Dublar Char

21°43′22″N 89°36′10″E / 21.72278°N 89.60278°E / 21.72278; 89.60278Area66.5 km² (25.7 sq mi)Length15 km (9.3 mi)Width5.5 km (3.42 mi)Administration

Bangladesh

DivisionKhulna DivisionDistrictBagerhat DistrictDemographicsPopulation3000 (2020)LanguagesBengaliEthnic groupsBengalis

Dublar Char is an island in Bangladesh with an area of 66.5 km², located in the Bagerhat District of the Khulna Division. It's a tourist destination inside Sundarban. Only Teletalk Internet & Mobile Network is available here. Fisherman live here during fishing season for three to four months and have demanded a floating hospital from the Government of Bangladesh.^[1] The island hosts a Raas Mela (fair) annually.^[2]^[3]

Economy

Dublar Char is the largest dry fish processing site in the Sundarban region.^[4] Labor activists have accused the fishermen of using child labor on the island.^[5] On 8 November 2004, Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 93 boys between the ages of 7 and 12 who were used as slave labor by the fishermen.^[6]

There is a market in Dublar Char named the Dublar Char New market.

Banking and telecommunication

Here there is no branch of bank. But mobile banking agents of bKash, nagad, SureCash & TeleTalk TelePay is available. Mobile banking agents run their business based on Teletalk Network because Only Teletalk Internet & Mobile Network available here.

Wildlife

Hydrophis nigrocinctus, a species of black-banded sea snake, was rediscovered in bycatch after being unseen for over a century, on this very island. The specimen was found in February 2015, and it was published in May 2024.^[7]

References

^ "Fishermen want floating hospital at Dublar Char". The Daily Star. 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ "3-day Raas Mela at Dublar Char begins today". The Daily Star. 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ "Miles away from home: Colours of 'Raas Mela' in the Sundarbans". The Daily Star. 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ "Dublar Char, other spots buzz with fish drying". The Daily Star. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ "'Take steps to stop child labour at Dublar char'". The Daily Star. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ "93 boys rescued from Dublar Char". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
^ Sarker, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque; Sanders, Kate L.; Ukuwela, Kanishka D. B.; Lovlu, Abu Hasan; Jaman, Mohammad Firoj (2024-05-18). "Rediscovery of the Black-banded sea snake Hydrophis nigrocinctus (Daudin, 1803) (Reptilia: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) after over a century, with notes on reproduction and conservation status: Rediscovery of Hydrophis nigrocinctus from Bangladesh". Hamadryad. 40 (1 and 2). ISSN 2583-7818.