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Massive attack of top-dying disease has put Sundari trees in danger in the Sundarban forests.
   The disease has attacked several thousands trees at 15 compartments in 15 square kilometres of the largest mangrove forest in the world.
   Sources said there are 334 species of trees in the Sundarbans where the Sundari trees are abundant.
   The top-dying disease has attacked the Sundari trees in 6, 14, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, and 39 compartments of the forest.
   A project was taken up in 2001 as experts feared that extensive damage to other trees might occur if the affected Sundari trees are not removed immediately.
   Team leader of the project Stephen Divence in his report stated that if the affected trees are not removed, the disease will cause damage to other trees.
   District Forest Officer of the west zone of the Sundarban Abani Bhusan Tagore told the news agency that this report was not based on facts.
   He said climatic change, rise in saline water and decrease in the sweet water flow in the Sundarbans are the main causes of the top-dying disease of the Sundari trees.
   Water expert Ainun Nishat in his research said about 85.67 crore trees are in the Sundarbans. He said the Sundari trees are dying due to the shortage of the sweet water flow.
   Prof Abdur Rahman, consultant of different organizations in Dhaka and former head of the Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline of Khulna University, said that the sweet water flow from the upstream is impeded in different ways.
   Nutrients in the trees decreased due to the shortfall of sweet water. Later, the top-dying disease broke out due to fungus, he added.
   He expressed his view that increase in salinity in the rivers of the Sundarbans and chemical wastes from the sea caused the disease.
   ‘If the water flow from the river Ganges increases, the sweet water flow with nutrients will also increase in the Sundarban.
   But this step should be taken at the government level of the two countries,’ he added.
   Prof Abdur Rahman said the Sundari trees are in danger. So, immediate steps should be taken to check the top-dying disease, he added.

At least 30 people were injured in a clash between supporters of the Awami League and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami over a disputed piece of land at Raipur of Maheshpur in Jhenaidah on Monday.
   Maheshpur police officer-in-charge Abdul Khaleque Hawlader said followers of AL leader and Raipur UP member Rezaul Islam and Jamaat leader and former UP member Aftab Uddin locked in a clash on the day over a long-standing land dispute.
   They attacked each other with sharp weapons, leaving 30 people injured.
   The injured were taken to hospitals in Maheshpur and Jessore.

Duck farmers in Bhola are facing heavy financial losses as hundreds of ducks are dying of unknown disease.
   Local sources said at least 20,000 ducks died of an unknown disease in the last 45 days creating panic among the duck farmers.
   Local livestock department sources said they were yet to identify the cause of pestilence that killed the large number of ducks.
   Hazrat Ali and Ayesha Begum, a farmer couple of village Kunjapatti of Velumia union at Bhola sadar, said they had been rearing ducks for the last 14 years. They have 800 swans, ducks and geese and 200 ducklings and since last May about 700 started laying eggs.
   Each of the mother ducks and geese was expected to lay 400 to 450 eggs in a year and each of the eggs could be sold at Tk 5 to 6, the couple said.
   However, the ducks started dying within 2-3 days with symptoms of bleeding and watering from nose and peeling in the neck skin, the affected farmers said.
   Hazrat Ali from his years of experience said he knows that early vaccination could prevent the disease and save the ducks but he could not collect vaccine from the district livestock department.
   Sharifunnesa, wife of Anisul Huq of Kamla union under Lalmohan upazila of the district, who has been involved with duck farming for the last 20 years, alleged the district livestock department gave one vaccine against the demand of five and also charged high prices.
   Dr Yusuf Ali, Bhola district livestock officer, acknowledging the vaccine crisis, said the last supply of vaccine in the district reached on June 15 and they were distributed among the duck farmers of seven upazilas of the district
   But that was only one tenth of the demanded vaccines of the district and no extra money was taken from the farmers against the vaccine, the district livestock officer said.
   On the cause of deaths of the ducks, he said it had not yet become epidemic like duck plague or duck cholera and they collected samples to send to the lab for diagnosis.

