. For example, Baul songs are a combination of tune, music and dance. In Bangladesh folk music has great variety with songs being composed on the culture, festivals, views of life, natural beauty, rivers and rural and riverine life. These songs are also about social inequality and poverty, about the material world and the supernatural. Mystical songs have been composed using the metaphors of rivers and boats. Since the country is basically riverine, the Bhatiyall forms an important genre of folk music. Folk music is formed and develops according to the environment. Differences in the natural environment are reflected in the people of the different regions. The dialects too vary across the different regions. Bangladeshi folk music therefore varies from region to region.

Kuakata, locally known as Sagar Kannya (Daughter of the Sea) is a rare scente spot located on the southernmost tip of Bangladesh. It is 70 km from Patuakhall district headquarters and 320 km from Dhaka.

An excellent combination of the picturesque natural beauty, sandy beaches, blue sky and the shimmering expanse of water of the Bay of Bengal and the evergreen forest makes Kuakata a much sought after tourist destination. The name Kuakata takes its origin from the story of a 'Kua'- or well-dug on the sea shore by the early Rakhaine settlers for collecting drinking water. The Rakhaines had landed on Kuakata coast after being expelled from Arakan by the Mughals. Kuakata is one of the unique spots which allow a visitor to watch both the sunrise and the sunset from the beach. That perhaps makes Kuakata one of the world's most attractive beaches. Kuakata is truly a virgin beach and a sanctuary for migratory winter birds. Fishing boats plying in the Bay of Bengal with colourful sails, surfing waves and the lines of coconut trees add to the vibrant colours Kuakata. The indigenous culture of the Rakhaine community and hundred year old Buddhist temples Indicate the age-old tradition and cultural heritage of this area.

One of the sources of water in our country are the rivers. Rivers are everywhere in our life. literature, economy and culture. But are the rivers in good shape? Unfortunately, they are not. A few are already dead and several are going through the pangs of death. The river Buriganga is an example of a dying river. A report published in the Daily Sun describes what has happened to the river Buriganga and why. It's water is polluted and a perpetual stench fills the air around it. But that is not what it was like before.

The report says that the river had a glorious past. Once it was a tributary of the mighty Ganges and flowed into the Bay of Bengal through the river Dhaleshwari. Gradually, it lost its link with the Ganges and got the name Buriganga. The Mughals marvelled at the tide level of the Buriganga and founded their capital Jahangirnagar on its banks in 1610. The river supplied drinking water and supported trade and commerce. Jahangirnagar was renamed Dhaka which grew into a heavily populated city with a chronic shortage of space.

The city paid back the bounty of the river by sucking life out of it! According to newspaper report, the Buriganga is dying because of pollution. Huge quantities of toxic chemicals and wastes from mills and factories, hospitals and clinics and households and other establishments are dumped into the river everyday. The city of Dhaka discharges about 4500 tons of solid waste everyday and most of it is directly released into the Buriganga. According to the Department of the Environment (DOE). 20,000 tons of tannery wastes, including some highly toxic materials, are released into the river every day. Experts identified nine industrial areas in and around the capital city as the primary sources of river pollution: Tongi. Tejgaon, Hazaribagh, Tarabo. Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur, Dhaka Export Processing Zone and Ghorashal.