Chapter-4: Brief Description of the study area
4.1. Location
Madhupur Thana, now an upazila is situated in Tangail district, was established in 1898. The upazila consists of two municipalities (Madhupur and Dhanbari), 18 wards, 47 mahallas, 10 union parishads, 242 mouzas and 343 villages.
4.2. Area
Madhupur Upazila with an area of 500.70 sq km is bounded by Jamalpur Sadar upazila on the north, Gopalpur and Ghatail upazilas on the south, Muktagacha and Fulbaria upazilas on the east. Sarishabari and Gopalpur upazilas on west. Main rivers are Jhinai, Bangshi, Banar and Atrai.
4.3. Population
The total Population is 375295; male 51.13%, female 48.87%; Muslim 89%, Hindu 7%, Christian 4% and others 0.31%. Ethnic nationals: Garo and Koch. Literacy 25.3%; male 30.2%, female 20.1%.
4.4. Other information
Main occupations Agriculture 52.29%, agricultural labourer 22.8%, wage labourer 2.82%, commerce 8.42%, transport 2.11%, service 2.79%, others 8.77%.
Land use Total land cultivable 32900 hectares, fallow land 2000 hectares; land under irrigation 65%.
Main crops are Paddy, jute, wheat, cotton, potato, patal, ginger, betel leaf, kasava and vegetables.
Main fruits are Mango, jackfruit, litchi, papaya, pineapple and olive.
Main exports are Pineapple, silk, cotton, jackfruit and honey.
4.5. Physical Features:
Geology:
Madhupur tract consists of Pleistocene terraces and recent alluvial floodplain. However, as Madhupur tract occurs above the level of present floodplain; it indicates that there has been a differential movement between Pleistocene and recent floodplain is considerable. But along the eastern and southern sides of the Madhupur tract, Pleistocene slopes gradually between the overlapping recent sediments.
Madhupur occupies the central part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Megna delta. In the sub surface, this area falls in the hinge zone lying between the Indian platform to the north-west and the Bengal fore deep to the south-east It lies in the transition zone According to Morgan and Mclntire.
Topography and Land Form:
The Madhupur region forms a slightly elevated tract with maximum height of abut 18 m (60feet) from the surrounding plain .The flat ridges of the forest run north to south forming irregular mass of high lands with gentle slopes .These high lands or “chalas” are intercepted by depressions in the form of long and narrow valleys or “baid”s. These baid lands are cultivated with paddy .Unfortunately, many chala lands had been cleared earlier by local inhabitants and utilized homestead and gardens for banana jute and vegetables.
Soil:
The soil of Madhupur region is yellowish-red, sandy clay mixed with scattered manganiferous iron –ore known as Bhawal kanker. The soil is compact and hard when dries but melts with the rainfall and becomes soft and tenacious. The porosity is relativity poor, leaves fallen during the winter season, and decomposes during rainy season to produce a thick and fertile layer of compost on soil.
4.6. Climate:
Madhupur has a tropical monsoon-type climate, with a hot and rainy summer and a dry winter. This climate is characterized by the seasonal reversal of the wind to a comparatively dry and mild winter .There are four distinctively identifiable season in a year despite the traditional six seasons of the Bengali calendar.
The Winter Season is from December to February, the unsettled period of pre Summer Monsoon is March to May, the Summer Monsoon is from June to September and the retreating Monsoon is ranges from October to November.
4.7. Temperature:
January is the coolest month with temperatures averaging near 26 deg C (78 d F) and April the warmest with temperatures from 33 to 36 deg C (91 to 96 deg F). The average minimum temperature of Tangail as a whole is 12º C in January and the average annual temperature for the district is 25ºC.
4.8. Rainfall:
Madhupur receive more than 1,525 mm of rain a year, and areas near the hills receive 5,080 mm).At least80% rains occur during the monsoon (June-September) and little in winter (November-February).
The rest of the rainfall occurs mostly during March to May due to Northwester “Kal-Baisakhy” disturbance.
4.9. Relative Humidity:
Low relative humidity occurs during the spring season and ranges from 22.8 %( average minimum) to 97.4% (average maximum). Monthly relatively humidity during this season can go as low as 13% in the month of March to as high as 98% in any month of the season. Medium relative humidity is experienced during the winter season and ranges from 28.4 %( average minimum) to 97.8 %( average maximum).
Figure 4.1: Map of Madhupur Upazila