Jute cultivation has seen a remarkable decrease in Faridpur over the last couple of years.
   High production cost and inaccessibility to water for jute processing are the man causes behind reduction of jute cultivation in the district, once popularly known as the country's pride for the golden fibre.
   According to sources in the Department of Agricultural Extension, Faridpur, in the year 2007, about 65,000 hectares of land were brought under jute cultivation, which fell to 55,000 hectares in 2008.
   In the year 2009, the land under jute cultivation reduced further to 50,000 hectares.
   The DAE sources also said that six lakh bels (one bel is equivalent to 180 kilograms) of jute were produced in the year 2007, while in 2008, the amount came down to less than 5.5 lakh bels and it is apprehended to reduce further in the current season.
   The continued decrease in agricultural land set for jute firming concerns many about future of the golden fibre in the district.
   Shirajul Islam, 40, a farmer of village Manikdaha under Bhanga upazila of the district, said production cost of jute continues to rise every year.
   Last year, average production cost of each maund of jute was between Tk 700 and Tk 800.
   But the price of quality jute in the local market was around Tk 800. So the unfair price made him reluctant to cultivate jute any further.
   Harun-ur-Roshid, 55, a farmer of village Arpara under Dumain union of Modhukhali upazila, said for want of sufficient water processing of raw jute is being seriously hampered.
   The farmers suffer greatly for the last two years as the water flow into the jute growing areas is barred by some influential people at the sluice gates and cross dams at various points of the rivers Kurma Chandana and Barashia under Madhukhali, Nagarkanda and Sadar upazila.
   They preserve the water in various marshes for fish farming.
   For lack of sufficient current in the water of the localities, decomposing and debarking of jute fibre are badly hampered which also reduces the quality of the fibre and increase the production cost.
   Farmers of Boalmari, Saltha, and Nagarkanda upazilas alleged that they had been facing the difficulty for shortage of water for the last ten years.
   Md Shah Alam, deputy director of the Faridpur DAE, told New Age that they were concerned about the shortage of water which was a big obstacle to proper jute processing.
   'The problem can be resolved through intervention of the local administration,' he added.

At least two persons were killed in separate road accidents in Natore and Faridpur on Sunday and Monday, our district correspondents reported.
   In Natore, three people were killed in two road accidents on Monday.
   The police said the first accident took place on the Natore-Dhaka Highway at Dattapara at about 7:00am when a human hauler, locally called Nasiman, loaded with rod, fell into a roadside ditch, leaving the two persons dead on the spot.
   The diseased are Arun Chandra Sarker, 36, and Shyamal Chandra Das, 35- both are betel leaf traders.
   The police seized the vehicle but the driver managed to get away.
   In another road accident, one person died on the spot when a Natore-bound bus rammed into a roadside tree at Kumgram under the upazila.
   The deceased was Abdus Samed, 50, of Singra upazila.
   In Faridpur, two persons were killed in two separate road accidents in Bhanga and Boalmari upazilas of Faridpur on Sunday and Monday.
   The deceased are Joynal Fakir, 60, of village Dighirpar under Bhanga upazila and Abdul Khaleq Fakir, 90 of village Rakhaltali of Shekhar union under Boalmari upazila.
   In Bhanga, a Dhaka-bound from Pirojpur ran over a pedestrian Joynal Fakir, 60, in front of BRAC office at Bishwa road crossing on Monday, leaving him dead on the spot.
   In Boalmari, a motorbike knocked down Abdul Khaleq Fakir, 90. He was admitted to Boalmari Heath complex where he died from his injuries.

At least 15 shops were gutted in two separate fire incidents in Faridpur and Gopalganj early Sunday, report New Age district correspondents.
   In Faridpur, a total of 12 shops were burnt in a fire incident at Bhanga Bazar.
   According to the police, the fire originated from an electric short circuit at about 2:00am and spread quickly engulfing 12 shops.
   Fire fighters from Faridpur sadar went to the spot and extinguished the blaze after two hours’ efforts.
   Shop owners claimed the fire had damaged valuables worth about Tk 50 lakh.
   In Gopalganj, three shops were burnt as a fire broke out at Modhumati Bazaar of sadar upazila.
   Local people said the fire had originated from an electric short circuit at a grocery shop at about 12:30am and soon engulfed two more adjoining shops.

Some unidentified assailants shot dead a regional leader of the banned Biplobi Communist Party at his residence in Abhaynagar upazila of Jessore early Monday.
   The police said the assailants had opened fire on Abdul Kader Gazi, 42, through window when he was sleeping at his house at about 2:30am, leaving him dead on the spot.
   The body was recove-red and sent to Jessore General Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.
   Kader Gazi was accused in a triple murder case, the police said.
   A case was filed in connection with the killing.